Reviews

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Royalty in Exile

Previous notes from last year apply. PnP and we were off and running. F-in' unbelievable bottle of Pinot! Fruit and spice and everything nice! Beautiful and unctuous all wrapped up in an enveloping,…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Daughters of Earth Goldrock Ridge

Still right in my wheelhouse. A little rich and spicy after a couple hours of air, but otherwise was a fun Pinot. Don't try to geek-out on it too much. It was flaunting some of its Bevan party flair…

Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

My friends keep buying it, so I keep rating it. A wet blanket of a Pinot; total snoozer. My previous notes apply.

Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosemary's Vineyard

Same as last month's notes. Drink now as a PnP, or hold for another year with confidence.

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

It's been a year since I last had this wine. PnP and consumed over two+ hours. Still in that 91-92/93 point realm for me. It kicked out some nice notes of raspberry, strawberry, cola, and hints of…

Arista Winery Pinot Noir Longbow

Medium-bodied and not especially complex; mid-palate was a bit light. Darker red fruit profile, but displayed somewhat thin and lithe overall. Ok with food, but not much of a performer on its own.…

Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosemary's Vineyard

Same as previous notes. This still hangs out in the 91-93 point arena for me. At its best (about 30 minutes of air), it displayed some nice saturated raspberry and spice notes. Good to drink now with…

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap

This behaved a little goofy for me this time around. A medicinal aftertaste crept up on the back end that competed oddly with the huge blast of extracted fruit. Barely a Pinot.

Argot Pinot Noir Bastard Tongue

Same as my previous notes. Deep, ripe black cherry, spice, and smoke. 93-94 points. Drink now and over the next couple of years.

DuMOL Pinot Noir Estate

Dark earthy notes of red and black raspberry, cherry, mulch, cedar, mushroom, forest floor, and some spice. Initially, the attack was noteworthy, with a really nice push of flavors. After about an…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

Same as my notes from 12/11/2016. A very fine example of KB, especially in an otherwise challenging vintage. After about 15 minutes of air, this was drinking beautifully. A nice herbal note on the…

Patiné Cellars Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard

Flavors of ripe and saturated red and black cherry, red and black raspberry, vanilla alcohol, and incense. Fairly deeply pitched, but not too heavy across the palate.

Patiné Cellars Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

Black cherry, ripe black raspberry, incense, and some earthy cedar. Deeply pitched and saturated, but with a drive that pushes the ripe flavors through the finish.

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

Same as last month's notes on this wine. Started out a little tight and linear. Needed about an hour in the decanter at 54 degrees before it unfolded nicely. Sappy dark red raspberry, cola, and…

Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Williams Selyem Estate Vineyard

A fairly pedestrian representation of the brand, though notably balanced and seamless in its delivery of flavors (smoother than the other reds). However, the amount of actual flavor is fairly one…

Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Eastside Road Neighbors

Similar to the Vista Verde, with a little less personality. Simple notes of red-fruit berry, cranberry, red raspberry, and vanilla-laced alcohol. Linear and youthfully astringent, but with some…

Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Lewis MacGregor Estate Vineyard

On the heels of having just enjoyed Williams Selyem's 2015 MacGregor Chardonnay, I was hoping the Pinot equivalent would be equally as interesting. Unfortunately, this was a fail on a number of…

Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Weir Vineyard

Cranberry and some cedar flavors, with hints of dry soil and granite. Fairly watery and thin, with an incredibly linear attack. The back end fell off almost instantly.

Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Vista Verde Vineyard

Higher-register red fruit notes of red cherry, pomegranate, light cranberry, citrus peel, wet limestone, and some brush. The "pop" of the red fruit is fairly constant through the attack, reminding…

Argyle Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

Watery and bitter. Cranberry cocktail with an astringent bite. Thin and almost completely flavorless otherwise. Nearly undrinkable.

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Rita's Crown Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills

In a FAR better place than it was nearly a year ago. But be warned, this is still a biggun! Huge fruit. Huge spice. Huge Pinot. Black cherry, black raspberry, blackberry, anise, clove, Chinese five…

Château Boswell Pinot Noir Absolutely Eloise Bentrock Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills

Very similar to the Sonoma offering of the Eloise, with higher-toned, red fruit flavors of cranberry, pomegranate, incense, and alcohol-laced vanilla. Fairly linear on the attack, with a lithe,…

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

Same as last month. Pretty tight at first on PnP, but about an hour of air really brought it into its amazing delivery of sappy red raspberry and spice flavors. Good stuff.

Gros Ventre Pinot Noir First Born

A rich, viscous style that knows how to pull back in time to remind you it was made with attention to detail and notable craftsmanship in mind. The initial attack after PnP was a rush of dark black…

Studio Seven Fifty Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard

A very interesting Pinot to be sure. Russell Bevan's "I'm not afraid of fruit" style coming forward unabashedly on the attack, but married really nicely with some of the wine's earthy qualities as…