Pinot Smackdown 2010

It was time for the yearly pinot smackdown and this time Ken stepped up and hosted it at his place. Things would be a bit different this time as we were going to do the tasting in one flight (thus limiting the bottles for the official tasting) and we would only factor in where people slotted the wine, not by total points in a 100 pt system

• 2004 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  nose: fat nose, but with a precision to it along with tones of crushed rocks, tree fruits, citrus tones, nuts and bits of lemon and lime peels. Very good depth with a real mineral base
  
  taste: excellent medium/full feel with medium+ acidity and well balanced tones of minerals, crushed rocks, tree fruits, nuts, and bits of limes. Showing young on the palate but with nice depth right now
  
  overall: A young meursault that seems another two years from drinking if it doesn't end up with premox. Well balanced and with very good mineral driven tones on both the nose and palate

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• 2002 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Remilly 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  nose: extremely toasty nose at the start that was a bit overpowering but with some swirling and air it blew off to provide tones of meyer lemons, roasted nuts and bits of citrus peels. Nice depth, but nothing to get excited about
  
  taste: well balanced medium feel with medium acidity and tones of minerals, toast, meyer lemons, citrus', and bits of nuts. Drinking very well right now as the acidity isn't that overpowering, but slightly noticeable
  
  overall: this had a light gold color in the glass. Considering the producer I was just happy to have this be alive. It was a very good white burg, but fairly standard and didn't really show off premier cru quality depth and came off more along the lines of a village wine

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• 2008 Domaine Serene Coeur Blanc 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  nose: nice light nose of roses, tropical citrus', and bits of white fruits. Very fresh and light with a refreshing style to it
  
  taste: lighter feel with good and crisp medium+ acidity with tones of tropical citrus', white fruits and bits of white florals. Refreshing and tasty but not too much depth
  
  overall: a very good summer white. Nice and balanced with refreshing tones on both the nose and palate

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the reason we came here

• 2000 Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: piney and sappy nose with tones of red fruits, rhubarb, red cherries and a touch of frunk. Well balanced with nice depth
  
  taste: excellent medium feel with medium acidity and tones of raspberries, red fruits, pine tones, and some bits of dark cherries. Very good feel, but slightly hollow on the mid palate
  
  overall: my no9, group no6. This was an excellent wine, but the mid palate being a bit thin took away from it. The nose had a nice plushness to it, but had a bit of subtlety as well

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• 2007 Kanzler Vineyards Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: bright and upfront nose of candied red fruits, cola, dark tones of raspberries and bits of spices. Good depth and unmistakably california
  
  taste: fuller bodied with good medium acidity along with tones of candied red fruits, cola, spices and a touch of rhubarb. Polished tannins with a bigger take on the tones as well
  
  overall: a quality pinot. Was clearly a cali pinot blind. This was my no7 and the group's no2

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• 2004 Dominique Laurent Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  nose: soft and pungent nose of dark red cherries, various vegetal tones, red fruits and bits of red florals. A bit simplistic on the nose with solid depth, but the green is there as well
  
  taste: pretty medium feel with medium+ acidity with a good red fruitted base along with tones of spices, dark red cherries and vegetal tones. Well balanced with a more refined feel and the green isn't as noticeable
  
  overall: my no6 group's no4. Was clearly the lone burg in the tasting and showed off the vintage as well

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• 2006 Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard 85 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: extremely rich and overblown nose of dark red cherries, road tar, black currants, oak, and liqueur tones. Very big and overdone, but the fruit is still holding together
  
  taste: full bodied with juicy tannins and very rich tones of dark red cherries, road tar, oak, and liqueur with some black licorice as well
  
  overall: my no11 group no12. This was just too big for me. ALl of the tones were in your face and were far from subtle. If it wasn't for being a pinot tasting, it'd be hard to know what varietal it was

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• 2006 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: tart nose of red fruits, red cherries, red currants, licorice tones and a good bit of spice tones as well. Good depth with a real expressive side to it
  
  taste: polished and smooth medium feel with silky tannins and medium acidity along with balanced tones of red fruits, red cherries, tart red berries, and spice tones
  
  overall: my no4, group no8. I liked this one a lot as it showed real good balance on both the nose and palate along with having good tart fruit that wasn't overly candied

