The Fourth Annual World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir
Tasted Friday, November 26, 2021 by The Drunken Cyclist with 242 views
Introduction
This is the fourth iteration of the World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir, which I host in my home for other Houston-based wine writers. Notes are also published on my blog: www.thedrunkencyclist.com
2018 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Retail $35. Very light in color. Lovely Bing cherry and eucalyptus with some earth, maybe some stem inclusion? Lovely nose, whoa. Fruity and fresh on the palate with some slate and plenty of acidity. Whoa. We are off to a really great start here. 93.
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2019 Chehalem Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
Retail $30. Under screw cap. Dark color with a sweet nose of lovely baked cherry and a bit of raspberry. Rich and profound with maybe some anise and rose petal. Surprisingly a bit thin on the palate here, particularly given the rich nose.
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2018 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Reserve 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Retail $55. A dirty nose, with black cherry and some slate, earthy, savory and a tad stemmy (whole cluster?). Rich and brooding on the palate with layers of intrigue and fruit. Very nice with a lengthy finish. 92
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2019 Bells Up Winery Pinot Noir Titan 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $44. Rich, fruity, almost sweet with a hint of slate and flint. The palate is quite tart with the acidity really dominant here, the fruit (sour cherry) taking a back seat. Long finish, but just a bit too tart for me. 90 points.
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2018 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir Dutton Ranches 95 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Retail $55. Medium color, clear, dark sour cherry, meaty and savory with a bit of lavender and rose petal on the nose. Big and fruity on the palate yowza. Rich, full, fantastic fruity, bold. While I usually prefer the brighter fruitier style, this is really fantastic and makes me reconsider that previous sentence.
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2018 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir Clone 667 Jane's Vineyard 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Retail $58. A bit on the darker side in color with some barnyard elements here. A touch astringent with sour cherry, maybe some olive and a bit of earth. The palate is much more inviting with great rich fruit, but also that astringency and some dirt. Hard to score this one.
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2018 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Select Yamhill-Carlton 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Retail $49. Really meaty on the nose, maybe some blood, even. Solid on the palate, quite drying and tart. A fine wine, just pales a bit among the others thus far.
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2019 Roco Pinot Noir Marsh Estate Vineyard 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Retail $60. Under screw cap. Medium ruby color, rich and candied nose of ripe cherry and red raspberry. Lovely. The palate is rich, fruity, and engaging, this is great on the fruit and might need a bit more acidity, but it really is fantastic.
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2018 Lange Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $70. Quite dark in the glass, almost opaque, really standing out for the color. Dark and rich on the nose with some black pepper and ripe, even baked cherry. Spicy. Fruity, ripe, deep, and quite drying tannins, suggesting some age-ability. I think this wine needs considerable time to have those tannins calm down a bit, but once they do? I think that it will improve remarkably. Now. 91. In five years? 94-ish?
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2019 Hyland Estates Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Old Vine 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
Retail $45. A bit dark in the glass with a real meaty, almost salami-like aspect. Interesting. Fruitier on the palate than the nose suggests, with a unifying acidity. Perhaps a bit dry and short on the finish, but pretty nice overall.
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2020 Flaunt Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta Rita Hills 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Retail $40. Medium color with an interesting cola aspect joining the fresh cherry and even sarsaparilla on the nose. Really fruity on the palate with layer upon layer on various cherries and a balancing acidity. Nice.
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2019 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir Estate Clonal Series - Dijon 777 95 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Retail $60. Medium dark color with a dirty cherry and come vanilla. Really fruity (and a bit dirty) on the palate with some lovely acidity and a lengthy finish. Very nice.
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2019 Tongue Dancer Pinot Noir Sly One 97 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Retail $65. On the dark side of Pinot again with a very rich nose that I could sniff pretty much all day long. As I do, there is some spice and clove, as well as, perhaps, some rose petal. Whoa. The palate is rich, layered, and truly fantastic. Long, rich, layered, balanced, holy cow. Whoa.
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2015 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Tall Poppy 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
Retail $60. Medium color, muted nose with a hint of bacon. Good fruit, however, on the palate with decent balance, but a relatively short finish. Nice.
