Surprising how this 2016 wine has held up. I've recently been disappointed with a few bottles of Pinot from good wineries that did NOT hold up, so I was anticipating another disappointment. Fortunately that was not the case. A solid nose, just enough fruit, and a great balance. We should begin to expect more solid holding times from our wineries. At six years we should expect a wine like this to be solid with even a few more years to go. But those days may be a thing of the past I'm afraid.
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So disappointing, after all the great things Chalone has created from this vineyard. Constellation is now making an uninspired wine , lacking in fruit and character. No good at any price
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Garnet in color and clear in the glass; aromas of dusty cranberry, pomegranate, cola, mushrooms, and earthiness on the nose; tastes of cranberries, orange peel, white pepper, and floral notes on the palate; medium body, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins; long finish. Not a bad Pinot which I picked up on sale for $9 at Costco
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Medium red color. Aromas of black cherries and raspberries, underbrush and a touch of cola. Ripe, nicely balanced fruit in the mouth with very good depth and length and well-integrated tannins and oak. Juicy and integrated on the palate. I was very impressed by this wine and found it to be a terrific value.
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Red center, red rim with no real signs of age. Sweet, raspberries and red cherries, warm. Sweet cherries, raspberries, some blackberries, modest tannin, some acidity, the alcohol (14.1%) is present, milk chocolate, very nice finish. Very good Pinot Noir, modest frame, great QPR.
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I bought two bottles for $13 ea. (marked down from $30) from K&L and, I have to say, this tastes like a $13 pinot noir. The nose is pleasant and so is the palate but there's very little real pinot character here.
Maybe I got a flawed bottle but it didn't taste corked or cooked, just meh.
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Decent, clean and fruity if not overly complex, great QPR at $15. Saved one glass for 2 days and improved dramatically, arguing for better days ahead with 2-3 years cellaring.
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Smooth and very grape forward. Not overly complex, the taste of Pinot shines through. I would not let it sit too much longer. The color is starting to turn, while the flavor does not show any oxidation, the color does.
Day One: Second bottle, same vote and the same notes as previously: "A very nice entry level pinot noir, with lots of very pleasing pinot noir aromas of cherry and raspberry, very smooth flavors, decent acidity, gentle tannins, and decent length. It has a bit too much oak for my taste, but otherwise is a very good wine. PN is inherently expensive, but this has a good QPR for PN." However, I do change my conclusion. This time I found the oak to be too much, and for that reason I plan not to buy this again.
Day two: The oak is much more integrated and I’m enjoying the wine more. Maybe it is like the label says: « This Pinot Noir rewards cellaring and will age hracefully for years to come. ». ??
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Medium color, warmer climate wine; slight sweetness on the tip of the tongue with noticeable acid as it evolves; finish is a touch hot though alcohol is not high. Good comparison to SLH wines from across the Salinas Valley
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A very nice entry level pinot noir, with lots of very pleasing pinot noir aromas of cherry and raspberry, very smooth flavors, decent acidity, gentle tannins, and decent length. It has a bit too much oak for my taste, but otherwise is a very good wine. PN is inherently expensive, but this has a good QPR for PN. Would definitely buy again.
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Bright ruby color. Slightly peppery nose with currant and raspberry. Tart and juicy palate of red berries, cherry, nutmeg and earth. Enjoyable even in the 85 degree sun. Tasted at Tunes, Trucks & Tastes hosted by Paraiso
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12/9/2022 - bob elen wrote: 90 Points
Surprising how this 2016 wine has held up. I've recently been disappointed with a few bottles of Pinot from good wineries that did NOT hold up, so I was anticipating another disappointment. Fortunately that was not the case. A solid nose, just enough fruit, and a great balance. We should begin to expect more solid holding times from our wineries. At six years we should expect a wine like this to be solid with even a few more years to go. But those days may be a thing of the past I'm afraid.
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10/24/2021 - AB16 wrote: 87 Points
So disappointing, after all the great things Chalone has created from this vineyard. Constellation is now making an uninspired wine , lacking in fruit and character. No good at any price
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3/9/2021 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar to the 9/28/20 bottle.
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12/21/2020 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar to the 9/28/20 bottle.
