Black cherries, dried cherries, cherry pits, some subtle wood spice, mild cola and rock dust. There’re tell-tale traces of the resiny 09 fruit character…toned down. Fruit driven with sprinkles of earth. Generous fruit for a Westrey AR with enough acid to keep it interesting. Quite leggy but not hot. Call it warm. 13.5% abv. Not a vin de garde. An accessible flavorful 2012 Pinot for immediate gratification.
RT
If you’re going to buy 12’s you’re choosing the right vintners. I love Westrey and they’re a great value in Abbey Ridge. That being said, I feel like Westrey tends to let warm vintages show their character (just like other winemakers I really like, such as Belle Pente). Thanks for sharing the note!
Ye gods! Not another to try! 
Ron, which other producers would you recommend for '12?
2012 appears to be shaping up as a quintessential “crossover” vintage for Cali Pinot lovers. There’s luscious fruit combined with Oregon’s secondary notes of earth, rock and/or sous bois. Certain producers will offer more restraint than others…like CA.
Multifaceted Pinots?..stick with '10 and '11. 2012 reminds me of an all-inclusive resort with the pool and bar within 10 steps of your bedroom.
RT
I haven’t had as many as others on this board and honestly, I don’t think it’s in my wheelhouse. Check out the recent TN thread on the '12 Haden Fig and you’ll see some recommendations. Matello seems to have done well in '12 by nearly everyone that’s tried them.
I’ve had a few Matello bottlings and they’ve been pretty but I don’t see a compelling reason to buy any 12s at all. 10s and 11s are still on the market and they are better wines in every instance I’ve seen.
Paul – you’re still backfilling 07’s. I see your point.
Very well said!
It is amazing how different the palate of this board and the palate of the general wine consumer is. From what I’ve seen, '11s tend to be ignored by the general consumer, and they love the '12s.
General consumer demand is usually a terrific indicator of which vintages, producers require caution.
“People like me who love pinot noirs of finesse and restraint will adore the 2011 vintage.” Eric Asimov, December 19, 2013
RT
I agree, and would add that a lot of the bias against the 2011’s seems to come from the retailers themselves, telling folks that 2011’s are tight, harsh, green, lack fruit, etc. One of the things that’s struck me is that of the local (PDX/Metro) retailers I’ve talked to, many tasted the 2011’s on release, when the wines were in fact pretty tight and shut down to the non-AFWE crowd. After tasting these wines, those retailers seemed to rush to judgement, writing off the vintage as they ordered more 2009/2010 and waited for the 2012’s. In addition, those folks also told customers of their somewhat negative experiences with the early-release 2011’s (mostly entry level wines anyways) and so consumers became scared off too.
It’s Déjà vu all over again. Subtract 4 from each of the years above and you have the saga of the '07’s.
I wasn’t up here in OR selling wine in 2007 (I was selling CA, high-Parker-score wines) but that’s what I’ve been hearing too. The 2011’s are different than the 2007’s though, and I hate how so many retailers and consumers totally generalize that they’re the same. Not saying you’re doing that though.
I feel like the 11’s generally have more intensity, acid and tannin than 07s. Less dilute. But still, I have found many 11s to be shrill. I went long but they won’t peak for years IMHO. I think they will be longer lived than 07s but share the same reticence to immediate gratification.
So far I have about twice the '11 over the '12 and a good many of the '12 are whites and rosé.
In the middle on '10 with more from WA Rhone.
If I needed more wine, I would be buying more '11 and drink the '12.
I’m not saying that the wines are the same. I’m saying that the spin is the same.
Greg, that’s exactly right in my experience. The spin is similar to '07, though Ron’s absolutely correct, the vintages are pretty different.
'07 had harvest rain after a warm summer. '11 was historically cold, pushing harvest back up to a month but miraculously things were dry. The '07s were generally light and simple on release compared to richer vintages. With time in the bottle, more depth appeared but I’ve always maintained that most wines are not for keeping too long. There are exceptions and I recognize that others think '07 will not only last but improve in the cellar.
'11s are totally different. No real rain dilution, just less ripeness with thick skins from the cold year with wines having sometimes too much tannin that can seem higher still with strong acidities magnifying the sense of tannin. I find the '11s to be more coiled than the '07s were even in their earliest days. They’re just going to take some time to really show their best, and that’s always a tougher sell on release.
Vincent
Read the last sentence in my post. ![[thumbs-up.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f84c5acc11486ee4baba6dee6cf61dbd133abb18.gif "[thumbs-up.gif]"){kind=small}
Anyone try the 14 Abbey Ridge ? It’s still available at the winery along with some other 12 and 13’s.
cheers