Opened on a Friday night with dinner, pours a dark ruby, this full bodied pinot was firing well tonight. Musky oaky overtones on the nose, with deep intense fruit of blacks/blues and reds, highlighting pomegranate, cherry, black raspberry and strawberry. Ripe, toasty oak compliments. This was excellent tonight at 9 years out.
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Conducted a Mini-V with the 2005 bottling. This one opened up with a bit of barnyard which quickly blew off. At 15.1% vs 14.9%, this bigger wine resonated as the bigger wine in all facets. The nose is more hedonistic, showing more fruit and less toasted oak. There's dripping strawberry syrup, with some cola and raspberry. Fuller and fruitier, with a longer finish. Day two shows a remarkable transformation and adjustment, as the '05 roars to the fore and transcends the fine showing of this '04 the prior evening. This '04 has rounded out and mellowed out, showing heat on the nose and finish. Plenty of fruit still, with warm ripe raspberry and black cherry, with a glyceric fatness produced by the high ABV. I am solidifying agreement that 7 years out is a prime drinking window for the bold Cali Pinots such as this.
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- Garnet color with slow forming legs and aromas of strawberry with a hint of dust. It's very well balanced and has flavors of blackberry and fig with a light/medium body. The texture is smooth and has a nice long extremely pleasant finish. Sonatera is one of the hidden gems in the Siduri lineup with the big names like Hirsch, Pisoni, Gary's, Rosella's, and Keefer Ranch. I love this Sonoma Coast wine and it still has gobs of lucious fruit. Don't hesitate to drink, but don't be in a hurry to drink them up. I wish I had more. unfortunately this is my last bottle of this vintage.
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Located near Sebastopol, this Sonoma vineyard's name combines aspects of song and sonnet -- music and poetry -- with terra, the land. Owners Debra and Marne believe wine is the song of the soil, bottled poetry which celebrates the nuances of the land in which it is grown. Thus, Sonatera. Planted in '99 to Dijon clones 667, 777, 115 and Pommard 4 grafted on 101-14 and 3304 rootstock, this wine is light ruby to clear on the rim. Inital barn-o-funk pinot note blows off quickly, rapidly giving way to dark earthy cola aromas of ripe plum, black fruit and lots of toast. Warmth and agitation opens the door to additional red fruits - raspberry/strawberry, a light floral component as well in the upper atmosphere. A lot of wood/toast at this point in the palate gives this wine a heavy dense feel - this dominates the mouthfeel and supercedes the flavors of cranberry, currant and citric pith masked below through the mid and finish. Nice prune element at the tail end of the finish. 15.1% hidden well. Day two+ continues the growing theme of darkness - toast char, black olive, black cherry fruit, plum/prune notes with some fruit fade compared to day one - probably the toast/wood. Overall a big toasted oak themed pinot with a dark personality.
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15.1% alcohol. This is an awfully attractive example of a big, ripe Pinot. Strikingly dark red color. Tremendous bouquet that is a classic RRV profile. Black cherry, baking spice, and a hint of floral. In the mouth, lush and ripe, but with a great energy and sense of balance as it cuts across the palate. Excellent acidity. No hint of heat on the finish. Great finish that reemphasizes the fruit. Terrific Pinot here, which can appeal to anyone who loves Pinot in any style. A-
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Rich, full bodied Pinot that showcases its black cherry, smoke, clove and vanilla notes with a bit less acid than the last visit. Still quite pleasurable, drink sooner than later.
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Still going strong. Very pure dark cherry wth some nice floral/spice and only a hint of earth. Really became thicker and almost sweet on day two. Nicely balanced.
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Nose is earthy-funky with black cherry notes. Palate is lush, sweet, dark fruit and cola. Spike of heat on the finish. seems a bit roasted tonight. Has lost some of its structure. I liked this a lot more a year ago. Good, but it's rich, dark, and a tad on the sweet side.
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Dark ruby red. Big PN. Black cherry. Shows a bit of secondary characteristics on nose and palate. Long finish. Touch of hotness is less noticeable than before.
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Dark ruby red. Big PN. Black cherry. Shows a bit of secondary characteristics on nose and palate. Long finish. Touch of hotness is less noticeable than before.
