A follow up to the Stuff @AskoKassinen makes us drink series. Here’s the report from our previous session:
Stuff Asko makes us drink, part n: Retro Cellars
This time the theme was Santa wines, ie. white and red wines from Santa Maria Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills. We’ve had one or two Santa tastings in the past with a generally good success rate, so I was looking forward to this tasting. However, this turned out to be a rather middling bunch of wines - basically the Longoria reds and the wonderfully evolved Melville Chardonnay were the only real highlights of the evening. Maybe that one Pisoni white, too. Asko’s own Töövi bottling was already starting to fade with age and I felt most of the other wines were just way too ripe, clumsy and sweet for my preference.
I know they can make some wonderfully fresh and serious wines in these Santa appellations, but unfortunately a great majority of these bottles that we tasted fell short of those expectations.
- 2001 Testarossa Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (23.1.2024)
15% alcohol.
Medium-deep golden-yellow color. The nose feels sweet, quite evolved and noticeably ripe with aromas of dried yellow fruits, some overripe pineapple, a little bit of creamy oak, light toffee tones and a hint of cooked fruit. The wine feels ripe, quite big and even somewhat over-the-top yet still surprisingly firm on the palate with a full body and intense, somewhat sweet-toned flavors of juicy tropical fruits, some robust spicy notes of woody oak, a little bit of raisiny sweetness, light apple jam tones, a hint of buttery richness and a touch of extracted woody bitterness. The rather high acidity makes the wine feel quite structured, but the overall sweetness and the subtly viscous texture make me think that there might be a little bit of residual sugar here - despite the wine being 15% in alcohol! The high alcohol makes the overall feel somewhat hot, too. The intensely-flavored finish is ripe, sweet-toned and quite warm with a long aftertaste of honeydew melon, some dairy notes of cooked cream and browned butter, a little bit of dried peach, light overripe pineapple tones, a hint of toffee and a touch of woody spice.
I was positively surprised how fresh and and high in acidity the wine was despite its noticeably high acidity - a characteristic that makes me think there must've been considerable acidity corrections during the winemaking. It is quite implausible to have a Chardonnay this ripe, sweet-toned and tropical in fruit profile - along with 15% alcohol - to be also naturally fresh and precise with brisk acidity! Whatever the case, the high acidity was basically the only enjoyable thing here. This wine was just too sweet, big, alcoholic and excessively oaky for my taste. The way how the tropical fruit notes have evolved into overripe pineapple and dried-fruit flavors reminiscent of Sultana raisins haven't really worked for the benefit of this wine. Not really worth the price at 39€.
(81 points) - 2007 Melville Chardonnay Estate Clone 76 - Inox - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (23.1.2024)
This wine is made not with just any Chardonnay clones available, but solely with Chardonnay Clone 76. The "Inox" part means the wine is fermented and aged only in stainless steel, so it doesn't see any oak during the vinification. 13,5% alcohol.
Intense, somewhat evolved yellow-green color. The nose feels ripe and somewhat sweet-toned with aromas of yellow stone fruits, some apple jam tones, a little bit of wet rock minerality, light floral nuances of apple blossom, a hint of honeydew melon and a developed touch of waxy richness. The wine feels dry, firm and slightly waxy on the palate with a medium body and quite precise flavors of honeydew melon and sharp lemony citrus fruit, some floral spice, a little bit of apple peel bitterness, light stony mineral notes, a hint of crunchy quince and a touch of juicy white peach. The high acidity lends great sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is firm, dry and quite crunchy with a medium-long aftertaste of quince, some apple peel bitterness, light stony mineral notes, a little bit of lemony citrus fruits and a hint of beeswax.
A juicy, firm and quite sophisticated California Chardonnay with good sense of freshness and youthful vibrancy. I have tasted this both as a very young wine and as a wine with some age, and the more I tasted these aged versions, the more I'm convinced that this wine needs some 10 years before it starts to show its best! In its youth, this is a pretty nondescript and rather candied Chardonnay with very little of anything interesting going on. However, the wine can easily age for +15 years and develop effortlessly into a wonderfully nuanced (and still surprisingly youthful) Chardonnay. The 2010 we tasted a few years ago was already lovely, but this 2007 vintage - with its lower alcohol and higher acidity - was even better. Sort of like a missing link between cool-climate California Chardonnay and a Chablis. Solid value at 33€.
