Last night, this was a graceful and very Burgundian wine. Just lovely. Last year, I had a bottle that was nothing short of amazing. The thing is, I expected very little if anything from these 2 bottles because, in the last 10 years, I have also opened a couple bottles that were completely dead and bleh.
This and the last were sourced from online auction circa 2006 and stored in my temp controlled wine room since.
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Murky, red-garnet color. Unusual aroma, somewhat alcoholic, slightly prune-y and port-y, but also candied in ways reminiscent of English raspberry trifle. On arrival, low tannin and medium acidity. Flavors are intense, of dried prune and herbaceous notes. Finished bold and little hot, different from most California pinot noir that I'm familiar with, but an interesting tipple nonetheless. Bottle #1 of one, from magnum.
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clear, red, orange, in the color. floral, raspberry, pepper, spice, earth, plum, on the nose. cherry, raspberry, pepper, salt, earth, spice, on the palate. medium acid on the finish.
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Nice sweet nose of puerh tea, pine needles, smoke, dried red fruits, tobacco and cigar spices. Lovely balanced palate, nicely textured, tannins still present to balance the lively acidity. Lovely in most all respects, but not exciting; I might prefer my pinots a bit younger, which is no fault of this well balanced wine.
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I appreciate Chris pulling this for me, as he mentioned to me he just drank one a week prior and I commented how memorable this wine was for me, drank a few years ago during an offline I was able to join during a business trip through Portland. Few wines stay with me over the years but some do, leaving a positive imprint--this wine did in December 2007. Forward to now, I brought the bottle home with me from Chris' house, enjoying a glass with lunch. Just a hint of 2ndary aromas on the nose, hint of spice box, cherry tomatoe, rapsberry. Palate wise, the raspberry is the main player with fresh acidity, some red apple, sour cherry and jolly rancher red hard candy and the watermelon I commented on last time. In the end, the 2ndary aspcts of this wine emerge more with air so IMO the wine is crossing over so depending on your style of pinot, drink now or hold and let it transform all the way over.
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Totally blown away by this as I was expecting the worse from the reviews. Just the opposite. No mustiness, no funk, or anything else unappealing. Only a huge expressive nose,vibrant red fruit, and a smooth silky finish. Great acidity and far from declining. No decant was necessary. Exceptional and one of the best wines of the year for me.
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Cherry, earth, and a tad bit leather on the palate. The fruit was sweet for what I expect in the 99. Decent nose. Pretty wine. Drink over next 12 to 18 months.
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Delicious again. Tremendous purity, balance and complexity. Raspberry, strawberry, clove, baking spices and woody underbrush. There appears to be the stuffing to go another decade but drinking superbly now.
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Last bottle of the evening, so some 'palate fatigue' going on at this point. A nice nose of cinnaman and clove, muted fruit. Unfortunately, this seemed to die a quick death in the glass as any fruit quickly faded from the palate. This is the most age on a cali pinot I have had, makes me question the ageability of this stuff...but then again, this is only one example. Drink up.
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This wine just keeps getting better. Great complexity on both the nose and palate. Earthy black raspberry, a touch of zesty cherry, bay leaf, cola, sandalwood, a hint of white pepper and peach stone. In the mouth it is fresh and lively but also silken and a touch brooding. There is room for a little improvement over the next few years. Dehlinger is the model of consistent excellence.
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Tasted 4 bottles in past 4 mos with consistent notes. A nose that is intoxicating with cherry, cola, and a small bit of sandalwood. Palate is tart cherry, cola, and a bit of earth. It marks "outstanding", but lacked the complexity and finish (it as a bit short) to warrant a higher score.
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My last bottle, I pulled this bottle without checking my preview tasting note – and was surprised to read how it tasted a year ago. This bottle did not reach the same level. Although drinking quite well, balanced, the nose was a little muted and touch metallic. Finish was a little dusty, dry with a cough syrup ending at the trialing edge. Good, not nearly as great as a year ago.
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Floral cherry, wild raspberry, cola, loam and sandalwood. Lively but silky. A lengthy finish with just the right amount of grip. Everything in wonderful balance and symmetry. The quintessential RRV Pinot. Peaking now.
