I think this is my favorite of the many excellent wines from Anthill. Electric light burgundy color. The nose oozes with bright cherry fruit and is broadened with earthy accents. Bright, alive, juicy. Medium to light body with lovely precision. Shows a resemblance to a nice Cote de Beaune red. (91)
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Opened to celebrate acceptance of our bid on Michigan house. Drinking well now, and richer and more balanced (not too acidic) than I expected. Nice! 13.4% ABV Its light color belies the full body for a pinot. Cherry, bright red fruit, tart, spice. Me - 91, Wife - 93
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4th Saturday Brown Bagger (Our house): Double blind. Cherry, sour red berry fruit, tea and a hint of spice. Light-bodied with cherry, tea, forest floor and red berry fruit. Very nice. Guessed pinot. 90-91 pts.
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Has developed really nicely. Round cherry, tart cranberry, nice mouthfeel/touch of texture ... really in a lovely spot. Has picked up weight (from very light to medium) with age... I didn’t love these as young wines, but they’re wonderful intermediate (5-6 year) drinkers
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See previous note. Definitely better than it was two years ago – the fruit has ripened up nicely, and the wine comes across as much more complete and balanced. Not a great deal of complexity on display, but the sheer deliciousness is hard to argue with.
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Prior bottle was just over 10 months ago and my notes were quite similar. Raspberry, cranberry and floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied with red cherry and red raspberry upfront, gaining silky depth through the middle. Lots of elegance, roundness and balance here, perhaps even slighter more than the prior bottle. Acidity comes in towards the back along with tart cherry and cranberry. Orange peel and integrated, light spices on the finish which shows good length. Feels like the wine has opened up a bit since my prior bottle and perhaps, shows a touch more integration. The overall profile remains nearly the same, but various elements came together just a touch more cleanly. Should show incremental improvements along these lines over the next couple of years so no rush to drink, but no great benefit to waiting. I'd drink over the next 3-4 years. It would be interesting to see this wine at the 10 year mark.
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A lot more complete of a wine than what I remember. I find that Anthill can be a bit hit or miss. Either it's moderately profound or just another unmemorable wine. This is definitely the former. The acidity and orange peel are much more in balance with crunchy cherry and raspberry. A little citrus and finishes a touch hot.
Not sure what it is with these wines, but I'm not a fan having drank through several bottles. I like AFWE just fine, but the funky rotten orange peel flavor that I taste and smell turns me off. This bottle was better than the awful Campbell Ranch I had the other night, but not by much.
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This never really opened up and was kind of flat to me. In previous vintages, it had a much fuller, more realized profile. 1st of three. Not sure if dumb phase or just needed more time.
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No detailed notes taken: PnP shared with friends over 90 minutes. Nice tart red fruits (raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry) that are soft and not in your face. Reserved acids are more prominent than the delicate tannins that bring up the rear. Only thing not to like is the wax seal :)
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Raspberry, cranberry and floral notes on the nose. Perhaps slightly over medium bodied (13.4% ABV) with excellent depth and richness through the middle, but fully balanced by the trademark Anthill acidity. Bright red raspberry and cherry upfront, deepening quickly through the middle where it starts to pull in black fruit notes. Finishes with noticeably tart cherry and cranberry, which, along with the acidity, balanced out the front end fruit extremely well. Minerals, light spices and some integrated tannic structure on the finish. This is a balanced, elegant and silky wine. I appreciated the contrast between the mid-body richness and the acidity-driven tartness. Should continue to improve over the next 1-2 years and have several additional years beyond.
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Split decision here at the house. Kevin admires the fruity, in your face jamminess, while I find it a bit muddled but tasty. Indeterminate so to speak.
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Very nice Pinot, enjoyable now and something to look forward to as it ages a bit more. Good aroma and lingering flavor with restrained acidity that adds to the finish. Pleased to have opened this bottle tonight.