(92 points) - 2005 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Ashley's Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (23.1.2024)
100% Chardonnay from Ashley's Vineyard, located in the Sta. Rita Hills. Aged in oak barrels (approx. 30% new). Bottled unfined. 16,6% (!) alcohol.
Rather deep golden yellow color. The nose feels big, sweet and quite voluptuous with lush aromas of browned butter and dried apricots, some honeyed tones, a little bit of raisiny Sultana character, light woody notes of robust oak spice and a hint of roasted nuts. The wine feels big, sweet-toned and quite ponderous on the palate with a very full body and ripe, concentrated flavors of dried apricots, some honeyed tones, a little bit of nutty wood, light dried-fruit notes of Sultana raisins, a hint of browned butter and a touch of boozy alcohol. The surprisingly high acidity lends good sense of structure to the wine, but the overall feel is still quite heavy, viscous and clumsy. The high alcohol makes the mouthfeel rather hot. The finish is heavy, hot and toasty with a long, sweet-toned aftertaste of spicy red apple and overripe pineapple, some toasty notes of robust oak spice, light creamy oak tones, a little bit of dried nectarine and Sultana raisin, a hint of extracted bitterness and a touch of browned butter.
Ugh, this was pretty horrible. It feels as if somebody tried to make a white modernist Amarone with Chardonnay grapes. I can imagine the wine might've been less ponderous and more impactful in its youth, but I doubt this wine has been particularly balanced at any point in its life - nor will it be with any amount of aging. This is a caricature of California Chardonnay. I can imagine the wine will keep for a number of years more, but I'm not sure if it makes sense to age the wine any further, because I doubt that additional aging will not make the wine any better. In my opinion, at 68€, this is total waste of money. If you value sense of balance, freshness and harmony, you will not find any of those in this wine.
(77 points) - 2010 Crushpad Chardonnay Töövi Cloudbreak Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (23.1.2024)
100% Chardonnay from the densely planted Cloudbreak vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills with elevations of up to 950 ft. above sea level. Fermented and aged in stainless steel. 14% alcohol.
Pale yellow-green color with faint greenish highlights. The nose feels somewhat understated with light aromas of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some fragrant floral tones, a little bit of nuttiness, light peachy nuances and a hint of fresh pineapple. The wine feels ripe, juicy and slightly evolved with a medium body and not particularly tired but maybe a bit flat flavors of ripe red apple, some developed waxy tones, a little bit of fresh nectarine, light evolved notes of damp wool and a hint of apple peel bitterness. The high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to the wine. The finish is dry, somewhat evolved and moderately long with flavors of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some developed waxy tones, a little bit of damp wool, light crunchy notes of fresh nectarine and a hint of nuttiness.
A pleasant and balanced Chardonnay. Maybe starting to lose its freshness and vibrancy, only replacing it with somewhat dull notes of nuttiness and damp wool. I'd say the wine is now at its plateau of maturity and has been there for some time - or maybe the wine might've been a tiny bit better a few years ago? A decent and thoroughly drinkable effort all the same.
(88 points) - 2017 Paul Lato Chardonnay le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (23.1.2024)
100% Chardonnay from a small parcel in Sierra Madre Vineyard planted to the Wente clone of Chardonnay. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (60% new). 14,1% alcohol.
Luminous, medium-deep yellow-green color. The nose feels like a bit of a crowdpleaser with its ripe, youthful aromas of cantaloupe and sweet Fuji apple, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of fresh pineapple, light floral notes of apple blossom and chamomile, a sweet hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of vanilla. The wine feels ripe, quite unctuous and slightly sweet-toned on the palate with a full body and bold flavors of toffee oak, some fresh pineapple and white peach, light sweet apple jam tones, a little bit of vanilla, light floral nuances, an extracted hint of woody bitterness and a touch of stony minerality. The medium-plus acidity lends some sense of balance to the wine, but the overall feel is lacking a bit in freshness and structure. The finish is ripe, sweet-toned and juicy with a long and quite hedonistic aftertaste of ripe white peach and fresh pineapple, some vanilla oak, a little bit of creaminess, light toffee oak spice, a hint of apple jam and a touch of woody bitterness.
