It seemed that there may have been some oxygen and or seepage from the twist-top opening upon examining the bottle once open, but having let it breathe for 3 hours if it was flawed, it recovered quite nicely. Strong red cherry fruit with licorice, menthol and earthy notes. I did detect a slight note of over-sweetness as other reviewers have noted, but it might be from the seepage. Regardless, it was a great match for fresh Grilled/Rubbed Alaskan King Salmon with fresh Colorado Olathe sweet corn and spiced/broiled fresh asparagus. We bought this during a May 2015 trip to Monterey County at the winery, and we have become huge fans of Talbott Monterey Chards and Pinots at different price points. This was a pricier wine, and if it hadn't had the seepage issue, I think it would have lasted longer and been an even better wine. No complaints. If not Talbott, try Hahn on the lower end and Boekenoogen on the higher end. Monterey does a great job on Pinots and Chards, good QPR.
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Pretty good. Decanted 2 hours. Fruit forward typical Russian river Pinot. Good structure of stone fruits, strawberry, graphite and figs. Never a bad bottle from this wine maker
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One of the few times we disagree. She thought it WAY too fruity, cloyingly so. While I agree it's rather ripe, and certainly not what I look for in a Pinot (or even varietally typical), I thought it had some other interesting things going on. Some savory, spicy, leathery touches hiding in the background. Decent balance too. I think this has enough structure that if left in cellar for 10 years it could turn into a stunner.
I liked this wine enough to score it 90, which was not the case for my wife who's only comment was "it tastes cheap" (she had no idea of the price). And I can actually undertand why. This is a very big, bold and juicy Pinot Noir that actually tastes like anything but Pinot. Kind of funky and even reminds me of a high end Zinfandel. Either way, my 2 remaining bottles will be set aside for 4-5 years to see where this goes. Not sure it's a good idea, but I find the price tag (80$ CAD) a little steep for this type of wine so I rather give it a chance to evolve into something else.
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7/26/2018 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 91 Points
It seemed that there may have been some oxygen and or seepage from the twist-top opening upon examining the bottle once open, but having let it breathe for 3 hours if it was flawed, it recovered quite nicely. Strong red cherry fruit with licorice, menthol and earthy notes. I did detect a slight note of over-sweetness as other reviewers have noted, but it might be from the seepage. Regardless, it was a great match for fresh Grilled/Rubbed Alaskan King Salmon with fresh Colorado Olathe sweet corn and spiced/broiled fresh asparagus. We bought this during a May 2015 trip to Monterey County at the winery, and we have become huge fans of Talbott Monterey Chards and Pinots at different price points. This was a pricier wine, and if it hadn't had the seepage issue, I think it would have lasted longer and been an even better wine. No complaints. If not Talbott, try Hahn on the lower end and Boekenoogen on the higher end. Monterey does a great job on Pinots and Chards, good QPR.
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3/12/2017 - JimEaton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well balanced, dark fruit, tobacco, earth, spice. Excellent wine.
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3/25/2016 - Cholera Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty good. Decanted 2 hours. Fruit forward typical Russian river Pinot. Good structure of stone fruits, strawberry, graphite and figs. Never a bad bottle from this wine maker
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9/21/2015 - millerarner wrote: 90 Points
One of the few times we disagree. She thought it WAY too fruity, cloyingly so. While I agree it's rather ripe, and certainly not what I look for in a Pinot (or even varietally typical), I thought it had some other interesting things going on. Some savory, spicy, leathery touches hiding in the background. Decent balance too. I think this has enough structure that if left in cellar for 10 years it could turn into a stunner.
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8/14/2015 - Frijole wrote:
dark inky leathery brown, little clarity, slight brackish hue
Nose: deep berry, plum, white pepper, vanilla, tarragon, touch tobacco
Pal: deep berry, plum, cola, vanilla, tarragon, touch tobacco, touch leather, white pepper, minerals, silver, touch oak, touch complexity
Feel: medium/full, round
Finish: medium
T8
like a Beaune?
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1/3/2015 - martcouz wrote: 90 Points
I liked this wine enough to score it 90, which was not the case for my wife who's only comment was "it tastes cheap" (she had no idea of the price). And I can actually undertand why. This is a very big, bold and juicy Pinot Noir that actually tastes like anything but Pinot. Kind of funky and even reminds me of a high end Zinfandel. Either way, my 2 remaining bottles will be set aside for 4-5 years to see where this goes. Not sure it's a good idea, but I find the price tag (80$ CAD) a little steep for this type of wine so I rather give it a chance to evolve into something else.
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7/23/2014 - jfurey21 wrote: 92 Points
At winery. Nice weight. well rounded wine with spice and vanilla notes. I enjoyed this wine.
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