Nice purple color. Dark fruit, leather, earth, and a touch of spice on the nose. Gripping tannins and bracing acidity on the palate, with the fruit and leather showing through. Not a ton of character. If I had another bottle, I'd hold it a couple more years to see if the tannins soften a bit.
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These older Lorings are holding up really well and for those in my cellar I would say that they are just now at their peak. Pop and pour. The wine was what I would term typical "pinot purple" with no browning apparent. The wine displayed well integrated flavors with good balance. Plenty of cherry fruit and a little earthiness. A delicious bottle for my tastes which are for a more mellow pinot, not the tart acidic pinot that some seem to prefer.
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Glad I waited on this one. Dark garnet in color but nothing heavy or sappy about this one. Great minerality, light on its feet, good acidity, more red than black fruits and good character. No off tastes, just pure clean fruit with an array of mineral flavors underneath. Love it.
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You never know what to expect with these Dry Holes. The last one of these I thought was “velvety.” This one was not. Instead, my notes describe it as “silky.” The tannins are resolved, but not fully integrated. The finish is a tad hot, making for a somewhat harsh finish, especially considering how very open and approachable the attack is. Clocking in at 13.7% alc., you wouldn’t think it would burn a hot edge, but it does. The color is clear at the very rim, then cranberry shading to opaque at the core. In all this is a very fruit forward wine, with black cherry, teaberry, cranberry and pomegranate flavors. With coq au vin (chicken) and our very big snow (14 - 18 inches). Recommended.
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This has calmed down abit over the last few years, losing some of its youthful, forward exuberance and is drinking very well today. Decanted for 2 or 3 hours and showing with flavors of dark fruit, earth and some leathery notes. There's some spice and white pepper on the med length finish. Quite nice.
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This wine is still drinking pretty young. Loads of sour cherry the first day that mellowed some on day two. A nice earthy, Central Coast pinot. My only disappointment is that it just seemed to lack in mid-palate and finish. Perhaps with more time it may yield more.
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13.7% alcohol. Striking contrast to the Kosta Browne on this day. Dark red color. Pretty nose of dusty cherry and loads of minerals. In the mouth, linear and focused, with a laser-like beam of black cherry and blackberry fruit, pleasant earth notes, and a slightly drying acidity. Seemed to have been more rounded out than just a couple months ago. A-
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13.7% alcohol. Dark red color. Pretty nose of slightly sweet cherry and blackberry, with loads of minerals coming out of the glass. In the mouth, racy and developing a tart-sweet edge to the fruit, along with a light earth note. A tang of acidity keeps the wine juicy, with a solid finish. B+/A-
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Red cherry and red berry fruit on both the nose and palate. Some earthiness and mushroom notes and a finish a dried sour cherry. Good balance with medium length and complexity. I really enjoyed this wine compared to some other recent Lorings.
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Decent and drinkable as a wine, but not what Im looking for in Pinot. This is my 2nd Loring with similar results so I guess Im just not going to be the target consumer. So ripe/heavy/syrupy that its only vaguely Pinot. This one has a bit more structure and tannic bite than the Graham, but its just too much for me. You can find Pinot done this way for much less coin
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Medium to dark red in color. Red berries and red cherries predominate. Some dried sour cherries, earthiness and mushroom notes. Not a tremendously long finish but drinking very nicely now. Good levels of acidity and refined tannins.
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For the life of me I don’t know why, but one of these had been calling to me for some time. Not sure why, really. It should be off limits. Finally, I relented and gave in to my dark side and went down, rolled over the box, momentarily considered the possibilities then, twisting off the cap, I delved in for all I could. You never know what to expect with these Dry Holes. Maybe it’s the low alcohol (by Loring standards) of only 13.7% or maybe it’s the excellence of the vintage itself. Whatever “it” is, the excellence of the wine shows through every decadent sip. Black cherry, cloves and some vanilla carry the flavor profile, but the story here is more about the texture, the velvety mouthfeel and the balance between the wine’s components. In short, this Dry Hole seems more like a guilty pleasure than an obligation. With mushroom and pepperoni pizza; no, not an adequate pairing and one that under-served the wine, but one that worked ... kinda. Recommended.