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I really enjoyed the forward black raspberry fruit, with violets and clove, lush mouthfeel and just enough acidity to keep it clean at the end. New world pinot that manages to showcase its fruit without being syrupy.
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Decanted one hour. Similar aromas, flavors and structure as noted last summer, but this time the etoh was not an issue. The wine was a perfect match for Copper River salmon with cherry sauce.
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Dark red with a mahogeny tint. Rich dark cherry aromas with spice, herbs and flowers. Big cherry fruit on the palate with red berries, a little vanilla and some spice. Finishes with a nice backbone of tannin and acidity, but the 15.1% etoh is too overt for me to consider in balance.
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Deep ruby. Strong aromas of black cherry, and game are the first thing to hit the nose. Underneath are hints of spice, vanilla and violets. It is velvety in the mouth, with fruity cherries mixed with gamey meat. The finish is full of fruit, with solid tannins that last a long time. The softness and fruit make this a woderful representation of this style of Pinot Noir.
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9/20/2013 - Senso-beak wrote: 92 Points
Opened on a Friday night with dinner, pours a dark ruby, this full bodied pinot was firing well tonight. Musky oaky overtones on the nose, with deep intense fruit of blacks/blues and reds, highlighting pomegranate, cherry, black raspberry and strawberry. Ripe, toasty oak compliments. This was excellent tonight at 9 years out.
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4/19/2012 - Senso-beak wrote: 90 Points
Conducted a Mini-V with the 2005 bottling. This one opened up with a bit of barnyard which quickly blew off. At 15.1% vs 14.9%, this bigger wine resonated as the bigger wine in all facets. The nose is more hedonistic, showing more fruit and less toasted oak. There's dripping strawberry syrup, with some cola and raspberry. Fuller and fruitier, with a longer finish. Day two shows a remarkable transformation and adjustment, as the '05 roars to the fore and transcends the fine showing of this '04 the prior evening. This '04 has rounded out and mellowed out, showing heat on the nose and finish. Plenty of fruit still, with warm ripe raspberry and black cherry, with a glyceric fatness produced by the high ABV. I am solidifying agreement that 7 years out is a prime drinking window for the bold Cali Pinots such as this.
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8/8/2011 - rcurlee wrote: 93 Points
- Garnet color with slow forming legs and aromas of strawberry with a hint of dust. It's very well balanced and has flavors of blackberry and fig with a light/medium body. The texture is smooth and has a nice long extremely pleasant finish. Sonatera is one of the hidden gems in the Siduri lineup with the big names like Hirsch, Pisoni, Gary's, Rosella's, and Keefer Ranch. I love this Sonoma Coast wine and it still has gobs of lucious fruit. Don't hesitate to drink, but don't be in a hurry to drink them up. I wish I had more. unfortunately this is my last bottle of this vintage.
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4/7/2011 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 88 Points
Blind Tasting 2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs (Tom's House, Palo Alto, CA): Big, pretty nose of warm baking spices. Ripe black cherry fruit, ever so slightly jammy, but nicely balanced with moderate acidity. (my 4th, group's 1st)
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1/14/2010 - Senso-beak wrote: 90 Points
Located near Sebastopol, this Sonoma vineyard's name combines aspects of song and sonnet -- music and poetry -- with terra, the land. Owners Debra and Marne believe wine is the song of the soil, bottled poetry which celebrates the nuances of the land in which it is grown. Thus, Sonatera. Planted in '99 to Dijon clones 667, 777, 115 and Pommard 4 grafted on 101-14 and 3304 rootstock, this wine is light ruby to clear on the rim. Inital barn-o-funk pinot note blows off quickly, rapidly giving way to dark earthy cola aromas of ripe plum, black fruit and lots of toast. Warmth and agitation opens the door to additional red fruits - raspberry/strawberry, a light floral component as well in the upper atmosphere. A lot of wood/toast at this point in the palate gives this wine a heavy dense feel - this dominates the mouthfeel and supercedes the flavors of cranberry, currant and citric pith masked below through the mid and finish. Nice prune element at the tail end of the finish. 15.1% hidden well. Day two+ continues the growing theme of darkness - toast char, black olive, black cherry fruit, plum/prune notes with some fruit fade compared to day one - probably the toast/wood. Overall a big toasted oak themed pinot with a dark personality.
