Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (627g; 1lb 6.1oz). Under DIAM10. It has been another year and a half since we last popped a bottle of this wine and, well, holy cow. Sure, many of the notes are similar, but this bottle has more intense fruit while maintaining incredible balance and verve. Yeah. This is a fantastic wine. Full. Stop. I am bumping this up a notch. 96 Points.
Retail $50. Under DIAM10. It has been more than a minute since I popped a bottle of this wine, and I am happy to say, it is doing quite well, thank you very much. It's been more than eight years since Wes Hagen and his step-father, Steve Pepe, had a falling out and Clos Pepe Estate ceased to exist. I hear now that the Estate is up for sale? A cool $10 mil will do it. As for the wine, this is fruitier than I remember and rather remarkable given the dozen years since the harvest. Rich, luscious fruit, the SRH classic eucalyptus, and just a hint of earth. The palate follows suit: rich cherry fruit, incredible acidity, and just a hint of tannin. This continues to be my benchmark for all wines from the region. Whoa.
I would say this bottle was flawed. Burnt rubber immediately when the cork was pulled. That's volatile sulfur. The nose and palate had a strong asphalt presents which if you didn't mind didn't affect the fruit of the wine but I found it quite distracted.
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This wine just keep getting better. There is a slight browning on the edge in the glass but no other evidence that would suggest age with this wine.
Big cherry fruit, spice and minerality in the nose. Big bright Cherry liqueur and spice on the palate. Great fruit to acid balance.
Long length, creamy mouthfeel, bright acidity and fresh fruit flavors suggest that this wine will continue to age well. Although it's so good now I may not wait too long to drink the what's left of this case.
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Sadly I pushed my luck on this final bottle. Seemed somewhat blown out on day one, and five days in a half bottle put the nail in the coffin. It went fully stewed and rather prune-like.
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(Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir) Dark ruby color; floral, roses, ripe cherry, tart raspberry nose; tasty, floral, tart raspberry mineral, tart cherry palate with medium acidity; needs 2 years and should go 15+; medium-plus finish (14.5% alcohol) 93+ points
(Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir) Dark red color; appealing, floral, hibiscus, tart cranberry, tart cherry nose; tasty, poised, tart cranberry, tart cherry, mineral palate with a little toasty oak; needs 2 years to integrate; medium-plus finish (14.5% alcohol)
4/18/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 96 Points
Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (627g; 1lb 6.1oz). Under DIAM10. It has been another year and a half since we last popped a bottle of this wine and, well, holy cow. Sure, many of the notes are similar, but this bottle has more intense fruit while maintaining incredible balance and verve. Yeah. This is a fantastic wine. Full. Stop. I am bumping this up a notch. 96 Points.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com
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11/25/2022 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 94 Points
Retail $50. Under DIAM10. It has been more than a minute since I popped a bottle of this wine, and I am happy to say, it is doing quite well, thank you very much. It's been more than eight years since Wes Hagen and his step-father, Steve Pepe, had a falling out and Clos Pepe Estate ceased to exist. I hear now that the Estate is up for sale? A cool $10 mil will do it. As for the wine, this is fruitier than I remember and rather remarkable given the dozen years since the harvest. Rich, luscious fruit, the SRH classic eucalyptus, and just a hint of earth. The palate follows suit: rich cherry fruit, incredible acidity, and just a hint of tannin. This continues to be my benchmark for all wines from the region. Whoa.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com
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7/4/2022 - brigcampbell wrote:
I would say this bottle was flawed. Burnt rubber immediately when the cork was pulled. That's volatile sulfur. The nose and palate had a strong asphalt presents which if you didn't mind didn't affect the fruit of the wine but I found it quite distracted.
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1/16/2022 - Cutthroat Trout Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine just keep getting better. There is a slight browning on the edge in the glass but no other evidence that would suggest age with this wine.
Big cherry fruit, spice and minerality in the nose. Big bright Cherry liqueur and spice on the palate. Great fruit to acid balance.
Long length, creamy mouthfeel, bright acidity and fresh fruit flavors suggest that this wine will continue to age well. Although it's so good now I may not wait too long to drink the what's left of this case.
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11/30/2021 - valecnik wrote:
Sadly I pushed my luck on this final bottle. Seemed somewhat blown out on day one, and five days in a half bottle put the nail in the coffin. It went fully stewed and rather prune-like.
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