2003 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing - 9/6/2009 rated 94 points: Bigger, richer and more intense than the botella, yet not overextracted and all the elements remain in balance - dark fruit, cinnamon, spice, whiff of cola with a wonderful velvety, gentle texture and inviting warmth to it - wonderfully powerful and tender at the same time
2003 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Botella - 8/15/2009 rated 93 points: Beautiful, luscious pinot woven together with cherries, raspberries and seductive spices in perfect balance and accompanied by sweet tannins and an enduring finish - the way pinot should be
Sea Smoke may make big, bold wines, but they seem to retain their balance and texture and have the structure to last. The Botella and Southing were a treat to drink and I am glad I own more.
Interesting how you say that it was popularized by Sideways yet most people would hardly remember that the only reference to Sea Smoke was a brief cameo in a camera pan past a bottle of Botella resting on the table. For those that caught it, it was pretty cool.
Of course, neither the Sanfords nor the Sanford tasting room featured in the movie are now associated with the Sanford winery. The rustic tasting room, still managed by the now famous Chris who had a speaking role in the film, is the tasting room for Alma Rosa, the Sanfords’ new venture.
Well worth a stop, for the whites as well as the reds. I tend to prefer the Alma Rosa style to the former Sanford style.
Here were the wines served…i think that brief cameo was placed amid a beautifully shot scene of friends enjoying dinner and wine - something everyone can relate to - i have no doubt this added to the allure of Sea Smoke
Thats a lot of wine for 4 people -
2002 Sea Smoke Botella
2001 Whitcraft
Kistler Pinot
Comte Armand Pommard Pinot
1999 Ponzi Reserve Pinot
1998 Bien Nacido Pinot
I always thought it was a lot of wine too and let’s not forget the Fiddelhead Sauvignon Blanc they were drinking before they even started the bottle service. Maybe they did not drink it all?
BTW, nice note on the sea smokes. I had two bottles of the 2003 last month. Your note was spot on. Despite popular thinking otherwise I have found the Botella’s have aged as well as the southing and the ten.
