5 years since my previous TN, and at that time I thought the wine would drink best in/around 2015. I lost sight of my TN and the bottle sat in my cellar but I saw PIntag's TN today so I thought I'd pull my final bottle and give it a whirl. Opened this about 2 hours ago. Some pinot funk infuses the aromatic with a nice presence, as well as into the palate. I also notice what seems like some wood, akin to a toasted barrel note. Not sure how much wood was used 12 years ago, which in 2006 was really the final vintage before Wells took on the philosophy change to his winemaking. I respectfully want to differ with PINtag's note, as there is to me a good amount of stuffing left in this bottle, showing as a dark apple and raspberry quality, with residual grip in the wine (probably helped by the light chill I put on the wine). The red fruit frames the core of the wine, remaining to me fresh and still vivid. At 12 years old, I would look for some component of aged quality in the wine, yet I don't find it. The color remains intact, there is no spice box or other aged aromas/flavors, just a cool core of fresh red fruits with the apple. I don't see any rush to open remaining bottles if you have them, provided they drink like this one, which coincidentally I sourced from Winebid back in 2015. This pursuit of tasting wines, writing TNs and sharing is not about finding truth as much as it is sharing perception, which is subject to vary from palate to palate.
13.0% abv. Recent WineBid purchase. Cork in surprisingly good shape (especially after seeing the previous note describing it as "disintegrated"), as it came out in one easy piece and was barely stained a few millimeters up. In any case, the nose was pretty reticent but showed some earthy and yes, graphite as noted below. Not particularly attractive, but interesting. On the palate, this had nice, silky mouthfeel but the fruit was really faded. Acidity was lacking a bit as well which left this seeming a bit flat and over-the-hill. Not bad at all, but not super enjoyable. An interesting look into a well-made domestic Pinot that is not ageworthy. Not sure what factors into this, inferior fruit; young vines; wine-making technique? Some of each? Edit: Also, virtually no sediment at all. Not really scoring this since it is obviously well past peak, but would be 85-86 if I was.
My last bottle. This wine was real hard to get a read on from the nose, as it never did give up much (despite being open for more than ~16 hours). The "bouquet" gave little to no fruit flavors and I think FMIII got it right in describing it mostly as graphite. Thankfully, the palate was much more giving. What I found was a wine focused, with some good energy with a core of red apple skin and dark cranberries. There's good acidity, which keeps it all fresh and linear. This was a nice drink, and it is too bad it was my last bottle, as I think another 1-2 years would put it into its optimal drinking window for my palate.
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W grilled chicken. Good solid pinot, good color, cherry nose and fruity on palate at first. Then it turned steely after 1 hour. Dinish was ok. Drink now.
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(Copain Pinot Noir Monument Tree) Medium dark cherry red color; lovely black cherry, black raspberry nose with sense of bacon fat; tasty, still a bit tight, tart cherry, tart raspberry, elegant palate; medium-plus finish
(Copain Pinot Noir Monument Tree) Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; lovely spicy cherry, Anderson Valley Pinot nose; tasty, delicious tart red fruit, spicy cherry, with structure, sweet tannins and silky mouth feel; medium finish (needs another year or so; no whole cluster)
(Copain Pinot Noir Monument Tree) Bright cherry red color with clear meniscus; ripe cherry and black cherry nose; tight, tart cherry, iron, sense of carbonic maceration; medium finish
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11/17/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
5 years since my previous TN, and at that time I thought the wine would drink best in/around 2015. I lost sight of my TN and the bottle sat in my cellar but I saw PIntag's TN today so I thought I'd pull my final bottle and give it a whirl. Opened this about 2 hours ago. Some pinot funk infuses the aromatic with a nice presence, as well as into the palate. I also notice what seems like some wood, akin to a toasted barrel note. Not sure how much wood was used 12 years ago, which in 2006 was really the final vintage before Wells took on the philosophy change to his winemaking. I respectfully want to differ with PINtag's note, as there is to me a good amount of stuffing left in this bottle, showing as a dark apple and raspberry quality, with residual grip in the wine (probably helped by the light chill I put on the wine). The red fruit frames the core of the wine, remaining to me fresh and still vivid. At 12 years old, I would look for some component of aged quality in the wine, yet I don't find it. The color remains intact, there is no spice box or other aged aromas/flavors, just a cool core of fresh red fruits with the apple. I don't see any rush to open remaining bottles if you have them, provided they drink like this one, which coincidentally I sourced from Winebid back in 2015. This pursuit of tasting wines, writing TNs and sharing is not about finding truth as much as it is sharing perception, which is subject to vary from palate to palate.
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11/16/2018 - PIntag wrote:
13.0% abv. Recent WineBid purchase.
Cork in surprisingly good shape (especially after seeing the previous note describing it as "disintegrated"), as it came out in one easy piece and was barely stained a few millimeters up.
In any case, the nose was pretty reticent but showed some earthy and yes, graphite as noted below. Not particularly attractive, but interesting.
On the palate, this had nice, silky mouthfeel but the fruit was really faded. Acidity was lacking a bit as well which left this seeming a bit flat and over-the-hill. Not bad at all, but not super enjoyable. An interesting look into a well-made domestic Pinot that is not ageworthy. Not sure what factors into this, inferior fruit; young vines; wine-making technique? Some of each?
Edit: Also, virtually no sediment at all. Not really scoring this since it is obviously well past peak, but would be 85-86 if I was.
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7/18/2016 - Tallhoyalawya Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork disintegrated but the wine was still great.
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1/31/2015 - rjoyer wrote:
My last bottle. This wine was real hard to get a read on from the nose, as it never did give up much (despite being open for more than ~16 hours). The "bouquet" gave little to no fruit flavors and I think FMIII got it right in describing it mostly as graphite. Thankfully, the palate was much more giving. What I found was a wine focused, with some good energy with a core of red apple skin and dark cranberries. There's good acidity, which keeps it all fresh and linear. This was a nice drink, and it is too bad it was my last bottle, as I think another 1-2 years would put it into its optimal drinking window for my palate.
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8/29/2014 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
W grilled chicken. Good solid pinot, good color, cherry nose and fruity on palate at first. Then it turned steely after 1 hour. Dinish was ok. Drink now.
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