Some Sunday fodder: Your highest rated or most memorable bottle of domestic Pinot Noir EVER

WINE TALK
41

Those old Eyrie South Blocks are amazing.

42

There are so many to pick from but one jumps out in my memory to this day - a 1991 Mt. Eden Pinot Noir that Keith L opened at a dinner at Landmarc maybe 10? years ago. A second bottle of the same wine a few years later wasn’t nearly as good.

43

Great stuff, keep it coming.

44

2001 Arcadian Garys’ at 9 and 10 years old was game changing. Extraordinary stuff.

Also, a 1994 Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard was an eye opener.

45

'09 Marcassin Vineyard. Unique from any other Cali PN I’ve enjoyed.

46

1987 Williams & Selyem Allen poured at a benefit tasting for victims of the Loma Prieta Earthquake at the Coconut Grove in Santa Cruz in early 1990. I had just started to explore pinot and had enjoyed pinots from Rochioli, Dehlinger, Gary Farrell, Mount Eden and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard but this (and the other wines W&S poured) went to a new level for me.

47

I considered that Gary’s but the Mt. Eden edged it out.

48

1993 Littorai One Acre

49

91 Panther Creek Beaux Freres Vinyeard was still the best. But I’d put the 93 DDO Laurene up there too.

50

Very hard to pick just one…how about a handful?

2002 Martinelli BSR (all of the 02 Martinelli’s were stellar)
2005 Rochioli, both West and East

and

1998 Marcassin Marcassin (the singular best Pinot ever - at least the bottle we had)

Best…

51

1970 B V
2007 Aston, clone 777
Hanzell 1968
Mara 2012

52
  • 2006 Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (10/9/2010)
    This was an outstanding bottle of wine with seemlessness, no rough edges and a declicious blend of fruit flavors with a touch of vanilla in the background. The fruit was red, heavy on the cherry and a bit of plum and berry. The mouth feel was silky perfection. Was it sweet, or just the ripe fruit? I think the residual sugar was zero, but the fruit removed any sensation of bitterness, astringency or mouth puckering. But there was some tartness as well, which sounds odd, but was a function of the great balance in the wine. The tartness came out more as air time increasaed after we popped and poured at The Old Homestead (corkage $35). IIRC, the alcohol level was 15.5%, but it didn’t matter. The wine was in such perfect balance that it was not noticeable. I suppose that if you drink Coors Light for distance rather than flavor, this wine is not for you, but I prefer taste. Yummmmm! (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

53

My top 5 are all Aubert. I have had some great Benovia pinots recently but do not appear to have written any formal notes. My next highest non-Aubert for which I have a formal note is:

  • 2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/16/2011)
    Pinot isn’t my thing, but this wine was outstanding. Popped and poured. There was clarity and precision in the wine with clearly defined flavors focusing on a cherry base that was neither tart nor sweet, but somewhere in the middle. There was only a bit of Cali pinot cola funk. There was acidity without bitterness. The finish was on the long side. Color was a bit light compared to my usual Saxums, about what you would expect from a pinot. I do not know if it was the patience of waiting 6 years or just the wine itself. I drank this same wine over 3 years ago and my note said that everyone agreed that it was “stong flavored” for a pinot noir. Maybe that’s true compared to a Burg, but it’s a lot lighter than the Aubert pinot we had last month. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

54

weird. I far prefer bad aromatics. [shock.gif] [cheers.gif]

55

A tie at 94.

2011 Sojourn Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast tasted 1/25/13

2005 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard tasted 10/22/11 at Berserkerfest at Barbetta in NYC.

56

Marcassin 2007

57

I was a junior in college in San Antonio, Texas and fell in love with a young girl that was a senior. After college she got a job at Chevron in Walnut Creek, California. I spent the summer between my junior and senior out with her. We thought we knew something about wine because we preferred Mondavi White Zin to Sutter Home White Zin. – At one point we discovered this beautiful winery, overlooking vines and a river. We were in love so it all seemed perfect. There I discovered the first red wine I ever really liked. It was the 1984 Rochioli Pinot Noir. The relationship with the girl didn’t last, but with the wine, it did.

Easily the most memorable.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

58

Oh yeah. Drank this a few weeks ago. Never wrote a note. Delicious.

59

Nice! I’ve never tried a '93 or a '94 (the '98 and the '02 are the superstar One Acres of the other vintages IMO).

I’m curious, Ross - have you had these wines as well and think that the '93 stands above all of them?

60

Either a 1983 Ponzi Reserve or a 1986 Calera Jensen.