Tag Archives: pinot noir

Wine Review: Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Clone 115 Sta. Rita Hills, 2014

13 Tuesday Jun 2017

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alma rosaDuring a recent stopover in the Santa Barbara area, I had a chance to visit one of my favorite Pinot producers, Alma Rosa Winery. Richard Sanford, the iconic Santa Barbara winemaker responsible for introducing Pinot Noir to the region in the 1970’s, sold his stake in Sanford Winery to Terlato in 2005. He then opened Alma Rosa to be the home of these gorgeous vineyard and clonal-designated wines.

The La Encantada Vineyard bottling is consistently my favorite. It is as pretty as a wine can be, graceful and charming, but with soul-stirring hidden depths. Since I reviewed the 2010 La Encantada a few years ago, on this occasion I’ll focus on a bottling featuring the 116 clone from that same vineyard. The 116 clone is probably the most widely planted of the Pinot clones because of its consistent yields and rich structure.

Robust red cherry on the nose is delicately threaded with a thrilling mushroom note. Dried herbs and traces of cinnamon make this more spicy than floral.

On the palate it’s rich and round but still supple and full of finesse, with seamless transitions and a broad, satin-like midpalate that builds in intensity forging into a finish showing beautiful pure fruit that persists even as it performs its slow fade. Just on the heavier side of medium body, the tannins are very refined and the acidity not especially prominent.

The earthiness and feminine quality give the wine an old world demeanor although it lacks the acidity of a Burgundian style and the rich, pure fruit is pure California.

These wines from La Encantada are more feminine than is typical of California Pinot Noir. Wines sourced from their estate vineyard El Jabali tend to be bigger with more vigorous tannins. Their new tasting room in Buellton now features a tasting menu that includes fine Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay as well as small batches of sparkling wine.

Score: 92

Price: $55

Alc: 14.1%

No one captures earthy, resolute femininity better than Joan Armatrading. I saw her perform Love and Affection in 1980; like wine she gets better with age. The way the bass leads and anchors the musical phrases seems to focus attention of the purity of the fruit.

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Ageing Report: Dierberg Estate Pinot Noir Santa Maria 2008

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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dierberg pinotWhen it is right there is no finer wine than a Pinot Noir but it’s hard to find one that ticks all the boxes. This one does. It is an aging beauty at the peak of its perfection.

Ripe strawberry jam, chocolate, and smoke-tinged mushroom are the dominant aromas, with a hint of barnyard, wisps of mint and the vestiges of vanilla playing minor roles.

On the palate, the initial impact is gentle but with an underlying, ingratiating richness that wins you over immediately . It acquires dimension midpalate as cola notes become more forceful, but then finishes with the texture of cashmere, the tannins now so delicately woven they’re but a spectral presence. Yet, the finish is surprisingly long given how softly the tannins and acidity sing in melodious rhyme.

Wu Wei, the Confucian term translated as “effortless action” describes the languor and ease of this wine.

It’s another data point in the debate over whether ripe California Pinot Noir will age well. When it was young I thought it was a bit over-ripe and I laid it down as an afterthought. But that ripeness has now become an asset contributing to its pliable tenderness.

Score: 94

Price: $42 at release

Alc: 14.1%

Neither bright nor crisp , it has a slow bluesy vibe like this Ellington/Strayhorn tune performed by Allen Toussaint

Wine Review: Jura Pinot Noir

28 Tuesday Mar 2017

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jura pinotFor the past few years, the hottest wine region among New York somms and hipsters in the know has been Jura, a hitherto obscure wine region situated between Burgundy and the Swiss border. Interest in this region is in part explained by it not being Burgundy. If you’re a young winemaker in love with Burgundian Pinot, vineyard land in Burgundy is just too expensive. And if you’re a wine lover in love with Burgundian Pinot, the wines are just too expensive. Jura is just a few kilometers East with similar limestone and marl soils and cooler Pinot-friendly temperatures but with affordable land prices and thus affordable bottle prices as well.

But the region has more to offer than relative affordability. Isolated from the population centers in France, it has developed its own wine traditions using, in addition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, grape varietals that are largely unique to the region. Vin Jaune, its most famous wine, is produced in an oxidative style akin to Fino Sherry from Savignin grapes. Poulsard and Trousseau are indigenous and found only occasionally outside Jura. Trousseau today accounts for only 5% of the plantings here. It is more prominent in Portugal where it’s called Bastardo and is often part of the blend for Port. Poulsard is indigenous to Jura and is so thin-skinned it is often used to make white wine.

I’ve long been curious about this region and finally had a chance to try two representative wines this weekend although these two Pinot Noir-dominant wines are only a small sample of the diverse styles found in this region.

