February 8, 2019 - Bit on the sweet side with strawberries and and raspberries. Finishes with a little chocolate.
July 25, 2013 - Left in glass for about 30 minutes while letting it come up to temperature. Was expecting to get a huge whiff of the '08 AV fire, but surprisingly got very little smoke on the nose, which is showing cranberries and strawberries with a hint of vanilla. There's also a note of dustiness with green bell pepper.
On the palate, the smoke shows more prominently, but is almost complemented by generous vanilla. The fruit is hidden behind savory herb (like thyme), but of what's there I get plum and strawberry. The relatively high alcohol shows.
June 15, 2013 - I agree with Jasonh. This wine has transformed poorly over the past 4 years. Almost undrinkable for the first hour. Smoke and black tea flavors dominate with no fruit. After an hour in the decanter it tamed down but the fruit never came to the forefront. In summary, I think these are past their prime. I really enjoyed this bottle 3 years ago. Not so much tonight. Served with copper river salmon. UPDATE****i left a glass on the countertop overnight and drank it the following day with lunch. No oxidation at all. In fact, it drank better than the night before. I plan to sit on my remaining bottles for a few more years as this might just be going through a very awkward stage.
June 9, 2013 - Is this a joke. I had this a few years ago and the smoke was fairly smokey but I could choke a glass down when focusing on the fruit. Now this is just basically a smoked porter with acid. Gross! Took about 30 minutes and a meal to get the taste out of my mouth.
May 27, 2013 - Drank next to a 2009 Roar and thought this was much more balanced. Still big fruit, but had some smokey notes and was more structured from the beginning to the finish.
October 20, 2012 - Even in a vintage where the Anderson Valley was plagued with concerns of smoke taint Black Kite manages to produce a spectacular wine. The nose on this wine is just so exotic, distinctive and enjoyable from the word 'go' it's hard not to love these wines. It's "tightly wound" with herbals and at the same time very generously fruit forward. Man, I love Black Kite's style. Bumping them up a notch in my personal CA Pinot producer rankings. And they were already well regarded.
September 15, 2012 - Nice and balanced wine. Dark tones with a slight smokiness.
July 11, 2012 - First time tasting anything from Black Kite and I was very impressed. I agree with the initial smoke notes, but it did blow over. Medium bodied, cherry and warm spices on the nose. Great mouth feel and long finish. In a very good place now but will easily last another several years in the cellar. Will look for more from these guys.
April 9, 2012 - This just wasnt working for me. Day 2 more of the same. The black tea finish is there but it's not my, ahem, cup of tea. Not my style.
February 27, 2012 - Just terrific. Initial nose of smoke and fruit, but the smoke blew off quickly. Fruit is mostly dark red with cherries the most obvious. Good texture and mouthfeel, long finish.