Agree with recent note by THE DRUNKEN CYCLIST. Singing right now and wind is in prime shape. Can go for years more. Too bad this maker is no longer together. Wish I had more.
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Retail $50. Under cork. After sipping this glorious bottle over the course of several hours and after reading many of the notes here on Cellar Tracker, I have come to the following elevation: Either those rating Clos Pepe wines need to wait a bi longer before popping a CP cork, or they are in serious need of altering their medication(s). Why? This wine is stellar. This is my last bottle of 2006 and the oldest bottle of Clos Pepe in my possession, which caused considerable angst. But. It did not disappoint, even slightly. Rich, unctuous, layered, and with considerable (and yet, at the same time, reserved) fruit. Holy cow. Sure, on the palate, said fruit is more reserved, but holy mother of Jesus is this good. The balance is impeccable between the fruit, the tartness, the spice, the tannins. Yowza. Hold on to your Clos Pepe, I implore you.
This had some alcohol heat. Nose of blackberry and leather. Fruit is very big with notes of tart cherry and cranberry. Full mouthfeel with a long finish.
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Retail $50. If this is not my favorite California Pinot, the line is short behind it. While this has a bit of age, it still thrusts its chest out and says: “get a load of me.” And there is a lot of load to get. Dark cherry marmalade with vanilla, clove, and spice. On the palate this is youthful, bright and cheery with plenty of cherry. Tart, deep, lovely. This is precisely why I love the Clos. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Youthful fruit, gorgeous nose, somewhat monotone on the palate; but it suffered for being paired with a brighter, richer and more complex Anthill Comptche.
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Drank this bottle at Giada last night and it paired quite well with the braised Australian Waygu short rib. The upfront fruit has subsided and some secondary flavor notes are beginning to show. I really like were this is drinking right now. It's still California sunshine at heart but has a nice, somewhat old world feel to it. Very nice!
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P n P. A little shy out if bottle, a little angular, but w time n air opened nicely to show soft mature Cali pinot. Subtle red fruits on nose n palate w some spices n earth to round it out. Soft tannins give nice mouthfeel. Not sure what time will do for this. Took right out of cellar tonight. Better as in came up to room temp and got some air.
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Opened day after Thanksgiving so we enjoyed it with a leftover t-giving meal that we made into a shepperd's pie. Solid wine, burly, dark fruits of juicy raspberry and berry. Light soil note and decent acidity. For my palate, given the more forward aspect (not boozy at all, btw), I'd recommend a drink now.
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A lovely wine we enjoyed with several delicious items at Todd's Unique Dining. A little bigger than I typically find from Clos Pepe but very tasty and well balanced. Did make me think of Burgundy once or twice while enjoying. Fun sour cherry notes throughout.
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Black cherry with black tea and a certain minerality on the finish. Dark wine that felt light on the palate. Soft tannins. Interesting wine but the fruit reminded me more of cool climate syrah than pinot.
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This wine was a little shy when first opened. Muted nose of dark cherry and some spice. Acidic finish. A couple hours in the decanter and paired with roast duck and it opened up and was very good. Nice backbone to take it from start to finish.
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Cali and Burgs Blind (FMIII in the OC): Blind - guessed California. Fruit forward, ripe cherry and tart cranberry. Big Santa Rita Hills pinot, which I like!
Rank: #1 of 4 in first flight.
My #2 of the evening.
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Big aromatic, on riper side. Spicy, with a big core of cranberry fruit, along with blueberry. The acid comes through the wine too which helps keep it refreshing, even around the bigger ripe-sided expression. I appreciate this vineyard for what it shows.
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Another Round of California Vs Burgundy Blind (Frank Murray's Casa): Served blind. Notes of cherry and iron on a reserved nose. Clean and somewhat hard though with a light palate feel. Concentrated cherry fruits. Had trouble placing this Cal vs Burg. Nice wine though and I voted it as my #3.