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• 2004 Calera Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan

  nose: more stalky and red fruit based nose of red currants, red fruits, spice tones and bits of chalk
  
  taste: plush medium with good medium acidity and smooth tones of red currants, stalk tones, red fruits and bits of spice
  
  overall: my no8, group no7. the chalk and stalk tones were a bit odd. Good bright red fruits though and well balanced especially given the vintage

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• 2005 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: plump and tart tones of black cherries, spice tones, dark red fruits and dark berry tones. Very good depth and plushness on the nose
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with medium acidity. Plush and deep tones of black cherries, spices, dark red fruits and a whole lot of dark berry tones
  
  overall: my no3, group no3. The depth really drove this one. It wasn't as complex as other pinots, but the layering and depth brought a different level

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• 2007 A.P. Vin Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  nose: tight and powerful nose filled with dark red fruits, dark red cherries, cola, and crushed berries. Good depth and very primal
  
  taste: smooth and polished full body with medium acidity and some grippy tannins. Excellent depth with creamy tones of crushed berries, cola, dark red cherries and some bits of dark raspberries
  
  overall: my no2, group no1. While not normally my style, this did set itself apart. This is a no holds barred pinot that has some good promise

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• 2007 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Terra Neuma 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: excellent depth on the nose along with balanced and creamy tones of red fruits, peppery tones, berries, red cherries, raspberries and a touch of cola
  
  taste: smooth and silky full body with medium acidity and plush tones of cola, berries, red fruits, raspberries and some bits of milk chocolate and spice tones
  
  overall: my no1, group no9. Not sure why I was so off from the group on this one, but this was really damn good. Very complex on both the nose and palate and though it wasn't my normal cup of tea, it showed great

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• 2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  nose: elegant but very tight nose with spice tones, red fruits, red florals and red currants. Well balanced and possess very good depth but the tones aren't fully coming out and play
  
  taste: very youthful on the palate with excellent depth and polished tones of red fruits, red florals, red currants and a touch of spice tones. Very good medium body and medium+ acidity with some chewy tannins as well
  
  overall: my no5, group no12. We had been told that this had been decanted for a while, but this just didn't really seem to want to fully come out and play. Lots of promise and very young, this really does need some serious time before really showing itself

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• 2006 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Mark Bradford 79 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  nose: bludgeoned by oak on the nose with some extracted tones of anise and dark red cherries. It really just mostly smells of wood though
  
  taste: full bodied with a heavy dose of oak and some tones of dark red fruits, oak spices and dark red cherries. The ones are also on the extracted side
  
  overall: my no12, group no11. I had a feeling that this was a DS wine when it was blind. I wasn't fully confident enough to say anything, but it sure did seem like one and my suspicions were true. All I could notice was the oak on both the nose and palate

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• 2005 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Over & Out 87 Points

  USA, California

  nose: very toasty nose with rich tones of dark red cherries, black currants, spice tones and some bits of candy and red currants. On the extracted side and rather chunky
  
  taste: full bodied, big and very rich tones of dark red cherries, black currants, cola, dark berries and candy tones. The feel is big but the chunkiness on the nose follows through on the palate
  
  overall: my no10, group no5. This was overdone for me. It wasn't all that interesting and didn't really hold the size of the wine for me

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These were opened at various points in the evening as part of dinner and post main event

• 2007 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: big and rich nose of sweet candied cherries, red fruits, tart tones of raspberries, berries and bits of cola. Good depth and a bit tight as well
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with rich tones of candied cherries, cola, red fruits, and berries. Seems to be holding back a bit with some chewy tannins as well
  
  overall: definitely on the young side, this can use some time to smooth out. A bit rough around the edges right now

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• 2004 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  nose: attractive and piney nose with fresh tones of red fruits, red florals, bits of red cherries and berry tones. Very good depth and is very fragrant right now
  
  taste: lithe and lovely on the palate with good medium+ acidity and tones of spices, pine sap, red fruits and bits of red berries. A bit lighter on the palate, but not too light
  
  overall: not a single hint of the green tones that seem to pop up in a lot of 04s. There is a real pine element to this that is enjoyable and different. It is very well balanced on both the nose and palate, this is a very nice 04

