Raspberry, potpurri and spice on the nose. Plenty of fine sediment in this bottle worried me a little, and this may have had some heat exposure judging by bricking in the color and a faint whiff of permanent marker stemming from a cooked fruit, compote-like note, but none of that showed up in the taste. This was a little tight on opening highlighting fresh red fruit leaning a little tart. With air, the fruit unfolded, got a touch sweeter and fuller, and I tasted that compote note I smelled earlier. With time, the body migrated from medium-light to medium. This was mostly cherry and raspberry with some stem, all accented by spice. Lovely.
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Beautiful light pinkish red color, lightly opaque. Softened, bright red fruit. Sweet cherry. Tomato confit. Stem, sage, and this Sonoma garrigue, chaparral, underbrush terroir I wish I had a name for that keeps popping up in 15+ year old pinots from the region that takes me to Pignan more than Burgundy. Missing the depth and spice of some of the Rocchioli and Hirsch I’ve had by WS. Still quite good, if not a bit more linear and focused.
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beautiful wine - very elegant at this stage - it is light garnet and cloudy with leesy sediment (botched the pour - should have decanted). Lovely complex smells that are pinot, but distinctly California. Wonderful example of how good, nuanced and terroir expressive California pinot can be. So different from the predominant style.
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Intention was to audoze... cork fell into bottle. Cork was also mobile and soft. {sigh} need an ahso or other decent pull. Was nervous as the top of the cork was black. Poured into a decanter gently and served immediately.
Nose was delicate old red toned fruit pinot with old leather nuances. Screamed history. MMs of bricking and somewhat cloudy red/brick appearance. The wine flowed across the palate with graceful acidity and delicate cherry flavors. Wine was fully resolved. Agree with gutt's assertion of slight imbalance. No alcoholic detraction. Finish was lengthy and thought-provoking. Awesome.
Better than the 1996 I had recently.
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Fully mature, with a light red color and plenty of bricking around the rim of the glass. Aromatic nose, with a still-vibrant streak of red cherry fruit on the nose, along with flowers and mushrooms. Unmistakably Allen Vineyard and Russian River Valley. In the mouth, still alive but fully resolved. Light cherry, dried flowers, spice, and mushrooms on the palate. The acidity is still kicking, putting the wine just slightly out of balance. Finish fades. A-
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This wine is pure elegance and grace. At 16 years old this RRV pinot still wowed us all. Mellow fruit was followed by earthy flavors that lingered long after each sip.
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13.2% alcohol. I was already a believer. This wine is enough to push me into an unquestioning follower in the Cult of Burt Williams. This is a fantastic wine. A pure, elegant, graceful, feminine wine. Very light rose petal color. Clear at the rim. Shows its age through the lightened color. It was lighter than the 1975 Auslese we drank this night. Bouquet was a phenomenal panoply of the entire Pinot spectrum: red cherry, black cherry, baking spice, earth, refined flowers, mushrooms. In the mouth, a special texture ... like you only find in the best Pinots. Unfolding layer after layer of flavor to you, subtly and gracefully like a beautiful woman coming to dinner and commanding the room with her looks, only to captivate you throughout the evening by her shimmering personality. Red and black cherry fruit is still lively, underscored by a hint of watermelon. The complexity is substantial and stunning, yet it doesn't overshadow the purity of the fruit and the grace of the structure, with earth, forest floor, mushrooms, and flowers all taking their turn in peaking out from behind the cherry flavors. Still a touch of acidity keeps a lively focus to the wine. Long, smooth, gentle finish that persists with surprising length. Superb. A
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Very light colored, almost salmon. Very much at peak and open. What I call a "tea leaves" wine. Thin, watery, nice bitter sweetness. Pinot nose and palate. Varietally correct, and very a point, but still - a little ho hum. Like, "So what?" Good, clean, sweet, easy and "correct", but.....Maybe I expected too much??? Drink up for sure, this is not going to get better.
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My best american pinot to date. Ok, I didnt get the WS thing until this bottle.... A theoretic blend of morey and pommard....rich, classic black cherry framed in smoke and iron. Leather melds with subtle earth and a core of sweet finish...an amazing surprise. I see no reason why this is going anywhere soon.
