External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2016
2015
2013
2012
2009
2008
2007
2006
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 35 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Eric_Lavoie on 11/22/2022 & rated 92 points: An outstanding wine with plenty of life. Beautiful depth with many layers. Flavors of red currant, raspberry, strawberry jam and forest floor. Easily drinkable for another 3-5 years. (316 views) | | | Tasted by dickbrass on 5/3/2022 & rated 94 points: Good things come to those who wait. This Cal Pinot has matured into something Oregon or even Burgundy would be proud of. Big damn nose of red fruit, barnyard and petroleum. Lovely mixed berries taste, fading slightly but not faded. Tanins utterly resolved leaving a silky mouthfeel that goes on forever. This is a magnificent American wine. Good luck finding any. (484 views) | | | Tasted by jclarkwmj on 11/28/2018 & rated 88 points: Great nose, tobacco, raspberry/strawberry compote, herb de Provence. Not typical for a CA Pinot, but perhaps typical of Thackrey Pinot? There is probably Syrah (I’d guess 10%) in this as it’s rich and brooding in color. Palate is concentrated not like any Pinot I’ve ever had, leaning toward port notes, but remarkably light in body. Probably over the hill and possibly even light or heat damaged as I picked up a stewed nature that wasn’t completely off putting so as to be deemed flawed, but not my style. Very strange and rather disappointing that there was NO sediment in this wine after 14 years. Makes me think this wine did not evolve much since bottling. Drink up! (1055 views) | | | Tasted by GrandeSerataFuori on 11/27/2016 & rated 90 points: Notes from memory. In a very nice phase. Not very Pinot-like, but I do wish I had one or two more in my locker. Cherry and tarragon. A pleasure. The wife says she liked it too. (1656 views) | | | Tasted by kevinacohn on 2/20/2014: Big—very big—and virtually unrecognizable as Pinot. Lively, with aromas of menthol, eucalyptus, cassis, roasted plums, candied strawberries, licorice, orange peel, and black fruits. Decidedly less fruity and more herbaceous than the 2004 I drank almost exactly one year ago, although it shows many of the same characteristics. Went well with Turkish food. Alas, if given the choice of any Pinot or any Thackrey, I wouldn't choose this wine. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3. (3258 views) | | | Tasted by Scruff on 5/28/2011: Good solid Pinot. Opened up beautifully over the evening and second day. (4730 views) | | | Tasted by David J Cooper on 5/20/2011: Medium red. Cherry, spice, mineral and some orange as well as some herbs in this beautiful nose. Of course I instantly thought Marin County (year's biggest lie!). Slightly warm red fruit and mineral flavours a nice dry finish. Excellent balanced California Pinot Noir. (4536 views) | | | Tasted by godx on 5/13/2011 & rated 89 points: Bill's Monthly Lunch - May 2011: Tasted blind – Medium ruby with some signs of age. Bright and ripe cherry and raspberry fruits on the nose with hints of herbal notes. It’s a little boozy on the palate with good acidity and a velvety mouth feel. After some time in the glass some spice coming through on the nose that reminds me of an Oregon pinot, although this wine clearly Californian on the palate. Not the typical overblown/overripe Cali pinot. Drinking well now but might be even better in a few years. Very good. 89+ (4740 views) | | | Tasted by onewineheaven on 11/29/2010 & rated 92 points: What a surprise! It still needs time but the pinot character has really begun to emerge. It was unmistakably pinot on the nose and the palate unlike the previous bottle which had more in common with southern French wines than pinot. The alcohol did not intrude at all but a bit of stemminess remains, though I count that a positive that will add complexity over the next few years. It is just beginning to develop some secondary characteristics. Give it a few more years. (4002 views) | | | Tasted by JFish on 3/3/2010: This wine needs air or a lot more time. P&P. At first very little pinot typicity. It was much more like a grenache on steroids - delicious wine, very rich but silky fruit with a touch of menthol. As it opened up over the evening it calmed to reveal more subtlety with more typical pinot spices and a nice dose of eucalyptus. The last sip from the last glass showed the best. I'll let my remaining bottles rest for a few more years. (2951 views) | | | Tasted by wbq8f on 12/14/2009 & rated 91 points: fully mature, rich, great with confit de canard and cheeses, as always a hint of eucalyptus, complex flavors. (2548 views) | | | Tasted by onewineheaven on 1/15/2009 & rated 90 points: Spielbergundian. All wierdness and difficult to isolate as a strain of Pinot. Let it evolve for another 10 years. It will get interesting. Or something. I like it. I don't get syrah though. I get stems and that's ok because he crushed some fruit with them, possibly grapes. I can't decide if it's acid that bites on the tongue a bit or the 15.1 alcohol. I'm inclined to say acid because I don't get any other hint of heat. Most wines cannot outlive high alcohol but I would give this one another 5-10 years before trying again. It will be one thing or the other. Hopefully not the other. Cheers!
