Lovely, mature bottle. Light cherry color. The nose is bright and filled with fruit. There are also some mature, earthy notes (rubber?). Terrior driven with a fine finish. Excellent wine. (90)
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cloudy and light with no exuberance or much of anything to recommend. nose was completely muted and never came out of its shell. either this bottle was not right or this wine has not aged well at all. can not recommend. it was open and followed over the course of a couple of hours...
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Prior bottle was just over six months ago and my notes were quite similar. Nearly identical nose of cherry, raspberry and floral notes with an overlying tartness. Medium bodied (13.1% ABV) with red cherry and raspberry leading off. There's good depth through the middle, but it's nicely rounded and integrated. The lush notes that I got in some of my earlier bottles are long gone. Tart cherry and wildberry towards the back with hints of brighter strawberry. The balance between fruit and acidity are what makes this wine both interesting and complex. If opening now, give it at least 90 minutes open beforehand and allow it to warm from cellar temperature. Has room for some modest additional improvements as it continues to evolve on these lines and should be able to hold up quite nicely for another 2-3 years overall.
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typical anthill. which is a good thing. starts out light and then puts on weight. has a nice tart raspberry,strawberry profile along with healthy acidity.
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It has been almost 11 months since my prior bottle and this wine continues to show well, perhaps even a bit better than immediately previously. Cherry, raspberry and floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied with red cherry and raspberry upfront. The lushness has faded a bit and with the acidity a bit more noticeable, this wine seemed as elegant as my first bottle from back in 2015. Refined and balanced through the middle as it gains some density and that crystal clear acidity ties everything together extremely well. Loved the solid mineral and acidity notes on the clean finish. Highpoints of this wine were balance, integration and the return of acidity. Glad this bottle evolved the way I'd hoped. Probably save my last one for Spring 2018, but there's no immediate rush.
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Agree with the last comment. A thirty minute decant is fine to have the fun blow off. I will say that this wine may not improve much more. I am a burgundy drinker and there was some fade in this Pinot. I don't think this will get much better, though it may be hard to determine when it declines further.
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recommend 30 minute decant. initially quite funky on the nose and a bit off putting. then it blows off and still not a lovely nose, but it works. but the palate is quite juicy with nice red fruit and refreshing acidity. nice light AV pinot
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Drank after a 2011 Comptche, which was rather elegant. Brighter fruit here, perhaps not a fair comparison - not letting stand on its own, but I can't really separate the two in my mind..
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Raspberry, cherry and earth on the nose. Last bottle was about 15 months ago (May 2015) and this wine has changed quite a bit in that time. The acidity has integrated somewhat (as expected), but the flavor profile has changed from a precise and clear red cherry to one emphasizing more red raspberry. Came off as slightly more lush and slightly less elegant than the prior bottle. Red cherry and red raspberry upfront and really smooth through the mid-body. Still adds a good amount of acidity towards the back (which I was very pleased to see) along with tart cherry, wildberry and strawberry. The mix between the brighter and now more lush fruit upfront, contrasting with the more tart, acidity driven background notes were what made this wine interesting. Still not at peak and there a couple of ways that this wine could evolve going forward, each of which would lead it in quite different directions. Based on the last glass, if the acidity can tame the lushness showing upfront right now, while retaining enough backbone, there's more than enough fruit to carry this wine for several more years and this bottle could end up wonderfully elegant.
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Red cherry, earth and strong floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied, but deepens and richens the longer it's open. Incredibly beautiful and pure, bright red cherry fruit along with wild berry, blackberry and strawberry. It's a red fruit based wine, but it has shades of blackfruit, giving it structure, balance and a backbone. Earth, floral and light spices on the finish, but the story here is the acidity. It's integrated, but provides an excellent backbone and good length to the finish. Strengths of this wine were it purity, balance and acidity - the coolness of the year showed in a very positive way. This wine has the structure and fruit to continue to improve, but it's so pretty now, it will be hard to resist.
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Decanted, a tiny bit of funk on the nose, and then medium fruit with soft tannins and a lingering finish. I think this wine will greatly improve as it has nice balance. I've heard folks say to drink AH wines early, but I'm not so sure. Interested to see my other bottles age. GOOD.