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Classic Clos Pepe Pinot and very reflective of 2006 Santa Rita vintage...very Burgundian...cherry fruit mostly gone....mushroom, and dark fruits....paired very well with quail and squab....even stood up against a filet
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Limpide, rouge framboise avec un cercle presque translucide et reflets orangés. Aération de 2 heures en carafe. Premier nez discret, cerise rouge et poivre. Des arômes typiques des Bourgognes français, l'écurie (animal) et de la truffe, ce qui est rare d'un PN californien. En bouche une attaque tout en douceur, les tanins sont soyeux, c'est frais et gouleyant. Seul bémol, en rétro olfaction, l'alcool vient masqué les arômes, une pointe de grain d'anisette. La persistance est longue et agréable sur des notes subtiles de noisettes grillées et de cerises dévoilant une utilisation fine et dosé de la barrique certainement française de chêne à grain fin. Si ce n'était de l'alcool mériterait un 91 et +
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This was the bottle I intended to drink earlier in the week, but mistakenly I pulled the 05 VS! So to tonight, we drank this bottle alongside the 2008 Rhys Horseshoe pinot, which really created a nice setting, The Clos Pepe here drank very well, showed very much like SRH with orange rind, blue fruit and what I am growing fond of with Clos Pepe, the good push of acidity that keeps the wine fresh. The tartness initially fades a bit with air, allowing the blueberry to come forward but the wine still mixes, like the 2005 VS, enough fruit against acid. The 2005 VS is a bit fresher, with this 2006 seeming to be more ripe in comparison. The wine has some ways to go, I'd offer a drink window of now through 2014.
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Legit SRH Pinot. Nose has a resinous tone along with ripe red fruits and the usual Pinot spice/floral/mild funk. Not super effusive, but not shy either. There is sneaky structure to this--fine grained tannins and a decent acidic backbone. Primarily fruit-driven with oak and earth in the background. Certainly should continue to age, but I like where this is at right now. An elegant mid/full weight Pinot.
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WHAT A NOSE! Incredible nose that made you want to savor the moment. Tart red fruits along with some hints of ripe fruit flavrs. The flavors were very typical of a Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. This wine is in a sweet spot right now. Very impressive.
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Clos Pepe, Cold Heaven and Longoria (Santa Ynez Valley): Favorite of tasting--seems to be at a really good spot right now. Earthy, mushroom, truffle, floral (rose) and mild spice. Good acidity and core of fruit. Integrated structure, fine tannin.
Interesting to compare to the '06 Ojai Clos Pepe tasted a few months ago. The Ojai had a more extracted, baked fruit quality to my palate. Supposedly Ojai's was all Pommard clones, but I'm not sure if it was harvested later or treated differently otherwise.
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Tasted 12 Pinots at the tasting. Tasted next to the (superior) Ojai Clos Pepe. Nose was very light with hints of pine that was interesting. Cola, vanilla taste with a long finish. The oak notes did not really help this wine, especially when tasted next to wine made from the same vinyard in a different style. The light, whimsical pinot experience was trampled in this effort. Not worth the asking price.
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The nose shows young red fruits, cinnamon and an earthy mineral character. There is a touch of heat on the nose that remains even after a few hours of decanting.
On the palate, this is a light- to medium-weight wine with an initial attack of primary red fruit flavors. This disappears a little on the mid-palate before coming back to a minerally finish.
**Day 2 edit: this wine is really outstanding on the second day, and I'm changing the rating from 89 to 91. The balance of acidity and tannins on the second day are in such wonderful balance, and there is a beautiful red fruit tartness. The mid-palate has also filled out with tannin and savory oak.
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Wes Hagen generously gave us this bottle at a tasting in order to drink before the 05s that we had purchased. This wine was underripe, lacking in depth and tart. I was missing the minerality and depth I love in Wes' other wines. I look forward to drinking my Clos Pepe 05s.