A bold, lush and quite noticeably ripe crowdpleaser of a Chardonnay. Maybe not the most over-the-top effort, but still lacking a bit in balance and quite a bit in freshness. Hopefully the wine will gain some finesse as it ages and - hopefully - loses some of that oak. At the moment the wood impact is still way too pronounced for my preference, making the wine feel more like a generic new world fruit bomb Chardonnay than anything to be taken seriously. Absolutely overpriced for the quality at 76€.
(84 points) - 2019 Lucia Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (23.1.2024)
Made with 100% estate-grown fruit Chardonnay sourced from Pisoni, Soberanes and Garys' vineyards, all located in AVA Santa Lucia Highlands, harvested between mid-September and mid-October. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 11 months in French oak barrels (35% new). 14,2% alcohol. Total production 505 cases.
Quite deep and vibrant greenish color with light golden-yellow highlights. The nose feels relatively subtly and somewhat sweet-toned but also quite attractive with aromas of fresh yellow fruits, some floral notes of honeysuckle, a little bit of creamy oak, light vanilla tones, a hint of ripe white peach and a touch of melted butter. The wine feels like a ripe, round and rather sweet-toned crowdpleaser on the palate with a full body and somewhat overripe flavors of caramel oak, some candied primary fruit notes reminiscent of gummi bear, light vanilla tones, a little bit of white peach and overripe red apple, oaky hints of cream and butter and a touch of savory wood spice. The medium acidity feels very round and mellow, accentuating the soft, fat texture of the wine. The finish is ripe, mellow and rather sweet-toned with a quite long aftertaste of apricot, some peachy tones, a little bit of vanilla, light buttery and creamy oak notes, a hint of overripe red apple and a touch of caramel.
Ugh, this is way too soft and sweet for my preference. A blowzy caricature of a fat and flabby Cali Chardonnay. Although the oak use doesn't feel overdone here, the elevated ripeness of the fruit doesn't really benefit at all from the sweet, caramel-y and buttery boost those new oak flavors bring. It's hard to see a soft, super-ripe and clumsy Chardonnay like this really benefiting from additional cellaring - if this is a big, fat and clumsy white now, it will remain like that no matter how old it gets. Definitely not worth the 46,50€.
(82 points) - 2019 Pisoni Chardonnay Estate - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (23.1.2024)
100% Chardonnay from the Pisoni vineyard. Aged for 14 months in French oak barrels (50%) new. 14,1% alcohol. Total production 4 barrels.
Pale, youthful whitish-green color. The nose feels rich, expressive and quite sweet-toned with intense aromas of juicy Golden Delicious apple, some honeydew melon tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light zesty citrus fruit notes and a hint of savory wood spice. The wine feels ripe, juicy and slightly sweet-toned with a medium body and intense flavors of white peach, some apple jam, light creamy oak tones, a little bit of lemony citrus fruit, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of butter. The overall feel is surprisingly sweetly-fruited, but luckily also quite fresh and precise, thanks to the high acidity. The finish is long, rich and juicy with an intense, somewhat sweet-toned aftertaste of white peach, some vanilla oak, a little bit of apple jam, light creamy oak notes, a crunchy hint of fresh yellow apple and a touch of stony minerality. The high alcohol makes the wine end on a slightly warm note.
A nice, fresh and sophisticated Cali Chardonnay. The overall feel is surprisingly sweetly-fruited, which does distract me a bit from the pleasure, making me wonder if the wine just made with very ripe fruit, or if there is actually a little bit of residual sugar to accentuate that fruity sweetness? Nevertheless, despite its somewhat sweet edge, the wine does retain good sense of freshness and precision, making it come across as thoroughly enjoyable and quite harmonious. Additionally, I feel that the wine handles its 50% new oak much better than many wines that see less new oak yet come across as more oaky and buttery in style. You can taste some new oak aromatics in this wine, but they remain pretty well in the background, letting the fruit take the lead. A solid effort that is drinking quite nicely now, but will continue to evolve and improve for a good number of years more. I wouldn't confuse it for a white Burgundy, though - while a fresh and balanced effort, I feel this wine is still a quite textbook Cali Chardonnay from the beginning to the end. And even if I did enjoy the wine, I feel the price (88€) is still pretty ridiculous for the quality.