My favorite was a 2010 Pinot Noir from Les Chais du Vieux Bourg. Enticing bright, fresh, red and black cherry aromas and soft herbal notes mingle with crushed rock and hints of mushroom. On the palate it’s ravishingly elegant, but oh so light on its feet, with its flavors just whispering until stony minerality emerges on the tart finish to give the wine backbone. Subtlety seductive and texturally sensual but very understated and delicate. The wine was made from the Savignin Noir grape which as far as I can tell is genetically related to Pinot Noir and has a very similar flavor profile. $26

The second wine was a Pinot Noir dominated blend, Trois Cepages 2014, by Domaine du Pelican from Arbois, the main appellation in Jura. With a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, over 30% Trousseau, and a splash of Poulsard this wine was fascinating. Like the Les Chais, the emphasis was on freshness and finesse. The nose of red raspberry melding with citrus aromas and sweet herbs was intriguing and the stony minerality on the palate bracing. This was an acid-heads dream, but the sourness on the finish was a little to prominent.   $40

These are cool climate wines, light bodied, lively but not rich or sumptuous. If you’re a fan of rich Sonoma juice you will probably find the Pinot Noir of Jura thin and too acidic. But I found these gossamer textures to be thrilling and the region is distinctive enough to warrant further study.

Budget Wine Review: Castle Rock Winery Pinot Noir Monterey County 2014

24 Friday Mar 2017

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castle rockCastle Rock is an interesting winery. Essentially a negociant making a variety of appellation-specific wines, they own no vineyards but source grapes from various vineyards on the West coast and use a variety of production facilities. Their annual production is approaching 1,000,000 cases of exclusively value-priced wines.

This Pinot Noir from Monterey is as odd as their business model. It shows prominent herbal aromas, mushroom, and bright rose petal with black cherry taking a back seat. The palate flavors are more fruit focused but with the addition of persistent bitterness from front to back. The bold herbaceous quality inhibits fruit expression and comes across as unbalanced although the complexity is nice for a value wine. On the heavy side of medium weight, the mouthfeel has a glycerin quality resolving to a short spicy finish. Tannins are supportive and nicely done, and there is no overt woodiness marring the experience.

It is hard to find good, budget Pinot Noir. This one is competent and unusual, a cut above the ordinary supermarket wines from the conglomerates.

Score: 86

Price: $13 but often discounted

Alc: 13.5%

This wine has a languid, quietly romantic mood that will resonate with languid, quietly romantic jazz such as Bobo Stinson’s Music for Awhile

Wine Review: Angeline Reserve Pinot Noir California 2015

14 Tuesday Mar 2017

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angeline pinotWhen pleasant is good enough.

A little context helps to understand this wine. Angeline is the value label of Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery with an annual case production of about 45000. Martin Ray is owned by Courtney Benham, the creator of the Blackstone brand, which he and his brother sold to Constellation  in 2001 for big bucks. He knows how to build a brand. And his stated goal when he set out to make wine was to “raise the bar on everyday value wine”. This is a wine built to please—everyone—and in that it succeeds admirably. It is a resolutely middle-of-the-road wine. Not too sweet, not too tart, not quite dark fruit but not quite red fruit, a little spicy but not overly so, a touch of oak but restrained, a perfectly coiffed wine, not a hair out of place, but pleasant enough to spend an evening with.

Black cherry shares space with red raspberry capped with a candied note that is vaguely reminiscent of Red Hots if you remember that confection, but with the spice obediently subdued. Simple and pleasant but it develops a satisfying earthiness as it sits in the glass.

In the mouth there is a touch of apparent sweetness up front. It’s medium bodied with a soft midsection until acidity gathers and urges the wine forward giving it some length. The finish is nicely fruited and it stays so through its terminus, with tannins giving you a little grippiness and acidity in the end like tiny daggers.

Neither refined nor particularly subtle, and there is not much depth. Everything remains on the surface. A little generic but balanced and polite and really quite a good value. It’s a blend of Mendocino and Russian River fruit and you really can see the influence of each in this precisely made wine.

The 12 months is 40% new oak is worn well.

Trying to find a budget Pinot that gives some of the satisfaction of which this grape is capable is challenging. This one falls just outside what I call a budget wine but its one of the better values around.

Score: 88

Price: $16

Alc: 13.9%

Superficially candied but just enough dark fruit and oak to turn it slightly somber, its pop with a mood like the Gin Blossoms

Wine Review: Saintsbury Pinot Noir Lee Vineyard Carneros 2014

07 Tuesday Feb 2017

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saintsbury-lee-vineyard-carneros-pinot-noir__41165_1394458841_1280_1280Saintsbury is one of the classic Carneros producers releasing their first Pinot Noir in 1981. Today they make several cuvees, some single vineyard along with luscious Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Their lineup of Pinot Noir at the winery showed several distinct flavor profiles from various locations in Carneros and Sonoma but this one from Lee Vineyard was my favorite. Made from a mix of Pommard, Swan and Dijon 115 clones, it has plenty of that renowned Carneros funk and the spice notes that distinguish it from Russian River.

The nose is sensational. Layers of black cherry, dried leaves with mushroom hints,  subtle smoke laced with herb, and a tincture of stony minerality make for a heady, complex nose. Tea develops with aeration.

But on the palate, that broad dimensionality retreats. The fruit hesitates to show itself underneath the coffee notes. Just as the midpalate viscosity begins its languorous caress, the bright, lifted acidity takes over leaving a citric impression throughout its length. The fleshiness passes fleetingly like it can’t wait to reach for a cigarette. The tannins are very fine, quite lovely in fact, but allow the tart acidity to quickly assert itself.