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Wes was guest sommelier at Root 246, pouring a mini-vertical of Clos Pepe ('05-'07 plus 2000). While all of the wines were stunning and spoke of their vintage, the '06 was the most impressive of the 3 right now. Beautiful texture, extremely lithe, with a very tactile stony quality. The mid-palate impression was fresh and quite dry, with classically balanced acid and hallmark Clos Pepe red fruits (think cranberry and just-ripe cherry). A hint of earth in the background as well. Long, clean finish with no traces of heat. I'd say this would be hitting its peak around 2012-2013, but I think will have plenty of energy well after its first decade of life.
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Family Winemakers of California (Pasadena, CA): A lot of stuff going on in this young wine. Opulent notes of black raspberries, dark cherries, wet soil, and smoke. Needs time. 89-90 points.
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Nice nose, lots of stuffing with some structure. I let it open, hoping the nose would translate to the finish, but it remained more fruity than haunting at this stage. It's a nice wine and a pretty good value. I look forward to trying the VS bottling which has more structure and complexity. I would let both bottlings lie for a couple of years before revisiting.
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4/1/2023 - rogerr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Agree with recent note by THE DRUNKEN CYCLIST. Singing right now and wind is in prime shape. Can go for years more. Too bad this maker is no longer together. Wish I had more.
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7/29/2022 - Lipsman wrote: 88 Points
Drinking smooth with dark strawberries and a hint of cherry. Then an exaggerated sweetness and a hot alcoholic finish.
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5/1/2022 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 96 Points
Retail $50. Under cork. After sipping this glorious bottle over the course of several hours and after reading many of the notes here on Cellar Tracker, I have come to the following elevation: Either those rating Clos Pepe wines need to wait a bi longer before popping a CP cork, or they are in serious need of altering their medication(s). Why? This wine is stellar. This is my last bottle of 2006 and the oldest bottle of Clos Pepe in my possession, which caused considerable angst. But. It did not disappoint, even slightly. Rich, unctuous, layered, and with considerable (and yet, at the same time, reserved) fruit. Holy cow. Sure, on the palate, said fruit is more reserved, but holy mother of Jesus is this good. The balance is impeccable between the fruit, the tartness, the spice, the tannins. Yowza. Hold on to your Clos Pepe, I implore you.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com
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10/28/2018 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
This was a little weak in the mid, good fruit, but simple. Still fresh and good though. The 2006 and 2008 were less good.
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8/25/2018 - onthenose Likes this wine: 90 Points
This had some alcohol heat. Nose of blackberry and leather. Fruit is very big with notes of tart cherry and cranberry. Full mouthfeel with a long finish.
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6/3/2018 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 92 Points
Retail $50. If this is not my favorite California Pinot, the line is short behind it. While this has a bit of age, it still thrusts its chest out and says: “get a load of me.” And there is a lot of load to get. Dark cherry marmalade with vanilla, clove, and spice. On the palate this is youthful, bright and cheery with plenty of cherry. Tart, deep, lovely. This is precisely why I love the Clos. thedrunkencyclist.com
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12/10/2017 - suburbanfrog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking fabulous yet. A testament to this great vineyard. Didn't notice the alcohol as much this time around.
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11/20/2017 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Youthful fruit, gorgeous nose, somewhat monotone on the palate; but it suffered for being paired with a brighter, richer and more complex Anthill Comptche.
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11/28/2016 - suburbanfrog Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wine was a little hot. The fruit was on the riper darker side of Pinot Noir.
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10/6/2016 - kihyun01 wrote: 92 Points
delicious pinot at its best! did not expect it would have survived this long but it is still very vivid and dense but complex enough.
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12/17/2015 - Djfermentation Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank this bottle at Giada last night and it paired quite well with the braised Australian Waygu short rib. The upfront fruit has subsided and some secondary flavor notes are beginning to show. I really like were this is drinking right now. It's still California sunshine at heart but has a nice, somewhat old world feel to it. Very nice!