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3/21/2009 - keepitreal wrote: 88 Points
Great Pinot. Fresh red berry fruit with a twiggy earth in the mouth. A little spice at the finish with just enough acid to make it pleasing.
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10/18/2008 - drend wrote: 88 Points
Dinner with Jon. Liked this a lot.
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9/21/2008 - gutt22 wrote:
15.1% alcohol. This is an awfully attractive example of a big, ripe Pinot. Strikingly dark red color. Tremendous bouquet that is a classic RRV profile. Black cherry, baking spice, and a hint of floral. In the mouth, lush and ripe, but with a great energy and sense of balance as it cuts across the palate. Excellent acidity. No hint of heat on the finish. Great finish that reemphasizes the fruit. Terrific Pinot here, which can appeal to anyone who loves Pinot in any style. A-
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5/4/2008 - rmodak wrote: 90 Points
Rich, full bodied Pinot that showcases its black cherry, smoke, clove and vanilla notes with a bit less acid than the last visit. Still quite pleasurable, drink sooner than later.
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3/10/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 90 Points
Still going strong. Very pure dark cherry wth some nice floral/spice and only a hint of earth. Really became thicker and almost sweet on day two. Nicely balanced.
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3/7/2008 - decaturwinedude wrote: 89 Points
Nose is earthy-funky with black cherry notes. Palate is lush, sweet, dark fruit and cola. Spike of heat on the finish. seems a bit roasted tonight. Has lost some of its structure. I liked this a lot more a year ago. Good, but it's rich, dark, and a tad on the sweet side.
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12/13/2007 - shaneajohnson wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby red. Big PN. Black cherry. Shows a bit of secondary characteristics on nose and palate. Long finish. Touch of hotness is less noticeable than before.
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10/4/2007 - shaneajohnson wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby red. Big PN. Black cherry. Shows a bit of secondary characteristics on nose and palate. Long finish. Touch of hotness is less noticeable than before.
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8/13/2007 - keepitreal wrote: 88 Points
Pleasurable full-bodied California Pinot. Heaps of fruit with a floral note and sufficient acid to balance out.
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8/10/2007 - rmodak wrote: 92 Points
I really enjoyed the forward black raspberry fruit, with violets and clove, lush mouthfeel and just enough acidity to keep it clean at the end. New world pinot that manages to showcase its fruit without being syrupy.
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7/1/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Decanted one hour. Similar aromas, flavors and structure as noted last summer, but this time the etoh was not an issue. The wine was a perfect match for Copper River salmon with cherry sauce.
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3/25/2007 - pjhr wrote: 91 Points
As delicious as the last bottle!
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3/11/2007 - zheem wrote:
Nice nose, good body and flavors, a bit hot on the alcohol, overall quite delicious.
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3/5/2007 - shaneajohnson wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby red. Big PN. Black cherry, bit of spice but not as much as Gary's by same producer. Long finish, but just a touch hot. Overall, very nice.
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10/21/2006 - pjhr wrote: 91 Points
Earthy cherry aromas with ripe dark cherry flavors with spice and bacon notes. Ripe tannins on the long finish.
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8/28/2006 - thomaskeil wrote: 88 Points
Dark red with a mahogeny tint. Rich dark cherry aromas with spice, herbs and flowers. Big cherry fruit on the palate with red berries, a little vanilla and some spice. Finishes with a nice backbone of tannin and acidity, but the 15.1% etoh is too overt for me to consider in balance.
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8/8/2006 - brianofthevine wrote: 91 Points
Red cherry and raspberry, earth, smoke, and cinnamon.
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5/31/2006 - Love4Vino wrote:
Brought to the OC offline. Was described as "sex in a bottle." Enough said!
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2/20/2006 - mmurry wrote:
Deep ruby. Strong aromas of black cherry, and game are the first thing to hit the nose. Underneath are hints of spice, vanilla and violets. It is velvety in the mouth, with fruity cherries mixed with gamey meat. The finish is full of fruit, with solid tannins that last a long time. The softness and fruit make this a woderful representation of this style of Pinot Noir.
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