Probably the biggest Pinot I've ever had. Dense, rich, and concentrated. I would have preferred a little more nuance and complexity, but still a sledgehammer of a wine that stands very well on its own.
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Nose has pomegranate juice, baking spices. Palate has a seemingly "sweet" onset, but in truth it's balanced, smooth, luxurious. A touch juicy, and kirschy, and seemingly concentrated, but it is still mobile across the palate.
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Wow, what a difference a couple years has made. Last time I had this wine, it was a sappy fruitcake; almost unenjoyable. I guess it just needed time to integrate. Enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner and surprisingly it was tied for WOTN. Still very fruity, but the dark berry flavors are now more tolerable. With Turkey and cranberry tonight, it was a great pairing.
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The style of this pinot is very rich and fruity, reminds me of the Belle Glos pinot from Caymus (only better). A very well made wine and maybe with lots of age, I'd like it better. I'm more of a fan of the steely, austere pinots, ala Paul Hobbs.
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Served with boneless pork rib-end roast, sweet potato, salad. Decanted 30 minutes before serving. Dark crimson/ruby, depth surprising for Pinot. Nose is smoky/spicy, pepper, hint of rubarb(?). Palate/nose combination is dark and brooding, tobacco, acid, all power, not much elegance. An intriguing wine (perhaps!?), not changing much over 3 hours. A bit "in-your-face."
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Drank over several days. Didn't decant, but probably should have. This is definitely done in the Bevan style. It's big and delicious. Initially, I thought it had a distinct alcohol presence in the aftertaste, but this did eventually disappear. It was actually best after a 24 hour rest in the bottle.
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Previous notes apply. Big and brash, thick and chewy, sappy and slutty. Even too much for my blood. I found myself having to tolerate it more than enjoying it. 91 points if taking the “style preference” component out of it and just assessing it from the most “objective” standpoint (if there even is such a thing with wine). Drink - or rather - Eat now.
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Previous notes apply. Just a big brute of a Pinot. There is pleasure here for sure, but it really is a bit too much of a good-ish thing. A Wren Hop Night Children served next to it showed just how clumsy the Bevan was behaving at times...and this was even with the Night Children acting like a rambunctious teenager watching his first adult movie. I’m not sure time will help the Bevan. Time will definitely help the Wren Hop.
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Drinking exceptionally well right now. Aromas and flavor profile more like a French Rhone. Big Pinot that is supple and smooth. Paired wonderfully with Rib Roast.
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Clearly a well made wine, the over the top fruit flavors have dropped off a bit. Not my favorite style for pinot. I don't like this nearly as well as the Bevan cabs.
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In a FAR better place than it was nearly a year ago. But be warned, this is still a biggun! Huge fruit. Huge spice. Huge Pinot. Black cherry, black raspberry, blackberry, anise, clove, Chinese five spice, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger snap, cedar enzyme bath, and black soil.
PnP was ideal. No need for a decant. Drank fine (but huge!) over the course of an hour. Flavor, flavor, flavor... but still had legitimate frame and grip to hold it all together. Overall, I'd consider this more of a shorter term drinker (good over the next 2-ish years). So enjoy through 2019.
Some would find this wine to be an abomination of all Pinot-kind, with a Gomorrah-esque attack that leaves the mid-palate in a bit of shock...but then you instantly want more. To say this wine is an acquired taste is the understatement of the year. Thick, viscous, and a bit chewy (but ironically not burdensome), this is probably the most powerful of Bevan's Pinots.
So drive your Ram dually up to Yosemite, find a giant slab of granite to sit on, and bust out this bad boy with the biggest, rarest, and juiciest Brontosaurus Burger you can find. Don't forget your tin of Copenhagen Snuff...
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Second tasting with consistent notes. Make no mistake, this is a fruit bomb of a pinot, very intense. Probably a love it or hate it wine, I think it needs some cellar time to let the fruit recede. I prefer pinot to be more to the mineral side, so not my favorite style. Consistent with other pinots from Santa Rita.