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This came around after about three hours of decanting. Even then, it was still very tannic, but I could tell there was nice fruit and nose hiding in the wine. Let this age some more.
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Really needs at least an hour in the glass or decanter to come up to the rating I gave it. Not bad, but nothing special, and certainly not worth the price.
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Cherries, mushrooms, slight phenol nose. Bright red fruit palatte up front a bit thin mid palatte with a rather short and a bit hot finish. Nice, enjoyable, but not his best effort.
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9/26/2015 - dmitchell4 wrote:
Lelands party
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9/13/2015 - kkleg Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nice purple color. Dark fruit, leather, earth, and a touch of spice on the nose. Gripping tannins and bracing acidity on the palate, with the fruit and leather showing through. Not a ton of character. If I had another bottle, I'd hold it a couple more years to see if the tannins soften a bit.
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7/17/2015 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 91 Points
These older Lorings are holding up really well and for those in my cellar I would say that they are just now at their peak. Pop and pour. The wine was what I would term typical "pinot purple" with no browning apparent. The wine displayed well integrated flavors with good balance. Plenty of cherry fruit and a little earthiness. A delicious bottle for my tastes which are for a more mellow pinot, not the tart acidic pinot that some seem to prefer.
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6/21/2015 - ARiverofPisoni wrote:
Drinking beautifully. Nice balanced expression of ca Pinot
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12/11/2014 - dmatley wrote: 91 Points
Glad I waited on this one. Dark garnet in color but nothing heavy or sappy about this one. Great minerality, light on its feet, good acidity, more red than black fruits and good character. No off tastes, just pure clean fruit with an array of mineral flavors underneath. Love it.
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2/13/2014 - timewithwine wrote:
You never know what to expect with these Dry Holes. The last one of these I thought was “velvety.” This one was not. Instead, my notes describe it as “silky.” The tannins are resolved, but not fully integrated. The finish is a tad hot, making for a somewhat harsh finish, especially considering how very open and approachable the attack is. Clocking in at 13.7% alc., you wouldn’t think it would burn a hot edge, but it does. The color is clear at the very rim, then cranberry shading to opaque at the core. In all this is a very fruit forward wine, with black cherry, teaberry, cranberry and pomegranate flavors. With coq au vin (chicken) and our very big snow (14 - 18 inches). Recommended.
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5/21/2013 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 92 Points
This has calmed down abit over the last few years, losing some of its youthful, forward exuberance and is drinking very well today. Decanted for 2 or 3 hours and showing with flavors of dark fruit, earth and some leathery notes. There's some spice and white pepper on the med length finish. Quite nice.
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11/1/2012 - dmatley wrote: 89 Points
This wine is still drinking pretty young. Loads of sour cherry the first day that mellowed some on day two. A nice earthy, Central Coast pinot. My only disappointment is that it just seemed to lack in mid-palate and finish. Perhaps with more time it may yield more.
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3/2/2012 - thebonnydooner wrote: 88 Points
Nice Pinot, good character, still young, nice sous bois and cherry, cranberry and cola fruit on both nose and palate. Tasty long finish.
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1/12/2012 - budman wrote: 89 Points
Seemed like tart raspberry to me. Full bodied, solid finish. Very unique taste.
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1/10/2012 - khmark7 wrote: 87 Points
Pleasant nose with some spice, but a sharp, almost sour cranberry on the finish. Good acidic backbone to this.
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7/24/2011 - thirstyman wrote:
Darker cherry flavors, a little rustic and hot on the nose.
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6/5/2011 - gutt22 wrote:
13.7% alcohol. Striking contrast to the Kosta Browne on this day. Dark red color. Pretty nose of dusty cherry and loads of minerals. In the mouth, linear and focused, with a laser-like beam of black cherry and blackberry fruit, pleasant earth notes, and a slightly drying acidity. Seemed to have been more rounded out than just a couple months ago. A-
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5/15/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 89 Points
Wordwide Pinots Blind plus a few more (Levain (Mpls)): This struck me as young. Cherry, tart cherry palate. I was thinking Central Coast or New Zealand maybe.