Aged for 10 months in 25% new, 28% one year old, 47% neutral French oak barrels.

More sinewy than voluptuous, there is nevertheless an attractive, brooding quality to this wine in poised tension with its vivacity. It’s not a sunny wine but it loves life.

The reflective but hopeful Coming Home by Lizz Wright captures that tension and adds lush presence to the midpalate.

Score: 90 Pts.

Price: $50

Alc: 14.5%

Heart and Hands Pinot Noir Barrel Reserve 2010

08 Tuesday Nov 2016

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heart and handsThe ultimate test of a wine is its ability to age. This wine right now is simply gorgeous.

The combination of dried cherry, rose petal, and earthy but delicate dried leaves is a lovely juxtaposition set off by minty, herbal aromas.

Soft and spare with  just enough density to give a slight viscous impression, the palate is imbued with coloristic strength by hints of orange peel and cranberry. Tannins are felt but stay in the background, allowing a lovely fresh, spring water impression to persist on the finish. Despite high acidity it never bites or turns sour.

The delicate patina  of age rendered vibrant and expressive, like a fall-flowering plant that signals persistent life even as the season wanes.

Whole cluster fermentation from a relatively warm vintage and very gently oaked.

Heart and Hands is a small, artisanal producer of mostly Pinot Noir, one of the few Finger Lakes wineries that specializes in this varietal. Finger Lakes Pinot Noir is relatively austere but when made well shows considerable finesse and as this wine demonstrates, will age well at least in the 6-10 year range.

Score: 92

Price: $41

Alc: 12.3%

When paired with late Billie Holiday and Lester Young it drinks Fine and Mellow:

Wine Review: Ravines Cellars Pinot Noir Finger Lakes 2012

27 Tuesday Sep 2016

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ravines pinotFresh and delicate is the best way to describe the best Finger Lakes Pinot Noir. Simple, thin and under-ripe describe the worst. Although Pinot Noir will usually ripen here, in bad vintages it won’t have the hang time to develop much character and in all vintages disease pressure on this thin-skinned varietal with its tight, claustrophobic clusters demands careful spraying in the vineyard and meticulous sorting at harvest.

Only producers who make a total commitment to this grape can succeed with it here. One of them is Morten Hallgren of Ravines Cellars who is largely responsible for developing Finger Lakes Pinot Noir.

2012 was a good vintage for red grapes and that ripeness is apparent in the glass. The bright, pretty nose of cherry, red currant, and lovely earth mixed with cinnamon has intensity and clarity. The lightly concentrated palate is soft yet spicy with a glossy, silken texture and a finish that hovers between crisp and tender. The tannins are so finely rendered, it has the discreet structure of a Japanese shōji—a paper wall supported by a firm wooden frame that blends into the background.

Only 10% new French oak keeps the toast and vanilla away; 10 months on the lees contribute to the sensuous texture.

If you’re new to Finger Lakes Pinot don’t expect West Coast bluster. But the Ravines Pinot will satisfy like this earthy, tender version of Julia by John Lennon

Score: 90

Price: $25

Alc: 13%

Budget Wine: Artisan Vintner’s Guild Artisan Pinot Noir California 2013

26 Friday Aug 2016

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artisan pinotArtisan Vintner’s Guild appears to be a new project employing the resources of Larson Family Vineyards in Sonoma. Aside from a Facebook page there is not much information about them. But they do make inexpensive Pinot Noir under this label so I can’t resist checking them out.

The nose shows simple black cherry with a nice mushroom undercurrent and floral highlights. But there is a faint chemical note that can be distracting. The light to medium weight palate features a velvet texture to support emerging hints of coffee that darken the fruit but it but lacks density and turns watery on the finish. Without much definition and structure but thankfully avoids the candy flavors that mar most inexpensive Pinot Noir. In this price range it’s a good buy.

Score: 86

Price: $8

Alc: 13.9

The downtempo band Juzhin captures the softly palatable, carefree essence of this wine.

Budget Wine: Belmondo Pinot Noir Delle Venezie 2014

19 Friday Aug 2016

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belmondo pinot noirPinot Noir from Italy is always an uncertain proposition, especially when found on the supermarket shelf. It’s probably bulk wine but the quest for cheap Pinot must follow every lead.

This one shows black cherry, dark berry and some earth but also prominent eau de band aid—plastic chemical notes that mar the nose and lower my expectations. The band aid aromas probably come from Brettanomyces , a yeast that infects wineries producing a variety of aromas some more appealing than others. Band aid is not among the favored.

The palate opens with mouth-coating velvet but that is short lived becoming harshly acidic as the experience progresses and that chemical flavor emerges. Although the fruit seems at first big enough to balance the acidity the two never come together giving the wine a hard texture ; the finish manages to be simultaneously watery yet biting.

Not recommended.

Score: 81

Price: $8

Alc: 12.5%

Front Line Assembly’s Plasticity might create enough sympathy for industrial sludge to get you in the mood for this: