2012 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Villages Cuvée- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (7/14/2014)
Poured a small glass and then decanted to rest. Already drinking nicely. Dark fruit and spice aromas. Reminded me of Santa Rita Hills. Really nice flavors of dark cherry fruit and a bit of cranberry creep in but it more marked by its dark flavors. It is a heavy wine but the medium acid prevents it from being flabby. (91 pts.)
2006 Brick House Pinot Noir Select Ribbon Ridge- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (6/16/2014)
I did buy some 06 pinots from my favorite producers but have tried to finish them off. Some have just slipped through the cracks. This was drinking okay but did have the 06 blobbiness. Ripe nose that is pretty clean but on the palate it gets a bit muddy. The wine is tasty but not overly compelling. Drink up. (85 pts.)
2009 Ridge Geyserville- USA, California, Sonoma County (6/16/2014)
Drank out of a 375. I am hoping this was an off bottle. The nose is super ripe and a little stewed. Elements of EA as well. I let the wine get some air as well as leaving a small pour in the bottle over night. It did clean up a bit but overall was uncharacteristically ripe and stewed. Bought from a reputable source and kept in my fridge but maybe had some heat damage along the way. Tempted to check in on one of my 750s.
2009 Markus Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (5/8/2014)
Not much of a note here, other than this smells awesome! I spent much of the evening smelling this wine. The palate continues. Great finish. Balanced and tasty. The small knock on this would be that it really needed some acidity to keep things a little more lively. But for $16 this a very nice way to start off a summer evening. (93 pts.)
Interesting, I also tried a 2009 Ridge Geyserville from half bottle (last year) and I found it very, very ripe. Not stewed, but perhaps bit OTT for Ridge.
I’m yet to regret, even for a moment, buying little or no '06 OR Pinot. Same story for '09. '12 initially seems headed in the same direction, but there’s much exploring to do. The '10 St. I Villages Cuvee was surprisingly good.
I didn’t buy much 06 either. Especially once I got a taste of the 07s. I skipped 09 completly other than I am in the SI club. AS for the 12s, I will be very selective in my purchases. Especially since I love the 10s and 11s.
Mark has been been really nailing it with his Villages Cuvée but the 2010 was stunning IMO.
*** St. Innocent
Pinot Noir 2009
Momtazi Vineyard
Oregon
13.5%. Bio-dynamic, no fining or filtering.
C: Darker PN red
P: A bit sharp on the finish at first. Needed 2 hrs. open to blow off. After that, superb! Medium body, darker PN flavor, lovely lovely balance and length. Very very smooth. Dark cherry notes, but what really mattered was the integrated taste, length and balance. So smooth and compelling! Went beautifully with grilled lamb chops. Can’t quite find words for the taste. Somehow New World, a note of “innocence,” perhaps? I could hardly recommend this more highly.
Certainly there is some terrific 2009s. Especially from veteran producers such as St Innocent. I actually did buy some wines from Westrey. But in general, although not as bad as 03 and 06, 2009 is not a good vintage in Oregon for Pinot Noir.
Poking fun. Happy to open any, almost any, 2009 of ours for you. Many show exceptionally well right now. Others require some patience believe it or not. Very little in common with 2006 and virtually nothing with 2003. Some dynamite stuff is available. I realize there are OTT wines out there but nearly every vintage from every place on earth has an element to it.
Drop in when you are around. I’m sure we have a couple 2009s lying around that might make you think twice. Maybe not change your entire vintage perspective but might make you ponder a bit. Pondering is good.
Be careful what you offer as I will be there next month. I would love to come by. Perhaps I used a poor choice of word regarding the vintage. From my perspective, the 09s were less compelling than 07, 08, 10, & 11.
I think there are knee jerk reactions to 2009 and similar vintages. 2009 was not hot during harvest time, for the most part, the way 03 and 06 were. It was a much easier vintage in that respect. The wines can be forward across the breadth of all producers in the state but better places had the ability to excel in the vintage. I firmly believe that one of the best wines we have ever made comes from that vintage and it will take years for it to get to its ultimate place. It is not my favorite vintage but it us closer to the top than the bottom of the list.
Happy to show you stuff that I think is freaky good. Come on by or let’s meet up. Or both.
Clearly some sites and winemakers do better with “warm vintages”…from an AFWE perspective. How many producers/wines need to be sampled before a reaction is no longer a “knee jerk”?
I’ll be the first to admit that my tastes don’t coincide with mainstream US Pinot buyers…or most professional critics. In general terms, '09 Burgundy isn’t my favorite vintage either. There are always exceptions, few as there may be in years like '03.
