NIce slightly restrained Cali pinot. Good red fruits with some nice earthiness. Decent acidity and balance. Had it with homemade spaghetti and meatballs and it went nicely with it. 89-90pts
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Very nice. Usually a Willamette valley or Santa Rita Hills/Santa Barbara co. Pinot snob. Have not like the Sonoma/Russian River Valley pinot's that others like. But this Anderson Valley Pinot was very good. Light and feminine, not overly fruity, some earthiness and spice. Balanced with red fruit.
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Nose was nice, not much funk but you can tell it's a pinot. Mouthfeel is very smooth, although there is a slight bit of pucker at the end. I'm getting black cherry and a bit of mint on the finish.
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This bottle was off. I have had this vintage in the past and really like it. Unfortunately this one was a dumper. Very a stringent, with off flavors. Generally unpleasant. I didn't put a number, since I know this bottle was not representative of this wine.
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Cola is the prominent flavor, with strawberry as a secondary note. Very smooth, just enough tannins. Drinking very well. At $20 this was a great buy and I wish I bought more. At the more typical $30 it would be fine but not a stand-out.
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Fresh strawberry on the nose, fresh red fruit, hints of herb and red flowers. Pure, fresh ripe red strawberry on the palate here, with very good focus and plenty of flesh. One shade of depth away from being truly outstanding, but this truly is nitpicking, as this is delicious and pure, if straightforward.
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Just like the previous bottles. Slightly perfumed nose of dark cherry, strawberry and spice, and with just a hint of dust. Medium bodied with a nice silky texture and good acidity. Rich flavors that match the nose and with an extra dose of spice. Medium, fruity finish. Not overly complex, but with good depth and great balance. I do not get the tartness that others have found. Very enjoyable.
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Medium garnet in color. Fresh and floral notes. Black cherry fruit, earth, smoke and spice. Somewhat restrained and understated. Notes of dark plum and herbs. Nicely put together but I was wanting a bit more.
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Fruity, easy to drink, doesn't taste like a Pinot but that's not necessarily a bad thing, drink it in the afternoon. Doesn't necessarily need food not complicated. Nice.
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Light red in color, not much on the nose initially but get floral and light fruit notes, mostly strawberry. A bit of a dryness in the wine which could be an indication of it's 'elegance' but I just found to be a lack of depth of flavor. Overall, a nice wine, but not as interesting as I'd hoped. That said, it was $20 on sale and it's difficult to get a true pinot at that price point that does not feel false and this one certainly did not.
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Strawberry jam, earth, truffles. Medium body; not as viscous or chewy as I prefer, but not thin either. A little sour cherry on the finish. Acidity is good and I think this will improve for another year or maybe two. Worth $20, but not $30.
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Fairly simple and straightforward pinot, fruity with enough acidity to balance. Not a lot of oomph or wow, but nice pop and pour for $20 when you are looking for something easy and undemanding. A nice understated style typical of Anderson Valley.
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I tried this wine before and was not impressed. I had decanted it and drank from my favorite cabernet glass. After seeing more favorable notes, I decided to revisit this wine. Poured straight from the bottle into a Pinot glass, I had a much more positive experience. This wine has a nice strawberry/rasberry/cinnamon/floral nose from the start and it improves slightly over time. The palate shows good fruit concentration with a slight glycerin mouth feel. with a medium finish. Nice garnet color. Dinking well now.
Nice pinot. Nose of cherries and some pinot mustinnes/funk. Medium body, a bit sweet but some acidity and minerality show up on the finish. SLight alcoholic feeling. Overall quite nice 88-89
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Like previous bottles, a really nice earthy, smokey, dusty, dark cherry nose A hint of tobacco emerged after about 30 minutes. Similar flavors on the palate with addition of some spice and with a creamy mouthfeel. Nice balance, medium body and a medium, fruity and slightly tart finish. Another really nice bottle characterized by elegance and relatively bold flavors. I noticed that I consistently score this wine higher than other tasters - not sure why that is the case, but this was my 4th bottle and my notes and scores have been very consistent.