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Absolutely delicious, classic Napa Pinot. Jammy, blueberry, red currant fruit, slightly unfiltered. Huge nose that highlights the fruit and slight oaky overtone. The second day was even better. This still has years of life and I'm really glad I have another bottle!
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Tasted with 99 Goldridge and 99 Rochioli Estate. Drinking beautifully now. Wonderful Russian River nose with red fruits and distinct sweet element. Ethereal characteristics with signature Northern California pinot fruit. Hard to believe there is better Nor Cal pinot available in the 99 vintage. Hands down winner over the other two selections which showed thin and over extracted, respectively. Dehlinger continues to be one of the premier, under appreciated pinot producers.
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Excellent again. This bottle showed a little tighter than the last and was very youthfully. Bright, almost candied black cherry, cola, loamy earth and balsa characteristics. The finish has great balance with crisp acidity. This bottle certainly has another 5-8 years in it. Fabulous, classic RRV pinot.
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Wow!!! This is an absolutely stunning Pinot in the New World style. I have always liked Dehlinger wines and this is an excellent example of why. Add to that the reasonable price for quality makes this one of my favorite CA Pinots. This gorgeous wine explodes from the glass and two hours later is only getting better. Ripe crushed cherries with a floral like fragrance, cola elements, a very full and expansive presence in the mouth. Silky smooth finish, with firm tannins but such impressive fruit that it really makes it work. A lingering finish that really goes on and finishes with a very small hint of hazelnut at the very end. This is a great example of a Dehlinger can be.
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Mouth coating pinot that starts off with pure Cailf fruit (Russian River) cherry, cola and after completly opening, picks up a strong burgundy finish with some barnyard, earth and terrior that I will call Dehlinger. This is very good and shows that a pinot approaching 7 years from Calif ages well and adds complexity with time. Good stuff and why I still put Dehlinger as my favorite.
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Delicious. Wonderfully complex nose of bay leaf, raspberry, cherry and that sweet Dehlinger earthiness. Smooth and very silky in the mouth. The fruit has an excellent intensity on the palate. The finish is long and beautifully balanced. Just entering its prime drinking window. Shound be good for another 2-3 years at least.
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A food wine, with a dark stew or in my case dark Turkey meat and rich gravy this wine stood out. High in alchohol, but with the fruit to match, try this with a richer food than you normally would with a pinot.
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Tasted double-blind at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by Jim Zemen. Bright disc. Medium ruby robe with pink rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense cherry, strawberry, coriander and smoke aromas. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium sweet tannins, medium acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. This Pinot is drinking beautifully at this point and should do so for at least the next 2-3 years.
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10/29/2020 - jwebtx wrote:
Last night, this was a graceful and very Burgundian wine. Just lovely. Last year, I had a bottle that was nothing short of amazing. The thing is, I expected very little if anything from these 2 bottles because, in the last 10 years, I have also opened a couple bottles that were completely dead and bleh.
This and the last were sourced from online auction circa 2006 and stored in my temp controlled wine room since.
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7/16/2014 - Hodby wrote: 84 Points
Murky, red-garnet color. Unusual aroma, somewhat alcoholic, slightly prune-y and port-y, but also candied in ways reminiscent of English raspberry trifle. On arrival, low tannin and medium acidity. Flavors are intense, of dried prune and herbaceous notes. Finished bold and little hot, different from most California pinot noir that I'm familiar with, but an interesting tipple nonetheless. Bottle #1 of one, from magnum.
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9/7/2013 - Tgood wrote: 93 Points
Fresh crimson color, urgent vapor of strawberry jam and flowers, aromas stick to palate as flavors extendedly
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8/29/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 90 Points
clear, red, orange, in the color. floral, raspberry, pepper, spice, earth, plum, on the nose. cherry, raspberry, pepper, salt, earth, spice, on the palate. medium acid on the finish.
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12/8/2012 - JDRFoster wrote: 90 Points
Drinking at or a bit past its peak, nice melding of primary fruit and secondary earthy notes.