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This is a big, rich, high alcohol, high octane Pinot. I really like the nose, which is cooler, with some raspberry, bacon, brown sugar, and balsamic macerated strawberry but doesn't bely the wine's true nature. The palate shows overripe red fruits with obvious heat. This is by no means undrinkable but I can certainly understand the polarizing remarks as it's a little like drinking a 100+ proof bourbon when you're used to 80. Still, good stuffing and I would agree w/Csimm that it's best to hold and see if time helps. Also didn't get the syrupy sweetness that others pointed out -- all Pinot here just overripe and I'd be eager to try some of Bevan's cooler climate Pinots based on this one. Hard to rate
I really need to leave this wine alone for another year. Same notes as before. Hot, sweet, and jammy. The stuffing is there to hopefully drive this home at some point, but certainly not yet. Hold!
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I certainly empathize with those who find this Pinot to be too rich and sweet for their palates. The initial PnP was certainly the most "extracted" experience I have ever had with a Bevan Pinot in my time trying all of his various Pinots. Notes of sweet vanilla oak and mocha-laced cassis dominate the overly ripe black cherry fruit and chocolaty overtones. I agree that some of the other nuanced flavors are lost and muddled a bit in all of the richness of the sweet frame that envelopes the palate.
After two hours of decanting, the sweetness wore off a bit, leaving a more domesticated animal. Additional notes of clove, earth, blackberry, blueberry, Amarena cherry syrup, and Heering cherry liqueur emerged. Still, the richness persisted, almost becoming a little clunky at this stage. It reminded me of a Belle Glos that had been over-treated. However, this never became one-dimensional or flabby, still exuding Bevan's quality craftsmanship with most wines he touches.
I'll hold solid with a 92 for now, cautiously optimistic that this wine will settle down with some time to integrate in bottle. Hold for another year or give it a long decant for at least a few hours if deciding to open now.
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I still remember the day at Bassin's annual tasting. Russell poured this to my wife, and won over her taste bud. Just like previous notes, this is a Cab like Pinot. The whole package is a little bit imbalance, but it's very easy approaching. For new wine lovers, this is a good choice because of the overt sweetness. However, the bones and flesh of Pinot are still there. If you have chance to try other Pinot from Bevan. This one is more like a teenage girl. The other one, Petaluma Gap, is more like teenage boy. I always can find lots of fun from Bevan's wine.
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Not sure how to rate this but it was undrinkable. Thick as molasses, sweet as maple syrup, syrupy textured, and extremely heavy. Way to rich for me. It was somewhat more relaxed on day 2 but I have no interested in drinking it again. I do love big wines. The 2007 Saxum James berry was beast and it was awesome and this wine was no where in that direction at all. This is like an ice wine.
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Abrasively sweet with a harsh alcohol. I think this bottle was mistakenly filled with 2007 Janesse Chateauneuf du Pape. Love the big Bevan style more than anyone but this is a departure in the wrong direction. Agree that it was better day 2.
S&E Wine Club - Favorite Unrated Wines: Blind tasting, wine number 7, bag number 6. Mix between crimson and garnet red. Tight nose that was very sweet, like syrup and a little bacon. On the palate there was a lot of raisins, ethanol, very sweet and dried fruits. Definitely needed some more time to open up at least 4+ hours. Moderate body with moderate tannins (6.5/10). Could tell it was a pinot, and from our experience at the Pinot Noir Wine Club night we knew it had to be a Bevan Pinot.
One of the most intense pinot noir wines I've ever tasted, though I've never had any of the high dollar French pinots. Very rich and deep flavors, touches of forest. I will buy more, if I can find it.