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2018 Fullerton Wines Pinot Noir Fir Crest Vineyard 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Retail $65. Light to medium color with a rather muted nose but some spice and a bit of heat. The palate is much more expressive with good, but subtle fruit, more than ample acidity, and an earthiness that is often lacking in American Pinot.
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2019 Stoller Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Retail $35. Under screw cap. Medium color, rich nose, very enticing and rich and layered on the palate. I really like this wine even though it comes off as a bit extracted. Nuance, depth, very nice. 91.
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2019 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Knotty Vines 89 Points
USA, California
Retail $15. Under screw cap. Medium dark color, muted nose with some dark cherry and earth. The palate is also quite shy but some fruit and tartness comes through eventually. Might need some time to open up.
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2018 Stoller Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $28. Under screw cap. I liked this slightly better last year, but this is holding up quite well. Dark in color with a heavy dose of meatiness and salinity. Quite tart and tannic in this lineup, with a minimal amount fruit. I really would like to think that this will evolve over time, but will it?
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2018 Brooks Pinot Noir Rastaban 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $65. Medium color with a ripe vanilla cherry and a bit hot on the nose. The palate, though, is quite fruity, rich, and inviting with good acidity and a bit of spice on the finish. It does come off as a bit high in alcohol, though, but otherwise… very nice
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2019 Lange Pinot Noir Reserve 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $40. Dark in color with a meaty, almost bacon aspect to the nose, along with a bit of heat. Not much fruit on the palate until the finish where both a sour cherry and its accompanying acidity roar in. I am not quite sure where to go with this other than the need to revisit.
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2018 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 93 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Retail $42. Fairly dark in the glass with a very un-Pinot like: cedar, pine forest. On the palate it is a bit shy, but there is an underlying richness, again, unlike most Pinots, but I really am drawn to it. Would be great with a ribeye. No one else liked it. But me?
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2017 Left Coast Estate Pinot Noir Cali's Cuvee 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $24. Under screw cap. On the dark side of Pinot, again, with a bit of spice and some baked fruit and a hint of vanilla. The palate is also reserved, but eventually some fruit ekes out and pairs well with the spice.
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2020 Flaunt Wine Company Pinot Noir Peake Ranch Vineyard 95 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Retail $55. Medium to dark color with another fabulous nose; rich and fruity with a lovely tart cherry. The palate is equally fantastic with rich fruit, vanilla, Yowza. 95.
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2017 Torii Mor Pinot Noir 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $35. Medium color with a meaty, bacon fat nose and some baked fruit. Meh. The palate is another story. Again the fruit is a bit baked but it has incredible balance and a lengthy finish. Yum.
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NV Roco Pinot Noir Gravel Road 93 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $28. Under screw top. Dark color and aromas with black cherry and a slight lavender aspect that seems out of place. The palate, once again, is another story. Good fruit (dark), nice acidity, and a wonderful balance. Lovely.
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2019 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 95 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Retail $25. Under screw cap. Medium color, with a rich nose of Bing cherry, vanilla, lovely. Another wonderful palate—great fruit, balance, and verve. Holy cow. 95.
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2018 Chehalem Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains 93 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
Retail $30. Big Ass Bottle. Wow, what a difference a year (or two) makes). Medium dark color with a meaty, almost iodine aspect to it. The palate is more of a dark cherry, brooding, baked fruit, with killer acidity and balance. Yowza. 93.
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2018 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Russian River Selection 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Retail $45. Big. Ass. Bottle. Agglomerated stopper (non-DIAM). Medium color, muted nose with some great cherry and earth. Tart, but subtle fruit, great acidity and depth. Really lovely wine. 92.
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2016 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate 93 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
Retail $30. A tad dark, but great black cherry fruit, some dark earth, and a lovely chutzpah. Great fruit and balance, another fantastic wine. Whoa. 93.
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2018 Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir Claudia's Choice 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $55. Medium to dark color with a decided dirty/slate and dark cherry on the nose. Quite nice on the palate, but, honestly, it suffers from its competition here.
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2018 Fullerton Wines Pinot Noir Bella Vida Vineyard 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Retail $65. Meaty and salty with not much fruit to speak of on the nose. On the palate, this is quite nice, perfectly fine and perhaps even lovely. If this were opened on a given night? I would stay to the end of the bottle.