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3/6/2015 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 90 Points
P n P. A little shy out if bottle, a little angular, but w time n air opened nicely to show soft mature Cali pinot. Subtle red fruits on nose n palate w some spices n earth to round it out. Soft tannins give nice mouthfeel. Not sure what time will do for this. Took right out of cellar tonight. Better as in came up to room temp and got some air.
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11/28/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened day after Thanksgiving so we enjoyed it with a leftover t-giving meal that we made into a shepperd's pie. Solid wine, burly, dark fruits of juicy raspberry and berry. Light soil note and decent acidity. For my palate, given the more forward aspect (not boozy at all, btw), I'd recommend a drink now.
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10/9/2014 - Djfermentation Likes this wine: 91 Points
A lovely wine we enjoyed with several delicious items at Todd's Unique Dining. A little bigger than I typically find from Clos Pepe but very tasty and well balanced. Did make me think of Burgundy once or twice while enjoying. Fun sour cherry notes throughout.
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8/3/2014 - iamandyc wrote: 89 Points
Black cherry with black tea and a certain minerality on the finish. Dark wine that felt light on the palate. Soft tannins. Interesting wine but the fruit reminded me more of cool climate syrah than pinot.
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10/23/2013 - EMichels wrote: 90 Points
Big, ripe style; A bit ripe but nice
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10/20/2013 - mattsix wrote:
blueberries, stone fruit, short finish. Well balanced.
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4/20/2013 - HFA wrote: 91 Points
- Ruby color and has flavours of cherry - Very well integrated; Burgundy-style Pinot. Nice cherry notes. Ready now but could cellar longer.
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12/22/2012 - Sweet Nancy Likes this wine:
This wine was a little shy when first opened. Muted nose of dark cherry and some spice. Acidic finish. A couple hours in the decanter and paired with roast duck and it opened up and was very good. Nice backbone to take it from start to finish.
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11/9/2012 - arniec wrote: 94 Points
Well integrated. Lots of cherry. Very smooth.
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6/18/2012 - brigcampbell wrote:
Cali and Burgs Blind (FMIII in the OC): Blind - guessed California. Fruit forward, ripe cherry and tart cranberry.
Big Santa Rita Hills pinot, which I like!
Rank: #1 of 4 in first flight.
My #2 of the evening.
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6/16/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Big aromatic, on riper side. Spicy, with a big core of cranberry fruit, along with blueberry. The acid comes through the wine too which helps keep it refreshing, even around the bigger ripe-sided expression. I appreciate this vineyard for what it shows.
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6/16/2012 - WetRock wrote:
Another Round of California Vs Burgundy Blind (Frank Murray's Casa): Served blind. Notes of cherry and iron on a reserved nose. Clean and somewhat hard though with a light palate feel. Concentrated cherry fruits. Had trouble placing this Cal vs Burg. Nice wine though and I voted it as my #3.
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4/6/2012 - eastover wrote:
One of several Cali Pinot's enjoyed on Passover.
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3/9/2012 - rtarzy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Clos Pepe Pinot and very reflective of 2006 Santa Rita vintage...very Burgundian...cherry fruit mostly gone....mushroom, and dark fruits....paired very well with quail and squab....even stood up against a filet
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11/24/2011 - JOsgood wrote:
Very nice mid weight pinot. Great balance and food friendly. I like the Clos Pepe wines younger rather than older.
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11/20/2011 - YoRi wrote: 90 Points
Limpide, rouge framboise avec un cercle presque translucide et reflets orangés.
Aération de 2 heures en carafe. Premier nez discret, cerise rouge et poivre. Des arômes typiques des Bourgognes français, l'écurie (animal) et de la truffe, ce qui est rare d'un PN californien.
En bouche une attaque tout en douceur, les tanins sont soyeux, c'est frais et gouleyant. Seul bémol, en rétro olfaction, l'alcool vient masqué les arômes, une pointe de grain d'anisette.
