Family Blind Pinot Noir Tasting

The family group decided to focus on Pinot Noir for this tasting and 8 bottles were thrown into the ring.

• 2021 Benjamin Darnault Pinot Noir 88 Points

  France, Vin de France

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #1 of 8.
  
  Good start to the tasting, as this was fresh and tasty, very clearly old world to all but one taster, as this had no trace of sweet or candied fruit, was very dry but also nicely balanced and clear Pinot character. Not a blockbuster, but a very good table wine quality, so I guessed 2020 Bourgogne level Burgundy $17.
  Was a little surprised on the reveal that this was a lowly Vin de France, but kudos to them for coming up with a very drinkable French Pinot at this price point.
  This was enjoyed by all and everyone had it in their top half from this tasting. Apparently a Naked Wines offering that my brother belongs to.

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• 2008 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Winderlea 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #2 of 8.
  
  This was my 1st contribution to the tasting. This showed some sulfur stink on the nose after opening, but that blew off quickly. My sister identified this as having some age, and indeed, the nose exhibited some "sweaty sock" and earthy tones. The palate seemed lively though the acidity was only medium, with the earthy-dominant flavors taking the lead. Good complexity and interesting, but what kept this from being exceptional was the weak concentration on the palate. Kind of a weird combination of good depth, but weak concentration of flavor, if that makes sense. Not bad, but just lacking that extra something. Didn't really capture the hearts of anyone at the tasting, myself included. Maybe this is just past prime and on the downhill slide, or perhaps this bottle was slightly off. Tried this the next evening (after vacuum sealing overnight) and it was pretty much the same.

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• 2013 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #3 of 8.
  
  Riper and sweeter fruit than the first two wines and clearly high-quality California. Seemed integrated and lacked fresh vibrancy, so figured a little bit of age as well. I was thinking RRV, probably single vineyard. The warm 2015 vintage seemed about right. Knowing who had brought this, I figured $100.
  Not a bad guess it turned out.
  This was consensus favorite of the tasting, though one person found it to be too ripe for her tastes.

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• 2021 Kirkland Signature Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 86 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #4 of 8.
  
  This tasted to me like a high production Cali Pinot, with candied fruit and a little sweetness. So, I guessed 2019 RRV at $20 price point.

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• 2017 Maggy Hawk Pinot Noir Unforgettable 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #5 of 8.
  
  This was a different beast from the others, with an expansive nose of blood orange and other citrus, and highly structured on the palate. Wasn't sure what this was all about, but I've had a New Zealand Pinot recently that this reminded me of so I went with 2019 NZ Pinot at the $40 price point.
  Everyone seemed to enjoy this and had it near the top of the group. It turns out that this bottle was a gift from me to my sister last year, but I didn't recognize it. I enjoyed this more than the previous bottle I tried a month or so ago.

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• 2012 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Boer Vineyard 84 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #6 of 8.
  
  This was my 2nd contribution. Unfortunately, this did not show very well. It just tasted "faded", with no depth of fruit at all. I vacuum sealed it and tried it again the next evening and it was the same or maybe even worse. Didn't taste off at all, just past peak and on the downhill side.
  This was near the bottom on everyone's rankings. Took home the bottle, vacuum sealed, and tried the next day over a couple of hours, and it was no better, maybe even worse. Based on this bottle, drink up.

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• 2021 Scott Kelley Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #7 of 8.
  
  This tasted to me like a young, high-production Central Coast (California) Pinot. Varietally correct, but ripe and appealing to the sweet-tooth palate. So, I guessed 2021 Central Coast Pinot $15 price point.

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• 2019 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 80 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  From a family blind tasting, Pinot from anywhere - guess origin, vintage, price.
  
  Wine #8 of 8.
  
  This was bland and uninteresting and just tasted like generic red wine. Easily the worst and least interesting wine of the evening. I guessed Trader Joe's Edna Valley Pinot 2020. Not undrinkable, but I would pour this out.
  Unanimous choice for last place.

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Most of the wines in this roundup were pretty middling, with the Williams-Selyem being the clear winner and the Naked Wines lowly Vin de France entry being the surprise value play. My entries, the Sandler and the Patricia Green were not nearly as good as I was hoping and expecting.