(90 points) - 2005 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (23.1.2024)
100% Pinot Noir from a 2-acre (0,8 ha) parcel in Cargasacchi Vineyard planted to the 115 clone. 15,5% alcohol.
Deep, evolved and quite noticeably translucent maroon color. The nose feels evolved, savory and quite autumnal with aromas of meat stew and wizened red berries, some tobacco, a little bit of boozy alcohol, light smoky tones, a hint of cooked strawberry and a touch of dried dark fruits. The wine feels ripe yet dry and surprisingly tough on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of strawberries, some smoky tones, a little bit of tobacco and savory wood spice, light stony mineral notes, a hint of cooked dark plums and a touch of jammy dark berries. The wine is pretty stern and structured with its high acidity and assertive, quite grippy medium tannins. The high alcohol lends some obvious heat to the palate. The finish is quite long, moderately grippy and rather warm with an intense aftertaste of earthy spices and savory woody tones, some sweet strawberry notes, a little bit of smoky minerality, light roasted smoky nuances, a hint of loose tobacco and a touch of jammy dark berries.
What I enjoyed with this wine was its firmness from its surprisingly ample and quite rustic tannins - they, combined with the surprisingly high acidity, made the wine feel pretty dry and surprisingly structured for such a ripe, high-alcohol Pinot Noir! But that's about it when it comes to the things I liked here. Otherwise the wine comes across as not only a bit too evolved for its own good, but also quite clumsy, disjointed and unbalanced with its punchy, over-the-top alcohol and sweet, cooked and jammy fruit flavors. This is really not the style of Pinot Noir I like, not by a long shot. Feels expensive for the quality at 56€.
(80 points) - 2006 Longoria Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (23.1.2024)
100% estate-grown Pinot Noir from the Fe Ciega vineyard, planted in 1998. 14,6% alcohol.
Rather deep and somewhat translucent dark ruby color. The nose feels quite dark-toned and a bit understated with subtle yet attractive aromas of dark forest fruits and black cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light evolved meaty notes, a hint of strawberry and a touch of smoky roasted character. The wine feels ripe, juicy and somewhat evolved on the palate with a medium body and vibrant flavors of dark forest fruits and ripe strawberry, some crunchy cranberry tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light fresh blueberry notes, a tertiary hint of beef jerky and a touch of pipe tobacco. The overall feel is balanced and harmonious, thanks to the moderately high acidity and quite resolved, silky tannins. The finish is ripe, quite long and gently grippy with a nuanced, savory aftertaste of ripe strawberries and fresh bilberries, some evolved notes of beef jerky, a little bit of tobacco, light crunchy notes of tart cranberries, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of developed smoky character.
A tasty, nuanced and harmonious Pinot Noir that shows some sense of ripeness, but still manages to come across as very fresh and balanced from the beginning to the end. The overall feel is starting to get somewhat evolved and there are some aged tertiary nuances, but the fruit still feels wonderfully vibrant - even if the wine isn't big on aroma or flavor intensity. A lovely and rather serious drop. Maybe a tad pricey at 55€, but not forbiddingly so.
(91 points) - 2006 Hahn Pinot Noir SLH - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (23.1.2024)
100% Pinot Noir from estate vineyards in Santa Lucia Highlands. Aged for 14 months in French oak barriques. 14,5% alcohol.
Moderately translucent and somewhat pale ruby red color with a slightly evolved pomegranate hue. The nose feels juicy, fruit-forward and somewhat evolved with aromas of black cherries and ripe black raspberries, some gamey meaty tones, a little bit of strawberry, light plummy notes, a hint of beef jerky and a touch of tobacco. The wine feels ripe, supple and somewhat evolved on the palate with a medium body and layered flavors of salt-cured beef and Kalamata olives, some black cherry tones, a little bit of dark plummy fruit and brambly black raspberry, light raisiny notes, a hint of game and a touch of licorice root. Although technically dry, the ripeness lends a somewhat marmaladey sense of sweetness to the fruit. The wine is high in acidity, whereas the light tannins feel resolved and very gentle. The finish is long, savory and gently grippy with moderately evolved flavors of ripe black raspberries and wizened dark plums, some developed notes of beef jerky and salt-cured beef, light gamey tones, a little bit of cherry marmalade, a hint of tart lingonberry and a touch of sweet, raisiny fruit.