La persistance est longue et agréable sur des notes subtiles de noisettes grillées et de cerises dévoilant une utilisation fine et dosé de la barrique certainement française de chêne à grain fin.
Si ce n'était de l'alcool mériterait un 91 et +
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9/18/2011 - arniec wrote: 92 Points
Still young. Needs more time. Fruit is very forward. Finish a bit tight.
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6/10/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This was the bottle I intended to drink earlier in the week, but mistakenly I pulled the 05 VS! So to tonight, we drank this bottle alongside the 2008 Rhys Horseshoe pinot, which really created a nice setting, The Clos Pepe here drank very well, showed very much like SRH with orange rind, blue fruit and what I am growing fond of with Clos Pepe, the good push of acidity that keeps the wine fresh. The tartness initially fades a bit with air, allowing the blueberry to come forward but the wine still mixes, like the 2005 VS, enough fruit against acid. The 2005 VS is a bit fresher, with this 2006 seeming to be more ripe in comparison. The wine has some ways to go, I'd offer a drink window of now through 2014.
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5/28/2011 - Cabfrancophile wrote: 90 Points
Legit SRH Pinot. Nose has a resinous tone along with ripe red fruits and the usual Pinot spice/floral/mild funk. Not super effusive, but not shy either. There is sneaky structure to this--fine grained tannins and a decent acidic backbone. Primarily fruit-driven with oak and earth in the background. Certainly should continue to age, but I like where this is at right now. An elegant mid/full weight Pinot.
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3/28/2011 - suburbanfrog wrote: 92 Points
WHAT A NOSE! Incredible nose that made you want to savor the moment. Tart red fruits along with some hints of ripe fruit flavrs. The flavors were very typical of a Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. This wine is in a sweet spot right now. Very impressive.
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2/28/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Sta. Rita Hills AVA 10 Year Anniversary Trade Tasting (RN74, San Francisco, California): Tart red fruit, red berry, herbal nose; tasty, Burgundian, tart red fruit, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points
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2/5/2011 - Cabfrancophile wrote:
Clos Pepe, Cold Heaven and Longoria (Santa Ynez Valley): Favorite of tasting--seems to be at a really good spot right now. Earthy, mushroom, truffle, floral (rose) and mild spice. Good acidity and core of fruit. Integrated structure, fine tannin.
Interesting to compare to the '06 Ojai Clos Pepe tasted a few months ago. The Ojai had a more extracted, baked fruit quality to my palate. Supposedly Ojai's was all Pommard clones, but I'm not sure if it was harvested later or treated differently otherwise.
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1/26/2011 - Grenik wrote: 87 Points
Tasted 12 Pinots at the tasting. Tasted next to the (superior) Ojai Clos Pepe. Nose was very light with hints of pine that was interesting. Cola, vanilla taste with a long finish. The oak notes did not really help this wine, especially when tasted next to wine made from the same vinyard in a different style. The light, whimsical pinot experience was trampled in this effort. Not worth the asking price.
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1/16/2011 - Meembo wrote: 91 Points
The nose shows young red fruits, cinnamon and an earthy mineral character. There is a touch of heat on the nose that remains even after a few hours of decanting.
On the palate, this is a light- to medium-weight wine with an initial attack of primary red fruit flavors. This disappears a little on the mid-palate before coming back to a minerally finish.
**Day 2 edit: this wine is really outstanding on the second day, and I'm changing the rating from 89 to 91. The balance of acidity and tannins on the second day are in such wonderful balance, and there is a beautiful red fruit tartness. The mid-palate has also filled out with tannin and savory oak.
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10/5/2010 - the godfather wrote:
this is an outstanding wine
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9/11/2010 - the godfather wrote:
really nice stuff
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8/22/2010 - JOsgood wrote:
Very nice juice with some earthiness to it. Still young and primary.
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5/16/2010 - arniec wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose; lots of fruit. Little tannic on finish. Should improve over the next year or two.