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Nose isn't overly expressive at the moment, though I do get cherry liqueur and a little fennel. Smooth, soft, silky, spicy, deep, dark fruit, anise, incredibly delicious. This is the apotheosis of New World Pinot -- it has all of those flavors, and though it's not acid-driven, it's still in balance. We have other styles in CA that you might prefer, but if you like this style, you'll love this wine.
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This is a pinot begging to be a cab. Incredibly rich and concentrated with massive power that coats the mouth. If you're like me and enjoy new world, fruit forward wines, this is for you. Give it two years.
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11/7/2020 - jhieb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Probably the biggest Pinot I've ever had. Dense, rich, and concentrated. I would have preferred a little more nuance and complexity, but still a sledgehammer of a wine that stands very well on its own.
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10/12/2020 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose has pomegranate juice, baking spices. Palate has a seemingly "sweet" onset, but in truth it's balanced, smooth, luxurious. A touch juicy, and kirschy, and seemingly concentrated, but it is still mobile across the palate.
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5/18/2020 - sfarwig Likes this wine: 92 Points
Paired with grilled salmon. Strong cherry flavors and well integrated.
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11/28/2019 - JEP007 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow, what a difference a couple years has made. Last time I had this wine, it was a sappy fruitcake; almost unenjoyable. I guess it just needed time to integrate. Enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner and surprisingly it was tied for WOTN. Still very fruity, but the dark berry flavors are now more tolerable. With Turkey and cranberry tonight, it was a great pairing.
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11/13/2019 - Gruffalius wrote: 95 Points
Amazing Sta Rita Hillls nose. Explodes on the palate. Dark cherries. Develops some cola day 2. Long finish. Wow!
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8/24/2019 - webbaker wrote: 91 Points
The style of this pinot is very rich and fruity, reminds me of the Belle Glos pinot from Caymus (only better). A very well made wine and maybe with lots of age, I'd like it better. I'm more of a fan of the steely, austere pinots, ala Paul Hobbs.
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6/22/2019 - bjschmitt wrote: 90 Points
Served with boneless pork rib-end roast, sweet potato, salad.
Decanted 30 minutes before serving.
Dark crimson/ruby, depth surprising for Pinot.
Nose is smoky/spicy, pepper, hint of rubarb(?).
Palate/nose combination is dark and brooding, tobacco, acid, all power, not much elegance. An intriguing wine (perhaps!?), not changing much over 3 hours. A bit "in-your-face."
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8/14/2018 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over several days. Didn't decant, but probably should have. This is definitely done in the Bevan style. It's big and delicious. Initially, I thought it had a distinct alcohol presence in the aftertaste, but this did eventually disappear. It was actually best after a 24 hour rest in the bottle.
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2/10/2018 - csimm wrote: 91 Points
Previous notes apply. Big and brash, thick and chewy, sappy and slutty. Even too much for my blood. I found myself having to tolerate it more than enjoying it. 91 points if taking the “style preference” component out of it and just assessing it from the most “objective” standpoint (if there even is such a thing with wine). Drink - or rather - Eat now.
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2/3/2018 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
Previous notes apply. Just a big brute of a Pinot. There is pleasure here for sure, but it really is a bit too much of a good-ish thing. A Wren Hop Night Children served next to it showed just how clumsy the Bevan was behaving at times...and this was even with the Night Children acting like a rambunctious teenager watching his first adult movie. I’m not sure time will help the Bevan. Time will definitely help the Wren Hop.
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12/24/2017 - jcosindc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking exceptionally well right now. Aromas and flavor profile more like a French Rhone. Big Pinot that is supple and smooth. Paired wonderfully with Rib Roast.
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11/29/2017 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
Better than last bottle. A year has helped it.
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11/15/2017 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich and exotic Pinot Noir. Long finish. Great juice!
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10/22/2017 - webbaker wrote: 92 Points
Clearly a well made wine, the over the top fruit flavors have dropped off a bit. Not my favorite style for pinot. I don't like this nearly as well as the Bevan cabs.