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Pretty translucent light ruby color, highly aromatic with red fruit some florals, a little earth and spice. Tart crunchy red fruit - cranberry, pomegranate - on the palate. Typical AHF high acidity, but this had a richer, and perhaps a bit riper core of fruit to it than I'm used to tasting, but not in a bad way. Given the fruit and acidity I think this has some good upside and will try to wait a few years on my last bottle.
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Decanted for just over an hour before tasting. Medium purple core, pink rim. Tart cherries, cranberries, floral perfume, dry soil and spices on the nose and palate. Medium bodied, good depth, firm structure – high quality stuff, but bordering excessively acidic, thus requiring food to show its best. Most likely still a little early – I’ll let my last bottle sleep for another three to four years and hope for improved balance (91-92 points).
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Fragrant nose with a nice bright berry, earthy/floral mix and some perfume, decent cranberry and cherry fruit on the attack with medium acidity and length
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After 1h-ish decant I got raspberry but mostly sweet (and some sour) cherries on the nose. This was mirrored in the crystal clear and delicious fruit that I met on the palate. Juicy but transparent. Fresh finish with just the right amount of sour cherries for me. A bit more lenght on the mid-palate would have hightened the impression of the wine. I enjoyed this wine and it paired well with veal and shiitake. I kept half a glass for 12h - all fruit was dissolved and left was mostly earthy notes. By first sip I thought it had gone all wrong, but the wine was actually holding together nicely and giving a solid (though entirely different) impression. Had planned to keep some longer, but all was suddenly gone... Not sure if I would have enjoyed it halfway there though, but maybe time will tell.
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PnP After a few swirls I get this tangy strawberry jam and other bright red fruit. Slight spice element that tingles my nose. Viscosity is heavier than I am accustomed to in a PN. Nice upfront tart strawberries, cranberries and something I can only describe as Asian pear or apples. Fair amount of acid but short in the mid palate. Good clean finish. WBA
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fragrant roses and cherries show up in the aromas from the start, light-footed but flavorful, fresh berries, flowers, peach skins and minerals on the palate, balanced and cool, bright impression on the finish which leaves it feeling refreshing, had with salmon steaks
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For me this did not hit the same level of depth of flavour or persistence on the palate as last experience notes dark berry, with some florals, creme and clove even a hint of heat, palate is smooth, but felt a bit creamy which wasn't the sharp high toned profile I was hoping for
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Reductive, needed dubble decanting and an hour in open bottle to get there. Great wine in the mouth, a hint warm and rich with red berries. You get the american touch across the wine, although not excessive. It's already a great wine, drinking fairly good at this time. Might be slightly better with a few years, but why wait? Great meeting with US pinot. 92
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This a close miss on being in my wheelhouse. It touches a lot of points for me but somehow I didn't fall in love with it for the $40 I paid which was a good deal for this btl that sells for more like $45 nationally. I didn't like the cola that hung on the nose and permeated the palate from time to time. Otherwise the fruit shows some good red fruit flavors and there is a level of complexity here too but I'm not compelled to buy more. I can see domestic PN lovers digging this more than I did. There's a lot of hype about the "cold Sonoma coast" being ideal for old school PN but this reminded me more squarely of an RRV PN from someone like Rochioli. Also, I hate wax seals! Cork extraction is easy enough but there's always a mess and I don't think it even looks that cool. Give me the foil capsule any day.
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Tried a few 2012 anthill just to get a feel for their style in the vintage before upcoming releases, this was probably my favourite of the line up, wonderful dried florals, cranberry, spice and earth, palate was wonderfully fruit filled with a serious acidic core and a nice finish excited to see how this evolves
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Rich fruit and a little funk, a slightly odd savoury note. This doesn't linger though and there is a nice expression of pinot fruit underneath; strong core of raspberry & red fruits, quite intense but finishes a little abruptly.