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Had the 2005 at a tasting and bought a few 2006 as a result of favorable experience. This bottle, at least, is way off the 05 quality. Light ruby color. Nose of sour(ed?) cherry, some spiced cocoa. Medium body. Attack of underriped strawberry and a stemminess and seediness. Considerable tannins, seemingly also from excessive stemminess. Since I have more bottles of this I would like to think that it might come together with some bottle time, but honestly I will be surprised if it does. Right now I cannot possibly rate this more than 83-85.
Okay, came back to this about 42 hours later after corking and refrigerating. It actually has improved significantly. The unripe, sour aspects have are gone. More generic cherry and strawberry with the cocoa and brown spice. There is still some stemminess, but it is now in line and I would say is now a favorable aspect. I'm advancing this a full 4 points from the 84 I gave it to be solidly Very Good. I'm going to park the remaining ones a while, but at least now I am optimistic about them.
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nose - sweet cherry, but almost of bubble bath caliber, maybe some minty aspect as well mouth - an weak initial attack then expands to a wide wild strawberry midpalate, and a smooth finish. Almost strikes me as being underextracted. Benefited with some time in glass. Overall I enjoy this distinctive style of pinot which I attribute to the Anderson Valley (but could I pick it out blind?)
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Decent, modest fruit up front, but a little flat and fairly representative of the 06 vintage. Never really developed and isn't as complex as the 05, or the Paraboll for that matter.
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Nice dark berry nose with a lot of spice. Medium body with dark berry and again a lot of spice on the palate. Nice balance and a medium, fruity finish. A bit more concentrated than a prior bottle, but again a nice combination of elegance and flavor with just enough complexity to make it interesting.
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Translucent, ruby color. Nose of red berry with some floral and spice components. Medium weight with flavors of strawberry, red cherry, oak and lots of spice. More depth and flavor intensity than I would have expected from the color and nose. Done in a slightly elegant style, but with plenty of stuffing - not at all thin or simple. Nice fruity, medium finish. I always like Londer wines and this one was no exception. The combination of elegance with bold, layered flavors is what I look for in a pinot.
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Not big and bold, but soft and elegant with an outdoor meadow floral nose. Lighter strawberry and cherry flavors. 14.7% alcohol, but I did not get the offputting heat some have described.
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Tasted at Farallon PN fest. I have loved this wine since the '04 vinatge, needs more time in bottle 2-3+ years. Mostly Swan Clone 1/3 new oak My system (nose mouth finish) /++, 50+5+11+17+8
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I agree with previous notes. A bit too thin and one dimensional. Not far from being a great wine though?!? I can see hints of everything I look for in a great Pinot. Its almost like a great wine that is watered down. If you could concentrate this wine they would have something special.
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One-dimensional and fairly uninteresting. Tastes of stewed fruit and hot from the noticeable alcohol. Since I bought two bottles, withholding further commentary until I try the other. At this point, very unimpressed. NR
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This was very spicy, with a mushroom and cherry initial impression giving way to lots of close and allspice in the finish. Very distinctive, and though it's not my thing it will appeal to lovers of spicy PN.
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One of the better values this year, with raspberry and earth aromas. There's still a fair amount of acidity in the mid-palate, with raspberry and bing cherry flavors. A short finish brings this wine to an abrupt close.
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4/5/2012 - JeremyQ wrote: 89 Points
NIce slightly restrained Cali pinot. Good red fruits with some nice earthiness. Decent acidity and balance. Had it with homemade spaghetti and meatballs and it went nicely with it. 89-90pts
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3/2/2012 - ksde wrote: 91 Points
Very good pinot in its prime.
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10/2/2011 - MindMuse wrote: 89 Points
Drinking well, especially day 2. Perhaps a bit under ripe character, or else a good bit if stemminess.
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8/15/2011 - mbfoster1983 wrote: 91 Points
One of our favorites. Good fruit flavor and just enough earthiness to round it out.