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10/14/2017 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
In a FAR better place than it was nearly a year ago. But be warned, this is still a biggun! Huge fruit. Huge spice. Huge Pinot. Black cherry, black raspberry, blackberry, anise, clove, Chinese five spice, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger snap, cedar enzyme bath, and black soil.
PnP was ideal. No need for a decant. Drank fine (but huge!) over the course of an hour. Flavor, flavor, flavor... but still had legitimate frame and grip to hold it all together. Overall, I'd consider this more of a shorter term drinker (good over the next 2-ish years). So enjoy through 2019.
Some would find this wine to be an abomination of all Pinot-kind, with a Gomorrah-esque attack that leaves the mid-palate in a bit of shock...but then you instantly want more. To say this wine is an acquired taste is the understatement of the year. Thick, viscous, and a bit chewy (but ironically not burdensome), this is probably the most powerful of Bevan's Pinots.
So drive your Ram dually up to Yosemite, find a giant slab of granite to sit on, and bust out this bad boy with the biggest, rarest, and juiciest Brontosaurus Burger you can find. Don't forget your tin of Copenhagen Snuff...
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6/16/2017 - dotdog Likes this wine: 95 Points
Phenomenal Pinot. Has depth, structure- much like a Cab, but smooth.
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3/19/2017 - webbaker wrote: 93 Points
Second tasting with consistent notes. Make no mistake, this is a fruit bomb of a pinot, very intense. Probably a love it or hate it wine, I think it needs some cellar time to let the fruit recede. I prefer pinot to be more to the mineral side, so not my favorite style. Consistent with other pinots from Santa Rita.
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12/25/2016 - jviz wrote: 92 Points
This is a big, rich, high alcohol, high octane Pinot. I really like the nose, which is cooler, with some raspberry, bacon, brown sugar, and balsamic macerated strawberry but doesn't bely the wine's true nature. The palate shows overripe red fruits with obvious heat. This is by no means undrinkable but I can certainly understand the polarizing remarks as it's a little like drinking a 100+ proof bourbon when you're used to 80. Still, good stuffing and I would agree w/Csimm that it's best to hold and see if time helps. Also didn't get the syrupy sweetness that others pointed out -- all Pinot here just overripe and I'd be eager to try some of Bevan's cooler climate Pinots based on this one. Hard to rate
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12/17/2016 - csimm wrote: 90 Points
Previous notes apply. Hold for another year in hopes the hot, sweet, alcohol-tinged flavors will settle in a more integrated fashion.
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12/2/2016 - csimm wrote: 90 Points
I really need to leave this wine alone for another year. Same notes as before. Hot, sweet, and jammy. The stuffing is there to hopefully drive this home at some point, but certainly not yet. Hold!
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10/4/2016 - MV2007 Does not like this wine: 87 Points
This tastes like a Christmas fruitcake red wine cocktail and that is not what I want from a wine, a cocktail or a cake for that matter.
Pnp, then decanted for 2 hours, then tried on day 2, then donated to my drain.
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9/17/2016 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
Same as my notes from January. Hold until 2017+. Big, ripe, sweet, and a bit hot. This still has some working out to do.
90-92+ point potential... I hope...
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7/7/2016 - shaferguy91 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 2 hours. BIG but too hot for any better score.
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5/15/2016 - rylanreynolds wrote: 87 Points
I love Bevan and big wines but this wine has too much heat that the elegance of Pinot is lost.
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4/17/2016 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big Yes- but give it 1 hr decant and swirl in glass .A well made wine...yes little sweet, but acids and fruit are in balance.
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1/5/2016 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
I certainly empathize with those who find this Pinot to be too rich and sweet for their palates. The initial PnP was certainly the most "extracted" experience I have ever had with a Bevan Pinot in my time trying all of his various Pinots. Notes of sweet vanilla oak and mocha-laced cassis dominate the overly ripe black cherry fruit and chocolaty overtones. I agree that some of the other nuanced flavors are lost and muddled a bit in all of the richness of the sweet frame that envelopes the palate.