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Well, I certainly wouldn't have planned to open this one this soon, but it came today in the middle of a Minnesota cold snap and the cork was fully blown through the styro. So.....pour it out, or let it thaw? I (thankfully) chose the latter, if for no other reason than it was frozen solid and I couldn't have "poured" it if I wanted to. Notes to follow, though not detailed, should be considered in the context of some very rough handling for this bottle:
On the nose, delicately aromatic. Floral and natural, with no funk/game. A hint of something I recognize but can't place. Almost like a faint anise, but that's not quite it. For whatever reason, this gives me the sense of a spring field with flowers, though I couldn't honestly say I've ever been in a field that smelled like this.
On the palate, primary but easy enough to drink now. Medium bodied, balanced in character. A bit of a resinous thread that provides the background character for this from start to finish. A faint impression of fine tannins on the finish.
Who knows how representative this bottle is given it's troubled journey. But if this bottle is as good as it is....man, I can't wait to try one that was treated well!
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Added to the database, looks like I am first one into the mix here. I tasted this next to the 2010 Knez Demuth and I will say, I like that wine more. Here, I perceive a darker and denser wine, with raspberry hard candy, juicy and good acid, just a darker quality.
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2/11/2024 - JJKinch wrote: 91 Points
Red fruit (raspberry, strawberry), slight cola, floral, slight spice. Good acidity. Lingering finish. Really enjoyable.
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9/7/2021 - theharve wrote: 85 Points
excessive acidity+mild tannins+deficient fruit=no future
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11/28/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 90 Points
Lovely, mature bottle. Light cherry color. The nose is bright and filled with fruit. There are also some mature, earthy notes (rubber?). Terrior driven with a fine finish. Excellent wine. (90)
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8/24/2019 - cobalt2 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still very nice. Would drink soon however
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2/16/2019 - ejca wrote:
Very good, can hold for many more years
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6/3/2018 - carlwhat Does not like this wine:
cloudy and light with no exuberance or much of anything to recommend. nose was completely muted and never came out of its shell. either this bottle was not right or this wine has not aged well at all. can not recommend. it was open and followed over the course of a couple of hours...
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1/20/2018 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Prior bottle was just over six months ago and my notes were quite similar. Nearly identical nose of cherry, raspberry and floral notes with an overlying tartness. Medium bodied (13.1% ABV) with red cherry and raspberry leading off. There's good depth through the middle, but it's nicely rounded and integrated. The lush notes that I got in some of my earlier bottles are long gone. Tart cherry and wildberry towards the back with hints of brighter strawberry. The balance between fruit and acidity are what makes this wine both interesting and complex. If opening now, give it at least 90 minutes open beforehand and allow it to warm from cellar temperature. Has room for some modest additional improvements as it continues to evolve on these lines and should be able to hold up quite nicely for another 2-3 years overall.
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11/5/2017 - wiscgrad wrote: 92 Points
Needed about an hour to come out of it's shell, then it was singing. Beautiful cool climate pinot. Definitely in its drink window
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9/16/2017 - lolo66 wrote: 92 Points
typical anthill. which is a good thing. starts out light and then puts on weight. has a nice tart raspberry,strawberry profile along with healthy acidity.
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7/9/2017 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
It has been almost 11 months since my prior bottle and this wine continues to show well, perhaps even a bit better than immediately previously. Cherry, raspberry and floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied with red cherry and raspberry upfront. The lushness has faded a bit and with the acidity a bit more noticeable, this wine seemed as elegant as my first bottle from back in 2015. Refined and balanced through the middle as it gains some density and that crystal clear acidity ties everything together extremely well. Loved the solid mineral and acidity notes on the clean finish. Highpoints of this wine were balance, integration and the return of acidity. Glad this bottle evolved the way I'd hoped. Probably save my last one for Spring 2018, but there's no immediate rush.
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5/21/2017 - MemorialWineFan wrote: 89 Points
Agree with the last comment. A thirty minute decant is fine to have the fun blow off. I will say that this wine may not improve much more. I am a burgundy drinker and there was some fade in this Pinot. I don't think this will get much better, though it may be hard to determine when it declines further.