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3/22/2011 - ddingley wrote: 91 Points
Has developed into a smoother, more elegant Pinot than the very big taste I recall from 2 years ago, ages nicely
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1/9/2011 - schnittle wrote: 90 Points
Very nice. Usually a Willamette valley or Santa Rita Hills/Santa Barbara co. Pinot snob. Have not like the Sonoma/Russian River Valley pinot's that others like. But this Anderson Valley Pinot was very good. Light and feminine, not overly fruity, some earthiness and spice. Balanced with red fruit.
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1/1/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote: 83 Points
Hot and without character.
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12/29/2010 - nrk99 wrote: 82 Points
Unexceptional Pinot that i won't go back to.
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12/4/2010 - Mike Oxlong wrote: 90 Points
Nose was nice, not much funk but you can tell it's a pinot. Mouthfeel is very smooth, although there is a slight bit of pucker at the end. I'm getting black cherry and a bit of mint on the finish.
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11/21/2010 - jmoulder wrote: flawed
This bottle was off. I have had this vintage in the past and really like it. Unfortunately this one was a dumper. Very a stringent, with off flavors. Generally unpleasant. I didn't put a number, since I know this bottle was not representative of this wine.
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11/17/2010 - GGinSF wrote: 90 Points
Cola is the prominent flavor, with strawberry as a secondary note. Very smooth, just enough tannins. Drinking very well. At $20 this was a great buy and I wish I bought more. At the more typical $30 it would be fine but not a stand-out.
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10/12/2010 - FieldingYost wrote: 89 Points
Fresh strawberry on the nose, fresh red fruit, hints of herb and red flowers. Pure, fresh ripe red strawberry on the palate here, with very good focus and plenty of flesh. One shade of depth away from being truly outstanding, but this truly is nitpicking, as this is delicious and pure, if straightforward.
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7/11/2010 - hubas wrote: 85 Points
A nice pinot that did not stand out that much for me.
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7/9/2010 - hammie1234 wrote: 90 Points
Showing really well right now.
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6/15/2010 - RobertDwyer wrote: 88 Points
Alcohol got a little too noticeable when served at 75F. Try it in the low to mid 60Fs for a better experience.
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6/6/2010 - WI WineLover wrote: 91 Points
Great Pinot...can't go wrong with this for $20
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5/26/2010 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Just like the previous bottles. Slightly perfumed nose of dark cherry, strawberry and spice, and with just a hint of dust. Medium bodied with a nice silky texture and good acidity. Rich flavors that match the nose and with an extra dose of spice. Medium, fruity finish. Not overly complex, but with good depth and great balance. I do not get the tartness that others have found. Very enjoyable.
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5/14/2010 - WI WineLover wrote: 91 Points
Great in the tasting room - great at home.
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4/26/2010 - Surfdoc wrote: 88 Points
Nose of forest floor and bitter cherry. Simple dark berry flavor with a bit of tartness on the finish.
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4/13/2010 - jtinto wrote: 88 Points
Easy to drink. Nice aromas of strawberry and cherry. Medium bodied, smooth, silky. Finish a bit on the short side. Not too complex. Priced right.
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4/5/2010 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Medium garnet in color. Fresh and floral notes. Black cherry fruit, earth, smoke and spice. Somewhat restrained and understated. Notes of dark plum and herbs. Nicely put together but I was wanting a bit more.
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4/2/2010 - adk.dmn wrote: 89 Points
Fruity, easy to drink, doesn't taste like a Pinot but that's not necessarily a bad thing, drink it in the afternoon. Doesn't necessarily need food not complicated. Nice.
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3/26/2010 - aof wrote: 88 Points
Svelte, elegant, ripe, but lacking depth or complexity.
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3/22/2010 - koflaher wrote: 87 Points
Light red in color, not much on the nose initially but get floral and light fruit notes, mostly strawberry. A bit of a dryness in the wine which could be an indication of it's 'elegance' but I just found to be a lack of depth of flavor. Overall, a nice wine, but not as interesting as I'd hoped. That said, it was $20 on sale and it's difficult to get a true pinot at that price point that does not feel false and this one certainly did not.
