2008 Phillips Hill Pinot Noir Ring of Fire

Community Tasting Notes (17) Avg Score: 87.2 points

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  9/22/2020 - D.Callahan wrote: 82 Points

  This bottle is a bit over hill with a touch of raisin, still a fair amount of smoke and little in the the way of secondary flavors. The acidity is definitely present and without much to buffer the sharpness. This bottle has been well stored so I would not hesitate to finish off whatever you may still have in storage.

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  6/24/2016 - LesPaul Likes this wine: 87 Points

  Very surprised to enjoy this wine, especially in mid '16. The smoke is there if you look for it but it's very well integrated. This is first and foremost a gracefully aging California Pinot Noir, with beautifully smiling sunny fruit peaking out from underneath the smooth, savory surface. Medium texture and mouthfeel, quite pleasant, with a nice all-around tautness. Not the smoke bomb or ash tray this wine has sometimes been over the years. Might even improve with more age, though who can tell with this crazy, smokey vintage?

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  7/4/2015 - D.Callahan Likes this wine: 89 Points

  This was much better than the last bottle I opened of this wine. It was at or just past its peak but very enjoyable none-the-less. Some nice spice and some smoke that doesn't seem to detract from the wine but adds an unusual touch to the Pinot Noir. Several neophyte tasters enjoyed it very much, picking it as their WOTN.

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  10/21/2014 - D.Callahan Does not like this wine: 82 Points

  Unfortunately this wine is past its prime. Seems a bit thinned out with just some smoke remaining.

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  1/24/2014 - ScottGoodwin Likes this wine: 86 Points

  Definitely at or a little past its peak. Started out with some typical Pinot funk which blew off. Fruit has faded into the background a bit but still plenty of plum and red and black fruits. Creamy slightly spicy oak. Some definite smokey notes as well.

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View all 17 Community Tasting Notes

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