2009 PINOT DAYS SEMINAR - NORTHERN AVA 2007S - Fort Mason, San Francisco, California (6/27/2009)
This seminar featured wines from the much anticipated 2007 vintage from Northern California AVAs–Russian River Valley, Carneros, Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz, the Sonoma Coast, Mendocino–and one from Oregon. All wines were poured blind in flights of four, and the winemakers or representatives on hand each spoke about their wine after it was revealed.
Many were pre-release bottlings. There were a lot of excellent wines in this tasting, showing a lot of potential, but most are, of course, very tight yet. Showing the best right now, in my opinion, were the Keller Estate El Coro and the Winderlea Estate (the one non-California entrant).
Flight 1
Winderlea’s Bill Sweat
Kanzler’s Greg Stock
Dutton-Goldfield’s Brandon Lapides
Dan Tudor
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2007 Winderlea Pinot Noir Estate - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Light medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; Burgundian, tart red fruit and mineral nose; tasty, tart red fruit, tart cherry and cinnamon palate with good balance and acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (clones 667, 777, 115 and Pommard; from old blocks planted in '74 blended with newer blocks) (92 pts.) -
2007 Kanzler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; tight, stemmy, earthy nose; stems and green on palate too, with concentration and tart red fruit, could resolve and get a lot better with time, but in an awkward phase at the moment; medium finish 88+ pts. (20% whole cluster; clones 667, 115 and Pommard) (88 pts.) -
2007 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir McDougall Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Medium red color with pale meniscus; very reticent borscht nose; somewhat concentrated, very tight, tart red fruit, borscht, some oak showing; medium finish (mainly Dijon 828 with a little 115) (88 pts.) -
2007 Tudor Pinot Noir Balo Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Dark cherry red color; reticent cherry, berry nose; tart on palate, with lime acidity, clementine, very tart red fruit, orange, a little hot; medium-plus finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)
Flight 2
WesMar’s Denise Selyem
Shandel’s John Pepe
Small Vines’ Paul Sloan
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2007 WesMar Pinot Noir Hellenthal Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; stemmy tart red fruit and mineral nose; tight ripe cherry palate, with some greenness and tart tannins; medium-plus finish (at least 30% whole cluster; Pommard, Martini, Swan and Mount Eden clones) (89 pts.) -
2007 Adastra Pinot Noir Proximus - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros
Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; light cherry pie, rhubarb pie nose; focused rhubarb, tart cherry palate, a little one-dimensional and forced; medium finish (80% new oak; Pommard, 777 and 115) (87 pts.) -
2007 Shandel’s Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; dense orange spice, tart cherry and floral nose; big spicy, oak spice, orange spice, baked cherry palate; medium-plus finish (40% new oak; 9-yr-old vines; clones 114, 115 and Pommard) (88 pts.) -
2007 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Medium red color with clear meniscus; intriguing spicy, tart red fruit and incense nose; rich, but tight, spicy, tart berry, cherry and orange spice palate with a hint of licorice; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (blend of 3 vineyards, 1 of which was planted in '99 and the other two in '01; clones 113, 114, 115, 667, 777, Swan and 459; no whole cluster, no pressed wine; native yeasts) (91 pts.)
Flight 3
Clos Saron’s Gideon Beinstock
picket fence’s Katy Leese
Ana Keller
Paul Mathew winemaker Mat Gustafson
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2007 Clos Saron Pinot Noir Home Vineyard - USA, California, Sierra Foothills
Medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; high VA, reduction nose, with perhaps a touch of carbonic maceration; unbalanced, tart cherry, black cherry palate with Granny Smith apple on the end; short finish (no sulfite in the bottle; never racked in barrel) (82 pts.) -
2007 picket fence Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light medium red color with pale meniscus; stemmy, brett, menthol and pine nose; better on palate of tart cherry, menthol, mineral and brett; medium finish (to be released Sept. 1, 2009) (88 pts.) -
2007 Keller Estate Pinot Noir El Coro - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; tart red fruit, floral and berry syrup nose; nice, floral, delicate, cherry, tart strawberry palate with balance and good acidity, very pretty; medium finish (planted in '99; El Coro is a 20-acre block planted to seven different clones) (92 pts.) -
2007 Paul Mathew Pinot Noir Horseshoe Bend Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; high pitched floral, hibiscus, cinnamon nose; tart cherry, cinnamon, spice and cherry pie palate with depth; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (100% clone 113) (90 pts.)
Flight 4
Sojourn’s Craig Haserot
Kosta Browne’s Shane Finley
Lynmar’s Hugh Chapelle
Nicole Abiouness
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2007 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; focused cherry pie, baking spice nose; big, spicy, cherry, berry and cherry pie palate; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (clones 115 and 777) (90 pts.) -
2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Medium dark red color with pale meniscus; light cranberry nose; bright, light medium bodied cranberry, tart cherry palate with good acidity, but tight yet; medium-plus finish (clones 114, 777 and Pommard) (90 pts.) -
2007 Lynmar Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; tart red fruit, earth, mineral nose; solid tart red fruit, mineral palate with depth and sweet tannins; medium-plus finish (91 pts.) -
2007 Abiouness Pinot Noir Pommard Clones Stanly Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Carneros
Medium red color with clear meniscus; tight, tart red fruit and mineral nose; good tart red fruit, Burgundian, mineral palate, tight yet though; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)
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