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3/15/2010 - GGinSF wrote: 88 Points
Strawberry jam, earth, truffles. Medium body; not as viscous or chewy as I prefer, but not thin either. A little sour cherry on the finish. Acidity is good and I think this will improve for another year or maybe two. Worth $20, but not $30.
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3/13/2010 - winejnky wrote: 87 Points
Fairly simple and straightforward pinot, fruity with enough acidity to balance. Not a lot of oomph or wow, but nice pop and pour for $20 when you are looking for something easy and undemanding. A nice understated style typical of Anderson Valley.
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3/3/2010 - ksde wrote: 90 Points
I tried this wine before and was not impressed. I had decanted it and drank from my favorite cabernet glass. After seeing more favorable notes, I decided to revisit this wine. Poured straight from the bottle into a Pinot glass, I had a much more positive experience. This wine has a nice strawberry/rasberry/cinnamon/floral nose from the start and it improves slightly over time. The palate shows good fruit concentration with a slight glycerin mouth feel. with a medium finish. Nice garnet color. Dinking well now.
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2/28/2010 - RobertDwyer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Vibrant strawberries with a silky finish. An amazing value if you can find it south of $20.
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2/12/2010 - awise45 wrote: 90 Points
Very nice first blast of strawberry and cherry, full finish.
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2/1/2010 - Gary M wrote:
This bottle was subperb with fish- we actually had two bottles and both consumed. Also wonderful with red meat.
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1/30/2010 - dke wrote: 89 Points
Nice pinot. Nose of cherries and some pinot mustinnes/funk. Medium body, a bit sweet but some acidity and minerality show up on the finish. SLight alcoholic feeling. Overall quite nice 88-89
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1/28/2010 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Like previous bottles, a really nice earthy, smokey, dusty, dark cherry nose A hint of tobacco emerged after about 30 minutes. Similar flavors on the palate with addition of some spice and with a creamy mouthfeel. Nice balance, medium body and a medium, fruity and slightly tart finish. Another really nice bottle characterized by elegance and relatively bold flavors. I noticed that I consistently score this wine higher than other tasters - not sure why that is the case, but this was my 4th bottle and my notes and scores have been very consistent.
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1/12/2010 - bistro wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with previous notes, if not a little better with time
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12/25/2009 - MindMuse wrote: 88 Points
Had the 2005 at a tasting and bought a few 2006 as a result of favorable experience. This bottle, at least, is way off the 05 quality. Light ruby color. Nose of sour(ed?) cherry, some spiced cocoa. Medium body. Attack of underriped strawberry and a stemminess and seediness. Considerable tannins, seemingly also from excessive stemminess. Since I have more bottles of this I would like to think that it might come together with some bottle time, but honestly I will be surprised if it does. Right now I cannot possibly rate this more than 83-85.
Okay, came back to this about 42 hours later after corking and refrigerating. It actually has improved significantly. The unripe, sour aspects have are gone. More generic cherry and strawberry with the cocoa and brown spice. There is still some stemminess, but it is now in line and I would say is now a favorable aspect. I'm advancing this a full 4 points from the 84 I gave it to be solidly Very Good. I'm going to park the remaining ones a while, but at least now I am optimistic about them.
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12/1/2009 - soyhead wrote: 88 Points
nose - sweet cherry, but almost of bubble bath caliber, maybe some minty aspect as well
mouth - an weak initial attack then expands to a wide wild strawberry midpalate, and a smooth finish. Almost strikes me as being underextracted. Benefited with some time in glass. Overall I enjoy this distinctive style of pinot which I attribute to the Anderson Valley (but could I pick it out blind?)
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11/21/2009 - WinstonWolfe wrote: 86 Points
nice floral nose. rose and sour cherry on the palate. a bitter finish made this just an okay wine.
