TN: 2011 Ultramarine Pinot Noir Rosé Heintz Vineyard

WINE TALK
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2011 Ultramarine Pinot Noir Rosé Heintz Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (3/16/2016)
First things first, the wife declared this delicious. It is delicious. Lots of red fruit, very precise mousse and plenty of refreshing acidity make for an easy to drink and food friendly sparkling wine that raises the bar for California sparklers. This is the first time I have ever been able to confidently state that a California sparkling wine is fully competitive with Champagne. It speaks with a California voice and has all the virtues of Champagne.

Posted from CellarTracker

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David, thanks for the note and glad you enjoyed it. Any thoughts/experiences with Schramsberg?

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I have had quite a lot of Schramsberg over the years. I like their wines very much, but this is on a completely different level IMO.

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Thanks for taking one for the team. Excited to try this in a while.

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No reason to wait!

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Could not agree more! Unless you’re waiting too drink when the new baby arrives :slight_smile:

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That is a great and depressing note…I am on the waiting list.

Perhaps time for some Wine Searcher action.

Cheers on that note! champagne.gif

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Agreed Anton. Waiting here as well, and I’ve never been known to be a very patient man.

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Agree that this is fantastic stuff and stands head and shoulders above Schramsberg (which we love also).

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This is the deal. SWMBO would be muy unhappy if I’m popping bubbles like this while she sits on the sidelines.

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Thanks for the note David, I love these wines!
Been waiting to pop one. Hard to resist.
Michael Cruse is a jedi!

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As I mentioned earlier, there is no reason to wait. Capture the joy that is there right now.

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only opened the 2011 Blanc de blanc so far and it is indeed delicious. Poured it blind and most people thought is was champagne.

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The BdB is in queue for this weekend.

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Put me in the camp that doesn’t mind giving these a little bit more time. I’ve had 1 each of both of the '10s and the '11s and I’m letting the rest sit for a bit. General opinion is that the Rose in both vintages is a little bit more ready to go, but I’m especially curious to see how the BDB will evolve. Below is my note for this particular bottle:

2011 Ultramarine Pinot Noir Heintz Vineyard: First impression is that the 2010 is drinking a little better right now but that’s splitting hairs. The minerality in this thing is off the charts, tons of acidity with red fruit, roses, and a bit warm tomato buried deep deep underneath. I might prefer this in 3-4yrs but it is already incredibly good wine.

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None on Wine Searcher!

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That is not surprising.

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Did I hear that this was the last vintage of the Rose?

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It 's the last vintage of the saignee rose. Per Michael Cruse there will be a Blancs de Noir in 2012, and a different rose in 2014 using assemblage versus saignee.

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I concur. The 2010 rose was, I thought, two steps ahead of the BdB (which was far from bad, but seemed to me more about potential than immediate enjoyment) early on. A second 2010 rose had gained depth and complexity over the course of a year.

No harm in trying one, or one of each, early on if it’s your first exposure and you have at least a mixed six; but I’m pretty confident these will improve considerably for at least a few years, likely longer. Reckon I won’t touch my 11s for a while.

And I share David’s view that this is the first American sparkler which competes with good Champagne on more-or-less equal terms. So far, Brad Baker has offered the only radically dissenting view I’ve seen; wonder if he’ll like 'em better with age.