Very rarely do I get the chance to taste an epiphany wine; The kind of wine that manages to rock my preconceived notions to their very core. Thankfully, last night happened to contain one of those very moments.
1969 Mirassou Pinot noir (dedication bottling to Max Huebner): This poured dark and cloudy with a pronounced brown bricking. The nose is very Port-like with heavy raisin tones. The palate is a mellow blend of nuts and soy sauce. It’s a shame that poor storage killed this wine. This could’ve been really interesting. 55 pts.
1981 Villa Mt. Eden Pinot noir, Tres Niños Vineyard (served single blind): Wow! This is an incredibly impressive display of unadulterated Pinot fruit that is both crystalline in purity and unmistakably femme in its elegance. Impeccably stored, there is a direct freshness to the red fruits here; The spiced cherries and tart cranberries are simply singing. Outside of the salient fruit, there is a wonderful red licorice meets fresh rubber component to the nose. As the wine fans out on the mid-palate, all the subtle tertiary notes come running into play. I detect hints of iron ore, dried rose petals, and several drops of blood. The acidity keeps this immensely refreshing, and the finish is of considerable length. Tasting this blind, I placed this as a lesser GC Burg from a coveted producer. With a different label, this could easily command $200+ a bottle. I am shocked. This is the best new world Pinot I’ve ever tasted. 96 pts.