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2016 Crescere Pinot Noir 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Northern Sonoma
Retail $100. Big. Ass. Bottle. Medium to dark color, with an overly rich, extracted aspect on the nose. The palate is much the same, with an over-extracted and VA aspect that does not help. Very Wagner-esque.
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2018 Fullerton Wines Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
Retail $65. Medium to light color with a bit of a dirty nose of dark cherry, earth, slate. The palate is quite fruity, on the other hand, but there is a grittiness that I find interesting. Rich and intense with some drying tannins. Where to place this?
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2019 Bells Up Winery Pinot Noir Candide Reserve 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
Retail $54. Medium color with a luscious nose of fruit and a touch of spice. Whoa. Tart, fruity, and great balance on the palate. This is another fantastic wine.
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2019 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir The Famous Gate 93 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Retail $95. Dark in color and aromas, this is on the other end of the spectrum of Pinot Noir with some dark earth and spice. Lovely on the palate with great fruit and balance, fantastic.
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2018 Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $30. Medium to dark color with a lovely nose of tart black cherry and earth. Another fantastic wine. Wow, this is a great lineup (thank you very much).
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2019 Chemistry Pinot Noir 94 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $22. Under screw cap. On the dark side once again, with another fantastic nose Whoa. Great fruit, vanilla, hints of spice. On the palate? Holy cow. Rich, fruity, layered, a bit of darkness to it, Yowza and holy cow. Whoa. 94
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2019 Westmount Pinot Noir 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $25. Under screw cap. Medium color but dark another lovely nose or brooding cherry and earth. The palate is quite weighty with fruit and a bit unctuous. Not my style, but a nice wine. 91.
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2018 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir Estate 93 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Retail $44. Medium to dark with a lovely nose yet again. Holy cow. Great fruit and spice. On the palate this is quite lovely and certainly whoa worthy. 93.
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2018 Cultavin Cellars Pinot Noir 99 West 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $20. Dark, meaty, almost bloody on the nose, this is whatever beyond brooding is. Rich and “really brooding” again with intense, brooding flavors but great balance with tartness and some tannins on the finish.
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2015 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 94 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
Retail $40. Whoa. Another medium to light colored wine w ripe Bing cherry with a splash of spice whoa. Holy cow. Another outstanding wine. Great fruit, tart, balance, finish. I’m trying to nitpick, but I can't.
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2018 Stoller Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Retail $32. Dark in the glass with a bit of funk (I love the funk) associated with this dark cherry, the palate, though? Great fruit, tartness, depth, fantastic. 90.
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2018 Brooks Pinot Noir Crannell Eola - Amity Hills 97 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Retail $55. Rich, smoky nose of dark fruit (black cherry & wild strawberry), rose petal, and the palate? Oh my goodness. Another one that is completely off the charts. Holy son of God. Rich, dark, a tad unctuous, but the fruit, acidity, balance.
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2019 Tongue Dancer Pinot Noir 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Retail $45. A bit dark with some dark cherry Jolly Rancher, even a cherry cola thing going on. Quite fruity and ebullient on the palate. This is really a fantastic wine.
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2016 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Retail $30. Medium dark in the glass, dark cherry and a whole lot of goodness on the nose yowza. The palate is rich (and a little dirty) with dark fruit, great tartness, and a boatload of goodness. Yowza.
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2018 Brooks Pinot Noir Old Vine Pommard Eola - Amity Hills 93 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Retail $55. Medium dark with another amazing nose of dark cherry and a touch of earth. Rich, great fruit, comes off as a tiny bit sweet, but oh my goodness, this is fantastic. 93.
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2018 Hyland Estates Pinot Noir Old Vine Coury Clone 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
Retail $45. Medium color to dark with a bit of a muted nose. Great on the palate, rich, lovely, a bit heavy on the fruit, even a bit jammy, but hey, if that is the worst you can say? 92
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2018 Iris Vineyards Pinot Noir 90 Points
USA, Oregon
Retail $24. On the dark side of color and the meaty side of aromas. The palate is perfectly pleasant and tasty. A fantastic Pinot. 90.
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