Pinot Noir - Mendocino and Sonoma Counties

The Wine Country, Signal Hill, CA
Tasted Saturday, May 5, 2012 by PIntag with 683 views

Introduction

This was billed as a "cool-climate" California Pinot Noir tasting.

Flight 1 (10 Notes)

  • 2009 Handley Pinot Noir Mendocino County 87 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

    $18.99. Good savory fruit on the nose. On the palate, fairly rich and spicy with a hint of oak but, thankfully, not overdone. A little heat apparent on the finish. Not showing much depth of fruit, but really not a bad new world Pinot at this price point. Much better than the 2007 version of this wine.

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  • 2009 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Cuvée de Trois 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    $28.99. Not much on the nose. Rich savory fruit and a little creamy on the attack but transitioned to tart and slightly candied on the mid-palate. Well-balanced but seems very youthful at this point. I'd be interested in revisiting this in a year or two.

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  • 2009 Copain Pinot Noir Tous Ensemble 87 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    $25.99. Not much on the nose but a little astringent aroma reminiscent of rubbing alcohol. Soft on the attack with some bright candied fruit as the acidity kicks in after the mid-palate. Nicely balanced but lacks some depth. I'd like to see this priced more as an entry level offering (which it is) below $20. Nice enough, but at $25, this is not at all compelling to me.

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  • 2009 Elizabeth Spencer Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    $27.99. Nose a little stinky at first (sulfer?) but blew off after about five minutes. On the palate, earthiness was at the forefront, with some dark and smoky fruit showing in the background, framed with nicely balancing acidity. Very dry tannins on the finish. Very unlike anything else at this Cali Pinot tasting and really the only one without the candied fruit character that I'm not particularly fond of. This is really more up my alley. Should get even better with a few years on its side. Easily my favorite wine of the tasting, though, I don't think it was a big hit with most of the others.

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  • 2010 Failla Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    $33.99. Showy on the nose with more of a perfumey character. Fruit is up-front, slightly candied, but not over the top. Savory notes, too, and well balanced. Nicely tannic on the finish.

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  • 2010 Lioco Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 86 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    $35.99. Highly aromatic nose showing some stewed fruit. Deep ripe fruit on the palate, seemed a little plummy and overripe to me with some heat on the finish. Could use a little more acidity to balance it out. Others seemed to enjoy this more than I did. Very pricey for an entry level appellation wine. Worst QPR of the tasting to me.

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  • 2009 Baker Lane Pinot Noir Ramondo Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    $37.99. Interesting and aromatic savory nose with a little hint of a green streak. Very savory on the palate (as opposed to candied) with good depth of flavor. Nice but could use just a touch more acidity to balance it out.

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  • 2009 Baxter Pinot Noir Langely Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    $35.99. Really unusual nose of perfume and camphor. Nice pinot fruit, perhaps a little on the candied side of the spectrum. Good depth and length in a well-balanced package. Nice.

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  • 2009 B Kosuge Pinot Noir Manchester Ridge 83 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino

    $37.99. Nose dominated by vanilla. Uh-oh, the oak monster makes an appearance. A vanilla layer on the palate as well, pretty much covering up the fruit. Finishes with oaky sweetness and some fine tannins. Could use some more acidity as well. Overall, smooth, rich and polished, but not my style at all. My least favorite of the tasting.

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  • 2009 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    $47.99. Fragrant, perfumed nose with good amplitude. Palate starts out soft and round but transitions to a very well balanced and elegant mid-palate. Long finish with good depth of fruit. I'd like to see a touch more acidity overall, but this is a very nice wine. Quite expensive for an appellation offering and not a great QPR. My #2 wine of the tasting, but clearly behind the much less expensive Elizabeth Spencer for me.

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Closing

Overall, a good array of high-quality wines. However, I think this was a good illustration of my frustration with Cali Pinot - a theme of candied fruit at relatively high price points. There was only one wine, the Elizabeth Spencer, that was in a style that I liked and a good enough value for me to consider purchasing. For pinot, Oregon appellation wines and Bourgogne from good vintages are more enjoyable to me and are generally at lower price points. I was encouraged that only one of these wines was what I consider to be over-oaked, but that wasn't enough to draw me in to buy more Cali Pinot.

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