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3/4/2012 - JenTomHank wrote:
A bit tight upon opening, but perfect after about 1.5 hours. Lots of bright fruit, just a hint of acidity. Close to or at its peak. B+
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5/5/2010 - Haltermr wrote: 89 Points
Nice sweet nose of puerh tea, pine needles, smoke, dried red fruits, tobacco and cigar spices. Lovely balanced palate, nicely textured, tannins still present to balance the lively acidity. Lovely in most all respects, but not exciting; I might prefer my pinots a bit younger, which is no fault of this well balanced wine.
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4/4/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I appreciate Chris pulling this for me, as he mentioned to me he just drank one a week prior and I commented how memorable this wine was for me, drank a few years ago during an offline I was able to join during a business trip through Portland. Few wines stay with me over the years but some do, leaving a positive imprint--this wine did in December 2007. Forward to now, I brought the bottle home with me from Chris' house, enjoying a glass with lunch. Just a hint of 2ndary aromas on the nose, hint of spice box, cherry tomatoe, rapsberry. Palate wise, the raspberry is the main player with fresh acidity, some red apple, sour cherry and jolly rancher red hard candy and the watermelon I commented on last time. In the end, the 2ndary aspcts of this wine emerge more with air so IMO the wine is crossing over so depending on your style of pinot, drink now or hold and let it transform all the way over.
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3/29/2010 - kanab ram wrote:
Totally blown away by this as I was expecting the worse from the reviews. Just the opposite. No mustiness, no funk, or anything else unappealing. Only a huge expressive nose,vibrant red fruit, and a smooth silky finish. Great acidity and far from declining. No decant was necessary. Exceptional and one of the best wines of the year for me.
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6/8/2009 - randomly wrote: 88 Points
On the decline... drink up.
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4/12/2009 - buckeye76 wrote: 90 Points
BROWN ON THE EDGE, CHERRIES AND RASPBERRIES IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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11/17/2008 - jwebtx wrote: 89 Points
Cherry, earth, and a tad bit leather on the palate. The fruit was sweet for what I expect in the 99. Decent nose. Pretty wine. Drink over next 12 to 18 months.
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7/16/2008 - Mr T wrote:
This was really lovely and a tribute to the beauties of aging wine. Wonderful strawberry flavors that softly fall on the palate. Wish I had more
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7/5/2008 - dtirsell wrote: 93 Points
Delicious again, still full of raspberry, blueberry pinot fruit. Crisp and lightly acidic. Wish I had more, this was my last one.
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6/20/2008 - pgordon62 wrote: 93 Points
Delicious again. Tremendous purity, balance and complexity. Raspberry, strawberry, clove, baking spices and woody underbrush. There appears to be the stuffing to go another decade but drinking superbly now.
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4/26/2008 - numcwrt2 wrote: 88 Points
Last bottle of the evening, so some 'palate fatigue' going on at this point. A nice nose of cinnaman and clove, muted fruit. Unfortunately, this seemed to die a quick death in the glass as any fruit quickly faded from the palate. This is the most age on a cali pinot I have had, makes me question the ageability of this stuff...but then again, this is only one example. Drink up.
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2/24/2008 - shudave wrote: flawed
FLAW
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2/1/2008 - pgordon62 wrote: 93 Points
This wine just keeps getting better. Great complexity on both the nose and palate. Earthy black raspberry, a touch of zesty cherry, bay leaf, cola, sandalwood, a hint of white pepper and peach stone. In the mouth it is fresh and lively but also silken and a touch brooding. There is room for a little improvement over the next few years. Dehlinger is the model of consistent excellence.
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1/21/2008 - andolini wrote: 92 Points
Great bottle -- really at its peak. Dark red fruit on the nose, and very pure and balanced on the palate. Highly recommended.
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1/6/2008 - jwebtx wrote: 90 Points
Tasted 4 bottles in past 4 mos with consistent notes. A nose that is intoxicating with cherry, cola, and a small bit of sandalwood. Palate is tart cherry, cola, and a bit of earth. It marks "outstanding", but lacked the complexity and finish (it as a bit short) to warrant a higher score.