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Delicate style in general, and tightly wound right now... That said, lovely after couple hours' air, and accented the cumin on our mideastern lamb dish beautifully. Satisfying, but will hold the second bottle
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BYO (Casa FV): Natural-style nose with model clay, dark forest berries, strawberries, rhubarb, red apples, undergrowth, herbs and liquorice. With some similarities to syrah, yet it seems to be a cali pinot, one without any notable oak influence. Santa Rita or Sonoma? On the rounded, creamy palate it offers a combination of fresh cool-grown acidity (rhubarb/citrus) and sunnier warm-climate sweetness. Excellent stuff from one of the best players on "The New California Wine" scene (c) Jon Bonné.
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5/8/2021 - havarhar wrote: 91 Points
Mursteinsrød, klar og relativ lys.
Lukt av røde bær, bringebær. Litt vanilje fra eik i bakgrunnen.
Lett, men smaksrik. Røde bær. Mye syre, men ikke for mye. Velbalansert. Smaken sitter lenge igjen i munnen.
En av de bedre amerikanske Pinot Noir jeg har smakt.
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1/5/2020 - aekenback wrote: 91 Points
Bright red candied fruit, forrest floor and blood orange. Fresh and vibrant. Really nice.
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10/20/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
I think this is my favorite of the many excellent wines from Anthill. Electric light burgundy color. The nose oozes with bright cherry fruit and is broadened with earthy accents. Bright, alive, juicy. Medium to light body with lovely precision. Shows a resemblance to a nice Cote de Beaune red. (91)
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8/16/2019 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened to celebrate acceptance of our bid on Michigan house.
Drinking well now, and richer and more balanced (not too acidic) than I expected. Nice! 13.4% ABV
Its light color belies the full body for a pinot.
Cherry, bright red fruit, tart, spice.
Me - 91, Wife - 93
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5/25/2019 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (Our house): Double blind. Cherry, sour red berry fruit, tea and a hint of spice. Light-bodied with cherry, tea, forest floor and red berry fruit. Very nice. Guessed pinot. 90-91 pts.
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5/12/2019 - jcha24 wrote:
Delicious as usual. No sign of decline here. Drink or hold.
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11/11/2018 - Grape_ape wrote:
Just over 2 years since my last bottle, and prior notes still hold. bigger and richer than typical AHF, could go quite a while still, but tasty now.
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10/11/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
Has developed really nicely. Round cherry, tart cranberry, nice mouthfeel/touch of texture ... really in a lovely spot. Has picked up weight (from very light to medium) with age... I didn’t love these as young wines, but they’re wonderful intermediate (5-6 year) drinkers
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9/9/2018 - Pebben wrote: 92 Points
See previous note. Definitely better than it was two years ago – the fruit has ripened up nicely, and the wine comes across as much more complete and balanced. Not a great deal of complexity on display, but the sheer deliciousness is hard to argue with.
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7/6/2018 - Coachron13 wrote: 86 Points
A light, somewhat boring pinot. Pretty acidic. Just nothing memorable.
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1/26/2018 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Prior bottle was just over 10 months ago and my notes were quite similar. Raspberry, cranberry and floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied with red cherry and red raspberry upfront, gaining silky depth through the middle. Lots of elegance, roundness and balance here, perhaps even slighter more than the prior bottle. Acidity comes in towards the back along with tart cherry and cranberry. Orange peel and integrated, light spices on the finish which shows good length. Feels like the wine has opened up a bit since my prior bottle and perhaps, shows a touch more integration. The overall profile remains nearly the same, but various elements came together just a touch more cleanly. Should show incremental improvements along these lines over the next couple of years so no rush to drink, but no great benefit to waiting. I'd drink over the next 3-4 years. It would be interesting to see this wine at the 10 year mark.