A pleasant but also quite gentle and sweet-toned Pinot Noir. Although the wine feels ripe, quite sweetly-fruited and rather high in acidity with a relatively high level of alcohol, the wine still manages to feel quite sophisticated, balanced and harmonious. The wine sort of feels like a very textbook Californian Pinot, but not in a heavy, jammy or over-oaked way. Good stuff, although nothing that will blow your socks off. The wine has been on its plateau of maturity for a little while and will be there for some time more, so I doubt there's any hurry with this wine, but it isn't going to benefit from any additional aging, either. Drink or keep for a little while longer. Priced more or less according to its quality at 33€.
(87 points) - 2001 Lane Tanner Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (23.1.2024)
100% Pinot Noir made with purchased fruit sourced from Julia's Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. 13,5% alcohol.
Pale, very translucent and completely clear ruby-red color. Although the wine doesn't look particularly old, the nose feels very mature and quite tertiary with somewhat oxidative notes of beef jerky and herby meat stew, some raisiny tones, a little bit of cigar wrapper, light strawberry notes and a lifted hint of nail polish VA. The wine feels ripe, sweet-toned and somewhat oxidative on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and slightly flat flavors of strawberry marmalade and raisiny dark fruit, some volatile notes of nail polish, a little bit of oxidative beef jerky character, light pruney tones and nuances of cooked red fruits, a hint of tobacco and a touch of meat stew. The moderately high acidity keeps the somewhat in balance, but the supple medium-minus tannins only contribute to the silky texture of the wine, not to the firmness or the structure. The finish is juicy, sweet-toned and a bit tired with a rather long, ripe aftertaste of raisiny and pruney dark fruits, some oxidative notes of beef jerky, light soy sauce tones, a little bit of cooked red fruit, a lifted hint of nail polish and a touch of strawberry jam.
A soft, sweetly-fruited Cali Pinot that is starting to give up. Although the wine isn't in pieces yet, it feels quite obvious that the wine is in a decline now as the oxidative notes are starting to take over. It feels like a wine I probably wouldn't enjoyed much in its youth, as it feels a bit too soft and sweet for my taste, but in its current shape the wine offers even less pleasure. Somewhat overpriced for the quality at 38€.
(79 points) - 2017 Lucia Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (23.1.2024)
Made with 100% estate-grown fruit Pinot Noir sourced from 20-yo vines in Garys' Vineyard, located in AVA Santa Lucia Highlands, harvested between early September and early October. 30% destemmed, 70% vinified in whole clusters. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (50% new). 14,2% alcohol. Total production 121 cases.
Deep, dense and fully opaque blackish-red color with a youthful purplish hue. The nose feels ripe, fruity and dark-toned with aromas of blackberries and dark plums, some black raspberry notes, a little bit sweet smoky character, light inky tones, a hint of toasty caramel oak, a touch of wizened black cherry and an evolved whiff of more savory meaty character. The wine feels ripe, big and extracted on the palate with a full body and bold, sweet-toned flavors of boysenberries and wizened black cherries, some inky tones, a little bit of sweet, toasty oak spice, light chocolatey mocha notes, a slightly distracting hint of extracted woody bitterness and a touch of toffee. The acidity feels moderately high - which is fairly low for such a big, ripe wine - and the supple tannins don't really add to the firmness or the structure. The finish is rich, long and juicy with a gentle touch of friendly tannic grip and a bold aftertaste of ripe dark plums and sweet black cherries, some dull notes of tobacco and charred wood, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light boysenberry tones, a hint of inky character and a toasty touch of chocolatey mocha oak. The wine ends on a rather bitter and somewhat mouth-warming note.
This was quite an over-the-top example of Cali Pinot. In our tasting of seven Pinot Noirs, this wine was unlike any other with its dense, completely opaque blackish-red color, lacking the typical Pinot Noir translucency seen in others. The overall feel was rather overdone and quite clumsy; while the wine wasn't as jammy-sweet, overripe and excessively oaky as some wines, it still came across as too big, ripe and extracted for what I would consider to be a good Pinot Noir. The wine didn't feel varietally correct in any way, coming across more like a Merlot, Malbec or Tempranillo. Furthermore, what I assume was either overdone extraction or too much new oak, the wine was quite unpleasantly bitter. It didn't bother that much on the midpalate, as the lush fruit flavors offered enough balancing elements to mask it, but the bitterness became evident in a rather distracting way towards the end of the aftertaste. All in all, a rather disappointing effort and nowhere near worth the price at 69€.