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10/18/2020 - misterstarre Likes this wine: 94 Points
Raspberry, potpurri and spice on the nose. Plenty of fine sediment in this bottle worried me a little, and this may have had some heat exposure judging by bricking in the color and a faint whiff of permanent marker stemming from a cooked fruit, compote-like note, but none of that showed up in the taste. This was a little tight on opening highlighting fresh red fruit leaning a little tart. With air, the fruit unfolded, got a touch sweeter and fuller, and I tasted that compote note I smelled earlier. With time, the body migrated from medium-light to medium. This was mostly cherry and raspberry with some stem, all accented by spice. Lovely.
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3/2/2019 - misterstarre Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful light pinkish red color, lightly opaque. Softened, bright red fruit. Sweet cherry. Tomato confit. Stem, sage, and this Sonoma garrigue, chaparral, underbrush terroir I wish I had a name for that keeps popping up in 15+ year old pinots from the region that takes me to Pignan more than Burgundy. Missing the depth and spice of some of the Rocchioli and Hirsch I’ve had by WS. Still quite good, if not a bit more linear and focused.
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8/13/2015 - vindictive wrote:
beautiful wine - very elegant at this stage - it is light garnet and cloudy with leesy sediment (botched the pour - should have decanted). Lovely complex smells that are pinot, but distinctly California. Wonderful example of how good, nuanced and terroir expressive California pinot can be. So different from the predominant style.
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5/8/2015 - arthrovine wrote:
Intention was to audoze... cork fell into bottle. Cork was also mobile and soft. {sigh} need an ahso or other decent pull. Was nervous as the top of the cork was black. Poured into a decanter gently and served immediately.
Nose was delicate old red toned fruit pinot with old leather nuances. Screamed history. MMs of bricking and somewhat cloudy red/brick appearance. The wine flowed across the palate with graceful acidity and delicate cherry flavors. Wine was fully resolved. Agree with gutt's assertion of slight imbalance. No alcoholic detraction. Finish was lengthy and thought-provoking. Awesome.
Better than the 1996 I had recently.
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2/19/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
Fully mature, with a light red color and plenty of bricking around the rim of the glass. Aromatic nose, with a still-vibrant streak of red cherry fruit on the nose, along with flowers and mushrooms. Unmistakably Allen Vineyard and Russian River Valley. In the mouth, still alive but fully resolved. Light cherry, dried flowers, spice, and mushrooms on the palate. The acidity is still kicking, putting the wine just slightly out of balance. Finish fades. A-
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10/18/2009 - chad1616 wrote: 95 Points
This wine is pure elegance and grace. At 16 years old this RRV pinot still wowed us all. Mellow fruit was followed by earthy flavors that lingered long after each sip.
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12/30/2008 - gutt22 wrote:
13.2% alcohol. I was already a believer. This wine is enough to push me into an unquestioning follower in the Cult of Burt Williams. This is a fantastic wine. A pure, elegant, graceful, feminine wine. Very light rose petal color. Clear at the rim. Shows its age through the lightened color. It was lighter than the 1975 Auslese we drank this night. Bouquet was a phenomenal panoply of the entire Pinot spectrum: red cherry, black cherry, baking spice, earth, refined flowers, mushrooms. In the mouth, a special texture ... like you only find in the best Pinots. Unfolding layer after layer of flavor to you, subtly and gracefully like a beautiful woman coming to dinner and commanding the room with her looks, only to captivate you throughout the evening by her shimmering personality. Red and black cherry fruit is still lively, underscored by a hint of watermelon. The complexity is substantial and stunning, yet it doesn't overshadow the purity of the fruit and the grace of the structure, with earth, forest floor, mushrooms, and flowers all taking their turn in peaking out from behind the cherry flavors. Still a touch of acidity keeps a lively focus to the wine. Long, smooth, gentle finish that persists with surprising length. Superb. A
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12/19/2008 - sawira wrote: 92 Points
Very light colored, almost salmon. Very much at peak and open. What I call a "tea leaves" wine. Thin, watery, nice bitter sweetness. Pinot nose and palate. Varietally correct, and very a point, but still - a little ho hum. Like, "So what?" Good, clean, sweet, easy and "correct", but.....Maybe I expected too much??? Drink up for sure, this is not going to get better.
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9/5/2006 - mdlazar wrote: 95 Points
My best american pinot to date. Ok, I didnt get the WS thing until this bottle.... A theoretic blend of morey and pommard....rich, classic black cherry framed in smoke and iron. Leather melds with subtle earth and a core of sweet finish...an amazing surprise. I see no reason why this is going anywhere soon.
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