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12/8/2007 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Fresh, with a nice mix of raspberry, watermelon and reinforcing oak. Alcohol in check, and the wine drinks beautifully. My WOTN for sure.
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10/17/2007 - Mark wrote: 89 Points
My last bottle, I pulled this bottle without checking my preview tasting note – and was surprised to read how it tasted a year ago. This bottle did not reach the same level. Although drinking quite well, balanced, the nose was a little muted and touch metallic. Finish was a little dusty, dry with a cough syrup ending at the trialing edge. Good, not nearly as great as a year ago.
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9/19/2007 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
Floral cherry, wild raspberry, cola, loam and sandalwood. Lively but silky. A lengthy finish with just the right amount of grip. Everything in wonderful balance and symmetry. The quintessential RRV Pinot. Peaking now.
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4/16/2007 - dtirsell wrote: 93 Points
Absolutely delicious, classic Napa Pinot. Jammy, blueberry, red currant fruit, slightly unfiltered. Huge nose that highlights the fruit and slight oaky overtone. The second day was even better. This still has years of life and I'm really glad I have another bottle!
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3/25/2007 - YankeeClipper wrote: 93 Points
Tasted with 99 Goldridge and 99 Rochioli Estate. Drinking beautifully now. Wonderful Russian River nose with red fruits and distinct sweet element. Ethereal characteristics with signature Northern California pinot fruit. Hard to believe there is better Nor Cal pinot available in the 99 vintage. Hands down winner over the other two selections which showed thin and over extracted, respectively. Dehlinger continues to be one of the premier, under appreciated pinot producers.
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6/30/2006 - andolini wrote: 91 Points
Very good with food. Classic Dehlinger profile with cherry,cola, Russian River terroir. Still has many years left.
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6/1/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
Excellent again. This bottle showed a little tighter than the last and was very youthfully. Bright, almost candied black cherry, cola, loamy earth and balsa characteristics. The finish has great balance with crisp acidity. This bottle certainly has another 5-8 years in it. Fabulous, classic RRV pinot.
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5/10/2006 - SAjulio wrote: 91 Points
Fully mature.
Great nose. Berries and chocolate.
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5/8/2006 - Mark wrote: 92 Points
Wow!!! This is an absolutely stunning Pinot in the New World style. I have always liked Dehlinger wines and this is an excellent example of why. Add to that the reasonable price for quality makes this one of my favorite CA Pinots. This gorgeous wine explodes from the glass and two hours later is only getting better. Ripe crushed cherries with a floral like fragrance, cola elements, a very full and expansive presence in the mouth. Silky smooth finish, with firm tannins but such impressive fruit that it really makes it work. A lingering finish that really goes on and finishes with a very small hint of hazelnut at the very end. This is a great example of a Dehlinger can be.
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3/31/2006 - pinotwinelover wrote: 93 Points
Mouth coating pinot that starts off with pure Cailf fruit (Russian River) cherry, cola and after completly opening, picks up a strong burgundy finish with some barnyard, earth and terrior that I will call Dehlinger.
This is very good and shows that a pinot approaching 7 years from Calif ages well and adds complexity with time. Good stuff and why I still put Dehlinger as my favorite.
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10/16/2005 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
Delicious. Wonderfully complex nose of bay leaf, raspberry, cherry and that sweet Dehlinger earthiness. Smooth and very silky in the mouth. The fruit has an excellent intensity on the palate. The finish is long and beautifully balanced. Just entering its prime drinking window. Shound be good for another 2-3 years at least.
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11/29/2004 - pinotwinelover wrote: 91 Points
A food wine, with a dark stew or in my case dark Turkey meat and rich gravy this wine stood out. High in alchohol, but with the fruit to match, try this with a richer food than you normally would with a pinot.
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7/25/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Tasted double-blind at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by Jim Zemen. Bright disc. Medium ruby robe with pink rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense cherry, strawberry, coriander and smoke aromas. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium sweet tannins, medium acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. This Pinot is drinking beautifully at this point and should do so for at least the next 2-3 years.
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