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12/12/2020 - tshepard Likes this wine: 90 Points
Typical California Pinot flavor profile slightly more full-bodied
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9/28/2020 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
A touch richer and more complex than the 8/19/20 bottle
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8/30/2020 - Stephen Rash Likes this wine: 89 Points
Garnet in color and clear in the glass; aromas of dusty cranberry, pomegranate, cola, mushrooms, and earthiness on the nose; tastes of cranberries, orange peel, white pepper, and floral notes on the palate; medium body, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins; long finish. Not a bad Pinot which I picked up on sale for $9 at Costco
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8/19/2020 - hsacks Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium red color. Aromas of black cherries and raspberries, underbrush and a touch of cola. Ripe, nicely balanced fruit in the mouth with very good depth and length and well-integrated tannins and oak. Juicy and integrated on the palate. I was very impressed by this wine and found it to be a terrific value.
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7/11/2020 - markymoro Likes this wine: 89 Points
Fresh red berries, floral notes. Clean with a little bit of earth. I enjoyed it and am very happy with the QPR.
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6/24/2020 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Red center, red rim with no real signs of age.
Sweet, raspberries and red cherries, warm.
Sweet cherries, raspberries, some blackberries, modest tannin, some acidity, the alcohol (14.1%) is present, milk chocolate, very nice finish.
Very good Pinot Noir, modest frame, great QPR.
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6/24/2020 - pdadams66 wrote: flawed
Very light orange with lots of sediment on the bottle walls. Not sure what happened, but a premature death.
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5/23/2020 - winecadence Does not like this wine: 85 Points
A bust
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5/10/2020 - meniscus wrote: 80 Points
I bought two bottles for $13 ea. (marked down from $30) from K&L and, I have to say, this tastes like a $13 pinot noir. The nose is pleasant and so is the palate but there's very little real pinot character here.
Maybe I got a flawed bottle but it didn't taste corked or cooked, just meh.
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5/8/2020 - Rjohn3113 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fantastic velvety Pinot for the price. Buy more.
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5/4/2020 - jhack1961 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decent, clean and fruity if not overly complex, great QPR at $15. Saved one glass for 2 days and improved dramatically, arguing for better days ahead with 2-3 years cellaring.
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5/1/2020 - Lights2012 wrote: 86 Points
3. Standard Pinot
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4/27/2020 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Bright red fruit to start, but then turns into a mix. medium to long finish, but maybe a touch of alcohol at the end. solid nonetheless.
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2/8/2020 - Fiddletown Robin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smooth and very grape forward. Not overly complex, the taste of Pinot shines through. I would not let it sit too much longer. The color is starting to turn, while the flavor does not show any oxidation, the color does.
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7/14/2019 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 88 Points
Day One: Second bottle, same vote and the same notes as previously: "A very nice entry level pinot noir, with lots of very pleasing pinot noir aromas of cherry and raspberry, very smooth flavors, decent acidity, gentle tannins, and decent length. It has a bit too much oak for my taste, but otherwise is a very good wine. PN is inherently expensive, but this has a good QPR for PN." However, I do change my conclusion. This time I found the oak to be too much, and for that reason I plan not to buy this again.
Day two: The oak is much more integrated and I’m enjoying the wine more. Maybe it is like the label says: « This Pinot Noir rewards cellaring and will age hracefully for years to come. ». ??
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6/22/2019 - Oberhau wrote: 89 Points
Medium color, warmer climate wine; slight sweetness on the tip of the tongue with noticeable acid as it evolves; finish is a touch hot though alcohol is not high. Good comparison to SLH wines from across the Salinas Valley
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2/26/2019 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 88 Points
A very nice entry level pinot noir, with lots of very pleasing pinot noir aromas of cherry and raspberry, very smooth flavors, decent acidity, gentle tannins, and decent length. It has a bit too much oak for my taste, but otherwise is a very good wine. PN is inherently expensive, but this has a good QPR for PN. Would definitely buy again.
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7/29/2018 - jvphoto Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bright ruby color. Slightly peppery nose with currant and raspberry. Tart and juicy palate of red berries, cherry, nutmeg and earth. Enjoyable even in the 85 degree sun.
Tasted at Tunes, Trucks & Tastes hosted by Paraiso
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