2000 Vino Bambino Pinot Noir- USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (12/27/2013)
Enjoyable wine. A touch of funk on the nose, brick red, advanced but ripe cherry and a hint of strawberry fruit kept bright by a big dose of acid. Threw a lot of sediment so be careful on the last pour. Finished up tart with a whift of dusty tannin. Drink up!
we had the exact same wine today…on the nose it is very burgundian…did not find it tart but did find plenty of fruit which tells me the opposite story than the nose, nice earthy mushroom notes…very balanced…very delicious
Thanks for the note. I popped one recently and the cork split in half. So, I ran it through a strainer to catch cork sediment; whenever I do that the taste of the wine seems to be adversely affected. It was still good but the fruit wasn’t quite all there. Hopefully the next cork stays in one piece.
2000 Vino Bambino Pinot Noir- USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (7/23/2015)
Popped and poured, burnt orange rim with a ruby/garnet core. Powerful, sauvage nose initially shows a whiff of sulfur which quickly blows off to reveal complexities of skunky raspberry, underripe strawberry, sous bois, five spice and fresh jalapeno with a hint of smoke. Florals and a pronounced impression of minerals emerge with air…almost Volnay-esque, just a fascinatingly enjoyable aromatic profile.
Medium body, electrifying acidity. Although there’s certainly a cherry-fruit element to the flavor profile along with an impression of blood orange from acid, it’s immediately apparent the fruit is receding into a tertiary expression of assorted dried herbs, tea leaves, spice and earth while veering into briny/umami with additional aeration. The tannins still show a chalky bite on the lengthy close.
This is utterly fantastic, an acid lovers dream. Drink now or hold for a few more years if you prefer even more tertiary expression.
While I’ve had a few of these now and all have been good this bottle was epic.
