Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews. Learn more.
Manage Subscriptions
Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Label borrowed from 1992
Label borrowed from 1999
Community Tasting Notes 4
-
William Kelley Likes this wine: 98 points
January 29, 2016 - The 1994 Kalin Cuvée Billon is the best North American Pinot Noir I've ever tasted. The wine soars from the glass in a blaze of cocoa powder, rich earth, cinnamon, violets and lovely red-black fruit tones—a nose of kaleidoscopic complexity. On the palate the wine is seamless, vibrant and effortlessly balanced, evoking a top Cote de Nuits grand cru. If only Kalin Cellars had produced more than two barrels!
-
mreinitz wrote: 82 points
July 21, 2012 - I agree with JMK's notes. Nose reminded me of freshly mown hay. Plenty of acid but not much fruit left. A hint of strawberry on the palate. Slightly oxidized. This was probably delicious 10 years ago -- now it is an interesting but uninspiring experience.
-
j.michael.kilgore wrote: 80 points
January 14, 2011 - Interesting, but not exciting. Very muted nose of strawberry, oak, earth. Palate was lack luster. Still had acid, although the tannins were almost completely gone. Had a strong sherry quality that I usually find in wines past their prime. This was decanted for about 45 minutes before tasting, then tasted again 3 hours later- no improvement.
-
BillB656 Likes this wine:
March 24, 2010 - A selection of Cuvée DD that gets extended aging in Billon barrels in honor of Gaston Billon of Tonnellerie Billon, who died in 1994. Bottled without racking, fining, or filtration in 1996 and laying in the Kalin cellars until winter of 2009. This wine shows it is from California with rich, ripe, mineral fruit but has an elegance and refined finish that is atypical in what I've tasted. Lots of red fruit, five spice, significant structure. There is enough oak to scare off someone that is totally oak-averse but it is an oak that I like. Maybe that is due to the significant age? Not as complete as Les Pierre Blanches but very good.
Pro Reviews 2
Add a Pro ReviewView From the Cellar
-
By John Gilman
Jan/Feb 2013, Issue #43, Kalin Cellars: Great Old School Wines Never Released Before Their Prime(Kalin Cellars Pinot Noir “Cuvée Billon”) Subscribe to see review text.
Decanter
-
By William Kelley
(link)(Kalin Cellars, Pinot Noir Cuvée Billon, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Wine Definition
- Vintage 1994
- Type Red
- Producer Kalin Cellars
- Varietal Pinot Noir
- Designation Cuvée Billon (DD)
- Vineyard n/a
- Country USA
- Region California
- SubRegion Sonoma County
- Appellation Sonoma County
Community Holdings
- Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
- In Cellars 17 (37%)
- Consumed 29 (63%)
Food Pairing
No food pairings available.
Who Likes This Wine
100% Like It 2 votes
More About This Wine
Articles
- ProducerKalin Cellars
- VarietyPinot Noir
- CountryUSA
- RegionCalifornia
- SubRegionSonoma County
- AppellationSonoma County
Add Articles
- Wine1994 Kalin Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée Billon (DD) (add)
- FamilyKalin Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée Billon (DD) (add)
- ProducerKalin Cellars
- VarietalPinot Noir
- DesignationCuvée Billon (DD) (add)
- CountryUSA
- RegionCalifornia
- SubRegionSonoma County
- AppellationSonoma County