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11/20/2017 - TC16 wrote: 92 Points
A lot more complete of a wine than what I remember. I find that Anthill can be a bit hit or miss. Either it's moderately profound or just another unmemorable wine. This is definitely the former. The acidity and orange peel are much more in balance with crunchy cherry and raspberry. A little citrus and finishes a touch hot.
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8/11/2017 - BigTex22 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Not sure what it is with these wines, but I'm not a fan having drank through several bottles. I like AFWE just fine, but the funky rotten orange peel flavor that I taste and smell turns me off. This bottle was better than the awful Campbell Ranch I had the other night, but not by much.
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7/26/2017 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 85 Points
Decent Pinot. Balanced, but not my favorite flavor profile. Not enough earthiness for me. But better than most CA Pinots.
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5/8/2017 - lolo66 wrote:
This never really opened up and was kind of flat to me. In previous vintages, it had a much fuller, more realized profile. 1st of three. Not sure if dumb phase or just needed more time.
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4/29/2017 - Bellissimo Likes this wine:
No detailed notes taken: PnP shared with friends over 90 minutes. Nice tart red fruits (raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry) that are soft and not in your face. Reserved acids are more prominent than the delicate tannins that bring up the rear. Only thing not to like is the wax seal :)
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3/19/2017 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Raspberry, cranberry and floral notes on the nose. Perhaps slightly over medium bodied (13.4% ABV) with excellent depth and richness through the middle, but fully balanced by the trademark Anthill acidity. Bright red raspberry and cherry upfront, deepening quickly through the middle where it starts to pull in black fruit notes. Finishes with noticeably tart cherry and cranberry, which, along with the acidity, balanced out the front end fruit extremely well. Minerals, light spices and some integrated tannic structure on the finish. This is a balanced, elegant and silky wine. I appreciated the contrast between the mid-body richness and the acidity-driven tartness. Should continue to improve over the next 1-2 years and have several additional years beyond.
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12/21/2016 - jbaron wrote: 90 Points
Split decision here at the house. Kevin admires the fruity, in your face jamminess, while I find it a bit muddled but tasty. Indeterminate so to speak.
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12/10/2016 - G&TBowman wrote:
Great bottle. But again.
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12/9/2016 - jpmo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice Pinot, enjoyable now and something to look forward to as it ages a bit more. Good aroma and lingering flavor with restrained acidity that adds to the finish. Pleased to have opened this bottle tonight.
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10/3/2016 - Grape_ape Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pretty translucent light ruby color, highly aromatic with red fruit some florals, a little earth and spice. Tart crunchy red fruit - cranberry, pomegranate - on the palate. Typical AHF high acidity, but this had a richer, and perhaps a bit riper core of fruit to it than I'm used to tasting, but not in a bad way. Given the fruit and acidity I think this has some good upside and will try to wait a few years on my last bottle.
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7/30/2016 - Pebben wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for just over an hour before tasting. Medium purple core, pink rim. Tart cherries, cranberries, floral perfume, dry soil and spices on the nose and palate. Medium bodied, good depth, firm structure – high quality stuff, but bordering excessively acidic, thus requiring food to show its best. Most likely still a little early – I’ll let my last bottle sleep for another three to four years and hope for improved balance (91-92 points).
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7/23/2016 - Bluethunder wrote: 92 Points
Pleasantly surprised. Lots of red fruit with a bit of spice and floral notes.
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2/25/2016 - eoinhharkins wrote:
Fragrant nose with a nice bright berry, earthy/floral mix and some perfume, decent cranberry and cherry fruit on the attack with medium acidity and length
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2/8/2016 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
Still liked this wine, if not as much as last time. Takes a few minutes to become unmuddled, but is then a crystal clear example of pinot.