(83 points) - 2010 Longoria Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (23.1.2024)
100% Pinot Noir made with purchased fruit from the Bien Nacido vineyard. All destemmed, aged for 16 months in French oak barrels (30% new). 13,5% alcohol, 5,7 g/l acidity and pH 3,58.
Surprisingly deep, dark and moderately opaque black cherry color with a pale rim and somewhat evolved maroon core. The nose feels beautifully fragrant and expressive with aromas of raspberries and cherry marmalade, some loose tobacco, a little bit of cigar box, light perfumed notes of violets and wilted flowers, a hint of wild strawberry and a touch of forest floor. The wine feels dense and chewy on the palate, but surprisingly fresh and precise at the same time with a medium body and intense flavors of boysenberries and fresh dark plums, some loose tobacco, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of earth and forest floor, fruity hints of wild strawberries and brambly black raspberries and a touch of elderberry juice. Lots of things going on here. The overall feel is firm yet silky on the palate with the high acidity and well-managed medium tannins. The finish is long, dry and slightly grippy with a rather intense aftertaste of wild strawberries and brambly black raspberries, some licorice tones, a little bit of tobacco, light woody notes of savory oak spice, floral hints of violets and elderflowers and a touch of forest floor.
A tasty, serious and very balanced Cali Pinot with a wonderfully floral overall character. The wine is surprisingly deep in color and chewy in texture for a Pinot Noir, but it is aromatically right on point and the freshness and poise is exactly what you would want from a Pinot Noir. I love how the emphasis here is as much on the acidity and savory non-fruit flavors as it is on the vibrant and quite ripe - but not too ripe - fruit flavors. The wine is in a great spot right now, but I'm quite sure it will not only keep but also evolve and improve for some years more. Although the wine is markedly Californian, not Burgundian, it is still qualitatively on par with many great Burgundy reds. Terrific value at 45€.
(93 points) - 2012 Melville Pinot Noir Estate Sandy's - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (23.1.2024)
Made with Pinot Noir Dijon clones 90, 114, 459 and clonal material from Merry Edwards. Made with partially destemmed (60%) fruit, first cold-soaked for a week, then fermented in small open-top fermentors for approximately two weeks, followed by another week of post-fermentation maceration, totaling to a month of skin maceration. Aged in old (10-20 yo) French oak barrels. 15% alcohol. Total production 384 cases.
Moderately translucent raspberry red color with a slightly evolved pomegranate hue. The nose feels ripe, fragrant and rather noticeably sweet-toned with aromas of raspberry jam and cherry marmalade, some floral notes of violets, a little bit of strawberry, light sweet notes of toasty oak spice, a hint of wizened red fruits and a touch of tomato stalk. The wine feels ripe, rich and very fruit-forward on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and juicy, slightly marmaladey flavors of sweet red cherries and soft strawberries, some boysenberry jam, a little bit of savory wood spice, light evolved notes of wizened dark berries, a hint of raspberry candies and a savory touch of meaty umami. The moderately high acidity brings some sense of balance to this otherwise somewhat soft wine, as the ripe, supple tannins only contribute a little bit to the silky texture of the wine. The high alcohol brings some noticeable warmth to the palate. The finish is juicy, moderately warm and gently grippy with a rather long aftertaste of ripe dark berries, some juicy cherries, a little bit of strawberry jam, light evolved notes of wizened raspberries, a floral hint of violets and a touch of toasty oak.
I tasted this wine 2½ years ago and my impression remains pretty much unchanged. Although this is not the worst offender out there, not by a long shot, the wine is still too soft, sweet and hot for my preference. I like my Pinot Noirs fresh, bright and elegant - not ripe, marmaladey-sweet fruit bombs. All in all, this felt more like a Grenache than a Pinot Noir to me. I really hope that the wine develops some sense of finesse with additional aging - at least its still quite vibrant and relatively youthful overall feel promises good things about the aging potential. To me, this is overpriced for its quality at 52,50€.
(88 points)
Posted from CellarTracker