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4/24/2017 - wiscgrad wrote: 91 Points
recommend 30 minute decant. initially quite funky on the nose and a bit off putting. then it blows off and still not a lovely nose, but it works. but the palate is quite juicy with nice red fruit and refreshing acidity. nice light AV pinot
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11/25/2016 - kcp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank after a 2011 Comptche, which was rather elegant. Brighter fruit here, perhaps not a fair comparison - not letting stand on its own, but I can't really separate the two in my mind..
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8/14/2016 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Raspberry, cherry and earth on the nose. Last bottle was about 15 months ago (May 2015) and this wine has changed quite a bit in that time. The acidity has integrated somewhat (as expected), but the flavor profile has changed from a precise and clear red cherry to one emphasizing more red raspberry. Came off as slightly more lush and slightly less elegant than the prior bottle. Red cherry and red raspberry upfront and really smooth through the mid-body. Still adds a good amount of acidity towards the back (which I was very pleased to see) along with tart cherry, wildberry and strawberry. The mix between the brighter and now more lush fruit upfront, contrasting with the more tart, acidity driven background notes were what made this wine interesting. Still not at peak and there a couple of ways that this wine could evolve going forward, each of which would lead it in quite different directions. Based on the last glass, if the acidity can tame the lushness showing upfront right now, while retaining enough backbone, there's more than enough fruit to carry this wine for several more years and this bottle could end up wonderfully elegant.
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6/10/2016 - pinotpinot Likes this wine: 93 Points
elegant
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2/19/2016 - Rktekt3 wrote: 84 Points
Not good.
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6/20/2015 - lzelman Likes this wine: 93 Points
fantastic Pinot. Excellent flavors. Really enjoyed.
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5/31/2015 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Red cherry, earth and strong floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied, but deepens and richens the longer it's open. Incredibly beautiful and pure, bright red cherry fruit along with wild berry, blackberry and strawberry. It's a red fruit based wine, but it has shades of blackfruit, giving it structure, balance and a backbone. Earth, floral and light spices on the finish, but the story here is the acidity. It's integrated, but provides an excellent backbone and good length to the finish. Strengths of this wine were it purity, balance and acidity - the coolness of the year showed in a very positive way. This wine has the structure and fruit to continue to improve, but it's so pretty now, it will be hard to resist.
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3/8/2015 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted, a tiny bit of funk on the nose, and then medium fruit with soft tannins and a lingering finish. I think this wine will greatly improve as it has nice balance. I've heard folks say to drink AH wines early, but I'm not so sure. Interested to see my other bottles age. GOOD.
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3/1/2015 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice mix of dark red fruit, some earth and dried floral notes, palate has nice depth, grip and acidity with a decent finish
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7/13/2014 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Very good wine. Darker in profile, leaning California, but with adequate acidity. Good complexity, I really enjoyed it.
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3/10/2014 - rm wines wrote:
Delicious bright red crunchy fruit and excellent intensity on the palate. One of the best wines I have had from anthill.
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12/20/2013 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 80 Points
Very fruity, almost gives you a sweet sensation up front. Very very light, even for a pinot. Not much depth, for me just not there.
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12/9/2013 - vanpe003 wrote:
Well, I certainly wouldn't have planned to open this one this soon, but it came today in the middle of a Minnesota cold snap and the cork was fully blown through the styro. So.....pour it out, or let it thaw? I (thankfully) chose the latter, if for no other reason than it was frozen solid and I couldn't have "poured" it if I wanted to. Notes to follow, though not detailed, should be considered in the context of some very rough handling for this bottle:
On the nose, delicately aromatic. Floral and natural, with no funk/game. A hint of something I recognize but can't place. Almost like a faint anise, but that's not quite it. For whatever reason, this gives me the sense of a spring field with flowers, though I couldn't honestly say I've ever been in a field that smelled like this.
On the palate, primary but easy enough to drink now. Medium bodied, balanced in character. A bit of a resinous thread that provides the background character for this from start to finish. A faint impression of fine tannins on the finish.
Who knows how representative this bottle is given it's troubled journey. But if this bottle is as good as it is....man, I can't wait to try one that was treated well!
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4/7/2013 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Added to the database, looks like I am first one into the mix here. I tasted this next to the 2010 Knez Demuth and I will say, I like that wine more. Here, I perceive a darker and denser wine, with raspberry hard candy, juicy and good acid, just a darker quality.
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