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1/16/2016 - BSA wrote: 91 Points
After 1h-ish decant I got raspberry but mostly sweet (and some sour) cherries on the nose. This was mirrored in the crystal clear and delicious fruit that I met on the palate. Juicy but transparent. Fresh finish with just the right amount of sour cherries for me. A bit more lenght on the mid-palate would have hightened the impression of the wine. I enjoyed this wine and it paired well with veal and shiitake. I kept half a glass for 12h - all fruit was dissolved and left was mostly earthy notes. By first sip I thought it had gone all wrong, but the wine was actually holding together nicely and giving a solid (though entirely different) impression. Had planned to keep some longer, but all was suddenly gone... Not sure if I would have enjoyed it halfway there though, but maybe time will tell.
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1/8/2016 - etc Likes this wine:
PnP After a few swirls I get this tangy strawberry jam and other bright red fruit. Slight spice element that tingles my nose. Viscosity is heavier than I am accustomed to in a PN. Nice upfront tart strawberries, cranberries and something I can only describe as Asian pear or apples. Fair amount of acid but short in the mid palate. Good clean finish. WBA
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9/4/2015 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Loved this wine. Not particularly complex but pure and light, clear as a bell.
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3/18/2015 - whits wrote: 90 Points
fragrant roses and cherries show up in the aromas from the start, light-footed but flavorful, fresh berries, flowers, peach skins and minerals on the palate, balanced and cool, bright impression on the finish which leaves it feeling refreshing, had with salmon steaks
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1/18/2015 - eoinhharkins wrote: 90 Points
For me this did not hit the same level of depth of flavour or persistence on the palate as last experience notes dark berry, with some florals, creme and clove even a hint of heat, palate is smooth, but felt a bit creamy which wasn't the sharp high toned profile I was hoping for
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10/15/2014 - pidy wrote: 92 Points
Reductive, needed dubble decanting and an hour in open bottle to get there. Great wine in the mouth, a hint warm and rich with red berries. You get the american touch across the wine, although not excessive. It's already a great wine, drinking fairly good at this time. Might be slightly better with a few years, but why wait? Great meeting with US pinot. 92
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10/3/2014 - chablis28 wrote: 90 Points
This a close miss on being in my wheelhouse. It touches a lot of points for me but somehow I didn't fall in love with it for the $40 I paid which was a good deal for this btl that sells for more like $45 nationally. I didn't like the cola that hung on the nose and permeated the palate from time to time. Otherwise the fruit shows some good red fruit flavors and there is a level of complexity here too but I'm not compelled to buy more. I can see domestic PN lovers digging this more than I did. There's a lot of hype about the "cold Sonoma coast" being ideal for old school PN but this reminded me more squarely of an RRV PN from someone like Rochioli. Also, I hate wax seals! Cork extraction is easy enough but there's always a mess and I don't think it even looks that cool. Give me the foil capsule any day.
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8/30/2014 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tried a few 2012 anthill just to get a feel for their style in the vintage before upcoming releases, this was probably my favourite of the line up, wonderful dried florals, cranberry, spice and earth, palate was wonderfully fruit filled with a serious acidic core and a nice finish excited to see how this evolves
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8/21/2014 - vespasian wrote: 90 Points
Rich fruit and a little funk, a slightly odd savoury note. This doesn't linger though and there is a nice expression of pinot fruit underneath; strong core of raspberry & red fruits, quite intense but finishes a little abruptly.
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7/13/2014 - Jahull03 wrote:
Delicate style in general, and tightly wound right now... That said, lovely after couple hours' air, and accented the cumin on our mideastern lamb dish beautifully. Satisfying, but will hold the second bottle
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5/31/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 93 Points
BYO (Casa FV): Natural-style nose with model clay, dark forest berries, strawberries, rhubarb, red apples, undergrowth, herbs and liquorice. With some similarities to syrah, yet it seems to be a cali pinot, one without any notable oak influence. Santa Rita or Sonoma? On the rounded, creamy palate it offers a combination of fresh cool-grown acidity (rhubarb/citrus) and sunnier warm-climate sweetness. Excellent stuff from one of the best players on "The New California Wine" scene (c) Jon Bonné.
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