2nd night. Utterly undrinkable. Poured down the drain. Having 2nd thoughts about its evolution. (2748 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 11/1/2008 & rated 90 points: Needs lots of air, several hours. This is very atypical for a pinot, heavy, brooding and rich. As others note, many syrah-like traits. (2673 views) | | | Tasted by KeithAkers on 10/20/2008 & rated 90 points: connoisseur wines new world and new additions fall portfolio (Vivere, Chicago IL): nose: very interesting nose as general telltale cali pinot characteristics are there with red cherries, spice tones, cloves, and some plum tones but there is something different about them. Its not off kilter, its just a 45 degree switch from them, there's just something that I can't put my finger on, but its slightly different, and I'm digging it
taste: well balanced and not getting that much of the heat that I would've expected from a wine of this EToH providing tones of red cherries, black cherries, chocolate, spice tones, and some tart plums
overall: a really good wine. Nice tart acidity and the wine is just really fun to drink. Not that much of an oddball wine that Thackrey can do, but it certainly has his staple with a smooth black cherry attack and spice based finish (3646 views) | | | Tasted by LeechDogg on 5/18/2008 & rated 90 points: Not like any other pinot I've tasted. Jammy, extracted fruit with 15.1 alcohol slightly out of balance. (2744 views) | | | Tasted by JFish on 2/8/2008: Friday night. A bit wild and woollly. A mixture of cherry and darker fruits on the palate with some ginger and baking spices and a bit of heat on the back end. Corked and refrigerated and tried again on Saturday night. More in balance with red fruits and ginger showing with no noticeable heat. Like Sean's other wines, always a fun ride. (2895 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 10/6/2007 & rated 89 points: Interesting wine. Opened and allowed to sit for 45 minutes, but not decanted. This has a dark appearance in the glass, and a wonderful boquet full of red fruit with hints of clove and oak. I don't see the syrah comparisons noted by folks last year; this came off fairly thin in composition(watery as opposed to syrupy) although it did have a heaviness of fruit flavor. The flavor however, was disappointingly brief in the wine's quick finish. The wine was markedly improved all around about 90 minutes after opened. A small sample when uncorked led to a one-dimensional and confused taste. (3085 views) | | | Tasted by lewrose@gmail.com on 12/22/2006 & rated 85 points: I agree with the other reviewers that this wine has a very thick mouthfeel. Overall, very fruity wine, thick, syrah like, with a short finish. Good but not worth the price. (3307 views) | | | Tasted by CMCLR on 10/3/2006 & rated 87 points: A weird expression of pinot. Tasted blind, you could confuse this for syrah with a big, unusual nose. Interesting, but short finish. Happy I only bought 1 bottle out of curiousity. (3552 views) | | | Tasted by jamiekutch on 6/11/2006: Very large and ripe, almost thick with a bitter ending. Rough edge gives this a very masculine style. (3780 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 2/25/2006 & rated 87 points: Dark, meaty, well-spiced Pinot fruit with brambly notes. Brighter cherry liqueur on the palate. Low-acid and a disturbingly heavy delivery. Well made, but not for classical Pinot lovers. (3867 views) | | | Tasted by transpodude on 1/10/2006 & rated 89 points: very big round pinot, never seemed to opne up all the way (3815 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 10/24/2005: While I like Sean's wines, this is not so much to my liking and no where near worth the ticket. More Syrah-like, but clean fruit and a rich core. Interesting aromatics. Shorter on the finish than it ought to be. Tasted alone, even less interest than before. (4031 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 10/24/2005: A jammy, spicy wooded nose with reduced strawberry jam notes. Youthful and slightly astringent on the palate - will need some time to round out. Slightly sweet with some floral nuances. A bit hollow in the middle. ***-/5 (4063 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 10/15/2005: Santa Maria BBQ Night: Last minute addition to the party, mostly in tribute to Thackrey's loss of his wines in a fire. Slightly spicy nose with some damp earth. Alcohol intrudes quickly, giving an almost cologne air. Light on the body with some nice fruit notes and hints of clove. Short finish with a disappointingly small palate impression. A flat wine. The decanter and the whole of the evening did not bring anything special into this wine. Not unenjoyable, but not worth the ~60$ winery price (pre-fire) and way off the 80$ OH retail. C'est dommage. Fine with Santa Maria BBQ and fixin's. (4777 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Sean Thackrey Producer websitePinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson |
|