After two hours of decanting, the sweetness wore off a bit, leaving a more domesticated animal. Additional notes of clove, earth, blackberry, blueberry, Amarena cherry syrup, and Heering cherry liqueur emerged. Still, the richness persisted, almost becoming a little clunky at this stage. It reminded me of a Belle Glos that had been over-treated. However, this never became one-dimensional or flabby, still exuding Bevan's quality craftsmanship with most wines he touches.
I'll hold solid with a 92 for now, cautiously optimistic that this wine will settle down with some time to integrate in bottle. Hold for another year or give it a long decant for at least a few hours if deciding to open now.
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12/28/2015 - RyanWu wrote: 91 Points
I still remember the day at Bassin's annual tasting. Russell poured this to my wife, and won over her taste bud. Just like previous notes, this is a Cab like Pinot. The whole package is a little bit imbalance, but it's very easy approaching. For new wine lovers, this is a good choice because of the overt sweetness. However, the bones and flesh of Pinot are still there. If you have chance to try other Pinot from Bevan. This one is more like a teenage girl. The other one, Petaluma Gap, is more like teenage boy. I always can find lots of fun from Bevan's wine.
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12/28/2015 - floridawinedrkr wrote:
Not sure how to rate this but it was undrinkable. Thick as molasses, sweet as maple syrup, syrupy textured, and extremely heavy. Way to rich for me. It was somewhat more relaxed on day 2 but I have no interested in drinking it again. I do love big wines. The 2007 Saxum James berry was beast and it was awesome and this wine was no where in that direction at all. This is like an ice wine.
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12/17/2015 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 87 Points
Abrasively sweet with a harsh alcohol. I think this bottle was mistakenly filled with 2007 Janesse Chateauneuf du Pape. Love the big Bevan style more than anyone but this is a departure in the wrong direction. Agree that it was better day 2.
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11/26/2015 - Gruffalius Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really nice wine. Big, full, complex and yet smooth and velvety.
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11/20/2015 - cab blends wrote: 90 Points
S&E Wine Club - Unrated WInes (In our cellar): Wow - this is sweet. In fact too sweet (mainly in the finish) for me. Light spicy nose with a hint of damp rags.
The weetness is almost pruny and while the nose hints at pinot, the body said I dont know.
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11/20/2015 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 92 Points
S&E Wine Club - Favorite Unrated Wines: Blind tasting, wine number 7, bag number 6. Mix between crimson and garnet red. Tight nose that was very sweet, like syrup and a little bacon. On the palate there was a lot of raisins, ethanol, very sweet and dried fruits. Definitely needed some more time to open up at least 4+ hours. Moderate body with moderate tannins (6.5/10). Could tell it was a pinot, and from our experience at the Pinot Noir Wine Club night we knew it had to be a Bevan Pinot.
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11/13/2015 - webbaker Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the most intense pinot noir wines I've ever tasted, though I've never had any of the high dollar French pinots. Very rich and deep flavors, touches of forest. I will buy more, if I can find it.
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10/2/2015 - Superjack29 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was amazing second day. Give it 2-5 years. Big time Pinot.
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5/25/2015 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose isn't overly expressive at the moment, though I do get cherry liqueur and a little fennel. Smooth, soft, silky, spicy, deep, dark fruit, anise, incredibly delicious. This is the apotheosis of New World Pinot -- it has all of those flavors, and though it's not acid-driven, it's still in balance. We have other styles in CA that you might prefer, but if you like this style, you'll love this wine.
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3/22/2015 - Cristal2000 wrote: 94 Points
This is a pinot begging to be a cab. Incredibly rich and concentrated with massive power that coats the mouth. If you're like me and enjoy new world, fruit forward wines, this is for you. Give it two years.
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