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11/8/2009 - ejca wrote:
Pretty good driniking pinot for the money, paid $20. Gets better with time, cherry flavors start to develop.
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11/6/2009 - bistro wrote: 87 Points
Decent, modest fruit up front, but a little flat and fairly representative of the 06 vintage. Never really developed and isn't as complex as the 05, or the Paraboll for that matter.
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10/31/2009 - cstir wrote: 88 Points
slightly harsh; opened slowly; modest fruit but never developed; average finish.
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10/31/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Nice dark berry nose with a lot of spice. Medium body with dark berry and again a lot of spice on the palate. Nice balance and a medium, fruity finish. A bit more concentrated than a prior bottle, but again a nice combination of elegance and flavor with just enough complexity to make it interesting.
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9/27/2009 - soyhead wrote: 84 Points
bitter cherry. needs time
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9/17/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Translucent, ruby color. Nose of red berry with some floral and spice components. Medium weight with flavors of strawberry, red cherry, oak and lots of spice. More depth and flavor intensity than I would have expected from the color and nose. Done in a slightly elegant style, but with plenty of stuffing - not at all thin or simple. Nice fruity, medium finish. I always like Londer wines and this one was no exception. The combination of elegance with bold, layered flavors is what I look for in a pinot.
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8/10/2009 - Boxster Guy wrote: 91 Points
Opened up to tart strawberry and stone fruit. Medium long finish.
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6/11/2009 - joraesque wrote: 88 Points
Poor QPR.
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6/5/2009 - smphelps wrote: 90 Points
Not big and bold, but soft and elegant with an outdoor meadow floral nose. Lighter strawberry and cherry flavors. 14.7% alcohol, but I did not get the offputting heat some have described.
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4/12/2009 - xtrmjoe wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at Farallon PN fest. I have loved this wine since the '04 vinatge, needs more time in bottle 2-3+ years. Mostly Swan Clone 1/3 new oak
My system (nose mouth finish) /++, 50+5+11+17+8
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4/12/2009 - xtrmjoe wrote: 89 Points
Tasted at Farallon PN fest. Great representation of the appellation as a whole, best AV blend for $35
My system (nose mouth finish) /+/, 50+5+11+17+6
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4/3/2009 - jaxpaj wrote: 89 Points
I agree with previous notes. A bit too thin and one dimensional. Not far from being a great wine though?!? I can see hints of everything I look for in a great Pinot. Its almost like a great wine that is watered down. If you could concentrate this wine they would have something special.
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11/27/2008 - scott davis wrote:
One-dimensional and fairly uninteresting. Tastes of stewed fruit and hot from the noticeable alcohol. Since I bought two bottles, withholding further commentary until I try the other. At this point, very unimpressed. NR
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9/2/2008 - Alby wrote: 89 Points
On the thin side, but a very nice pinot.
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7/6/2008 - hammie1234 wrote: 89 Points
A great summer-time pinot... well balanced, finese, and great quality/price ratio.
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6/29/2008 - drdebs wrote: 89 Points
This was very spicy, with a mushroom and cherry initial impression giving way to lots of close and allspice in the finish. Very distinctive, and though it's not my thing it will appeal to lovers of spicy PN.
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6/29/2008 - drdebs wrote: 89 Points
One of the better values this year, with raspberry and earth aromas. There's still a fair amount of acidity in the mid-palate, with raspberry and bing cherry flavors. A short finish brings this wine to an abrupt close.
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6/29/2008 - soyhead wrote: 87 Points
nose - ham
mouth - a touch bitter for my liking. not overly fruity. would consider trying again and rerating on a fresher palate.
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6/29/2008 - soyhead wrote: 86 Points
nose - spice, candied orange peel
mouth - bitter is my prime observation. some complexity.
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3/18/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 88 Points
Family Winemakers of California (Pasadena, CA): Nose a little muted, but on the palate a soft texture accompanying nice raspberry and strawberry fruit. 88-89 points.
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