2002 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (36) Avg Score: 88.7 points

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  9/17/2009 - timewithwine wrote:

  This is the last of any of my ‘02 Loring and the last of any of the black synthetic stoppers. The color at the rim shows a bit of bricking, but the core is still a dark plum. Raisin is the first scent to hit the nose, but it is not nearly as bad as the Rosellas ‘02 from a couple of weeks back. Underneath it is the classic profile I normally find: teaberry, black cherry, cloves, cola and some earthiness. But the fruit has decidedly faded and what remains is a harsh acidity on the finish. While the wine is hanging in there, it leaves no doubt that it is sliding down the hill, following the Rosellas eventually to becoming nothing but acid. So how long will Brian’s wines last? I dunno. The ‘02 and ‘03 vintages were not as strong as the ‘01 or ‘04. Couple that with the synthetic cork and these two wines may not represent how long his wines from stronger vintages with different stoppers might go. That said, five years from vintage date might just be the rule of thumb before seeing some of the wines start to slide. Some sediment slips in the last couple of pours. 13.9% alc. With baked salmon crusted with mustard and herbs (sides of salad and horseradish creamed leeks). Recommended with reservations.

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  11/24/2007 - timewithwine wrote:

  Cloudy, but a primary plum color with no bricking on the rim at all. A nose of cloves, cinnamon, teaberry, cherry and cranberry. The palate is intact with all of those flavors, but the fruit has definitely diminished, yet the wine’s structure remains. The fruit no longer “Wows” but works with the other component as a team. The plushness of the fruit has given way to some smokey, coffee qualities.
  The finish, however, is still hot. The last pour reflects chunks of sediment. The cloudiness never dissipated and detracts from the wine. Synthetic closure. 13.9% alc. With Thanksgiving leftovers and assorted cheeses. Recommended with reservations.

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  11/22/2007 - BonnieM wrote:

  Opened for Thanksgiving but the general consensus was not favorable. I found it stinky, others said it was like fruit juice left in your locker too long. Another comment was overfermented fruit. It threw a medium amount of sediment and I decanted to see if some air would help. No real change so I am assuming I held it for too long.

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  9/27/2007 - RussW wrote:

  Either a bad bottle or this wine has turned into a disjointed mess.

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  5/26/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 84 Points

  Loring Retrospective (Orange County, CA): This wine seemed to have some oxidated or cooked characteristic on the nose. Nonetheless, I did make out some burnt cherry and earth flavors. A hard one to judge.

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