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• 2004 Achával-Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira 93 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, La Consulta

  nose: rich and lush nose of blue fruits, smoke, black fruits, and dark red cherries. While not the most complex nose, there was great layering and depth on it that is seamless
  
  taste: full bodied with smooth and silky tannins along with rich tones of blue fruits, black cherries, black fruits, smoke, bits of black currants and spice tones. Very well balanced with a real richness to it without being overdone
  
  overall: A real quality wine. This can go further, but is in a real good spot right now. This was just off of a pop n pour and would probably show real well with a 1 or 2 hour decant

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• 2001 Tenuta Fanti Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  nose: savory and balanced nose of roasted herbs, dark red cherries, red florals, and a good dose of red berries with some bits of meaty tones. Well balanced with good depth
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with rich and polished tones of roasted herbs, dark red cherries, some oak tones, and bits of red berries and florals. Good supporting tannins with medium+ acidity
  
  overall: this was presented blind and immediately showed it to be from italy. There was real good balance to it and a nice savory element and I guessed this to be a sangiovese dominated IGT

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• 2006 Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir En Famille 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: showing a good dose of heat right off the bat with some tones of dark red cherries, candy, and bits of berry tones
  
  taste: full bodied with bigger tannins and rich tones of dark red cherries, tart raspberries, candy and bits of berries. The heat is still noticeably there
  
  overall: a solid pinot that could use some time, but the heat was bothersome. This is a big bruiser of a pinot and seemed a bit monolithic right now

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• 2003 Cayuse Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  nose was very disjointed and seemed off with tones of balsam, soy, black cherries and smoke. It was full bodied on the palate, but the tones still seemed a bit muted and off with some bits of mineral rich earth, soy, black cherries and smoke. The previous bottle of this that LeatherPalate opened was like this a bit, but this seemed too much and didn't really budge all that much in the glass unlike the previous bottle

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• 1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  nose: very meaty and bretty nose that didn't really blow off along with tones of black cherries, smoke, and bits of soy. This seemed a bit weak on the nose and not showing too much
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with good tannins and tones of roasted meats, black cherries, some brett, smoke and bits of soy. Well balanced, but not really jumping on the palate either
  
  overall: This was a very bretty bottle and it didn't really blow off. Ken had graciously served this to us blind but didn't feel that this was a representative bottle

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• 2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Panoplie

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  nose: rich and bold nose filled with dark tones of dark red cherries, red licorice, red fruits and some bits of red berries. Very good depth with a real plushness to it
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with chewy tannins and lower acidity along with balanced and rich tones of dark red cherries, red licorice, red fruits, some berries and a touch of heat on the back end
  
  overall: this was towards the end of a long night, so no score. It was really good and balanced while not seeming it's age at all

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• 2008 Phillips Hill Pinot Noir Ring of Fire

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  nose: nice and fragrant nose of tart red cherries, candy tones, cola, red berries and bits of smoke. Not too much depth behind it though
  
  taste: very nice medium feel with medium acidity and well balanced tones of red berries, red cherries, cola and some smoke tones
  
  overall: this was nice, but it was lacking a bit in depth. It was a pop n pour with about 8 other people, so spending more time with a bottle would probably give a better idea of what it can bring

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• 1983 Château Margaux 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  nose: very deep and refined nose that took a bit to get going but unravels into flowing tones of cedar, dark red fruits, red cherries, leather, mineral rich earth tones, perfumes, incense, and some violets. Intoxicating and complex nose that brings an array of tones in waves
  
  taste: medium/full body with silky tannins that still show off a good amount of youth on the palate. Regal and satiny tones of cedar, dark red fruits, red cherries, leather, mineral rich earth, incense and bits of violets all blend in well together. Wonderful depth that just layered itself on the palate
  
  overall: oh to have had a small group on this bottle. This was starting to kick into another full gear after about 30 minutes but there was a lot of people drinking from it. The glimpse that I got though was more than enough to leave an indelible mark on me. This may have been at the end of a very long night, but its greatness certainly shocked me back to life

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Yet another great smackdown. This time, I actually placed 2nd and broke my streak at smackdown. LeatherPalate won the Yak Palate award for his Rhys Alpine. As per normal smackdowns, there was a lot of wine opened over the course of the evening and a lot of great wine. Onto the next one!