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4/6/2011 - gutt22 wrote:
13.7% alcohol. Dark red color. Pretty nose of slightly sweet cherry and blackberry, with loads of minerals coming out of the glass. In the mouth, racy and developing a tart-sweet edge to the fruit, along with a light earth note. A tang of acidity keeps the wine juicy, with a solid finish. B+/A-
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1/26/2011 - budman wrote: 88 Points
Not bad. Sour cherry and blackberry notes. Finish was a bit shorter than most Lorings.
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11/27/2010 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Red cherry and red berry fruit on both the nose and palate. Some earthiness and mushroom notes and a finish a dried sour cherry. Good balance with medium length and complexity. I really enjoyed this wine compared to some other recent Lorings.
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11/21/2010 - Ekoostik wrote: 83 Points
Decent and drinkable as a wine, but not what Im looking for in Pinot. This is my 2nd Loring with similar results so I guess Im just not going to be the target consumer. So ripe/heavy/syrupy that its only vaguely Pinot. This one has a bit more structure and tannic bite than the Graham, but its just too much for me. You can find Pinot done this way for much less coin
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9/6/2010 - mmcdds wrote: 92 Points
Bright blackberry and blueberry, white pepper on the med finish. Drinking very well.
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6/26/2010 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Medium to dark red in color. Red berries and red cherries predominate. Some dried sour cherries, earthiness and mushroom notes. Not a tremendously long finish but drinking very nicely now. Good levels of acidity and refined tannins.
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6/13/2010 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully!
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4/28/2010 - pjhr wrote: 90 Points
Ripe dark cherry and berry aromas and flavors with dried sour cherries on the finish with tasty acidity and tannins.
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3/28/2010 - timewithwine wrote:
For the life of me I don’t know why, but one of these had been calling to me for some time. Not sure why, really. It should be off limits. Finally, I relented and gave in to my dark side and went down, rolled over the box, momentarily considered the possibilities then, twisting off the cap, I delved in for all I could. You never know what to expect with these Dry Holes. Maybe it’s the low alcohol (by Loring standards) of only 13.7% or maybe it’s the excellence of the vintage itself. Whatever “it” is, the excellence of the wine shows through every decadent sip. Black cherry, cloves and some vanilla carry the flavor profile, but the story here is more about the texture, the velvety mouthfeel and the balance between the wine’s components. In short, this Dry Hole seems more like a guilty pleasure than an obligation. With mushroom and pepperoni pizza; no, not an adequate pairing and one that under-served the wine, but one that worked ... kinda. Recommended.
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3/27/2010 - underwds wrote: 87 Points
Red cherry, red berries, some earthiness and mushroom. Not much of a finish. Good acidity and went pretty well with Cuban pork.
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3/17/2010 - dbg wrote:
Medium-dark red. Bright cherry/red berry fruit on nose and palate, medium body, good balance but no real depth or compexity. Very good.
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10/9/2009 - shaneajohnson wrote: 89 Points
This came around after about three hours of decanting. Even then, it was still very tannic, but I could tell there was nice fruit and nose hiding in the wine. Let this age some more.
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7/14/2009 - shaneajohnson wrote: 88 Points
Really needs at least an hour in the glass or decanter to come up to the rating I gave it. Not bad, but nothing special, and certainly not worth the price.
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7/13/2009 - batphone wrote: 88 Points
Real big and sweet
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7/10/2009 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim, cherry and red berries on the nose, medium body with red fruits, medium length, good-very good
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6/5/2009 - raydawgone wrote: 88 Points
Muted fruit, very light body. Not the typical Loring that I've drank in the past, lacked smoked meat & fatty taste.
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1/30/2009 - Snookboy wrote: 88 Points
Cherries, mushrooms, slight phenol nose. Bright red fruit palatte up front a bit thin mid palatte with a rather short and a bit hot finish. Nice, enjoyable, but not his best effort.
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8/17/2008 - kanab ram wrote:
Rich dried berry and huckleberry with some spice. No heat. Very good now but should improve even more as it integrates over time.
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