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4/5/2010 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. Dark fruit with spice, cola and citrus. Good to Very Good.
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3/16/2010 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Family Wine Makers complex, classic, burgundian
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2/21/2010 - tanglenet wrote: flawed
corked
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2/7/2010 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened and not decanted. Needs air, perhaps 20-30 minutes. Consumed over 2 hours. Tart cherry with oak and noticeable wood on the palate. Good.
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1/30/2010 - pian0_player wrote: 93 Points
Black cherry, earth and spice. Medium bodied, with nice acidity. Really lovely. Balanced and beautiful.
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12/30/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 92 Points
Very impressive. Awesome nose. Earthy on the mid palate with great acid. Nice balance. A wine of elegance and restraint.
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12/30/2009 - the godfather wrote: 92 Points
drinking the nicest between 50 and 07 right now
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12/5/2009 - eastover wrote:
Saturday night out to dinner with Stephen and Carol - opened after dinner back at our house. Didn't try it - had rum instead.
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9/22/2009 - la_bacchus wrote: 86 Points
Wes Hagen generously gave us this bottle at a tasting in order to drink before the 05s that we had purchased. This wine was underripe, lacking in depth and tart. I was missing the minerality and depth I love in Wes' other wines. I look forward to drinking my Clos Pepe 05s.
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8/23/2009 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
2009 Family Winemakers Annual Tasting; 8/23/2009-8/24/2009 (Fort Mason, San Francisco, California): Nice tart cherry nose with depth; tart cherry palate with green notes and good grip; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.
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6/28/2009 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
2009 Pinot Days Grand Tasting (Fort Mason Festival Pavillon, San Francisco, California): Mineral, tart red fruit, sous bois nose; tart red fruit, mineral palate with good structure and acidity; medium finish 91+ pts.
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6/27/2009 - cporter wrote:
Wes was guest sommelier at Root 246, pouring a mini-vertical of Clos Pepe ('05-'07 plus 2000). While all of the wines were stunning and spoke of their vintage, the '06 was the most impressive of the 3 right now. Beautiful texture, extremely lithe, with a very tactile stony quality. The mid-palate impression was fresh and quite dry, with classically balanced acid and hallmark Clos Pepe red fruits (think cranberry and just-ripe cherry). A hint of earth in the background as well. Long, clean finish with no traces of heat. I'd say this would be hitting its peak around 2012-2013, but I think will have plenty of energy well after its first decade of life.
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11/2/2008 - sbwino wrote: 86 Points
Fresh and Vibrant, but fairly one-dimensional Red Fruits and Medium Tannin. Not a very good value IMO.
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6/29/2008 - Paul Lin wrote:
Pinot Days (San Francisco, CA): Consistent with previous tastings. 89-90 points.
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6/28/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 86 Points
Best of Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Rita Hills Pinot Days Saturday Tasting Seminar (Fort Mason, San Francisco): Dark cherry color with clear meniscus; tight underripe, herbal nose; very tart red fruit, underripe, with some stems? and high acidity; medium finish (1/3 new oak)
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6/14/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 89 Points
Falltacular 2008 (San Juan Capistrano, CA): Exotic notes of Asian pickled plums, black cherry, and hard spices.
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3/18/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 89 Points
Family Winemakers of California (Pasadena, CA): A lot of stuff going on in this young wine. Opulent notes of black raspberries, dark cherries, wet soil, and smoke. Needs time. 89-90 points.
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3/11/2008 - mtennenbaum wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose, lots of stuffing with some structure. I let it open, hoping the nose would translate to the finish, but it remained more fruity than haunting at this stage. It's a nice wine and a pretty good value. I look forward to trying the VS bottling which has more structure and complexity. I would let both bottlings lie for a couple of years before revisiting.
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3/1/2008 - peternelson wrote: 88 Points
CSCA: Tight, bright red fruits, silky, med - body; pure delicate flavors with good acidity.
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