There is a freshness to this wine, exhibiting what I would call something that is energized, with a carbonic or freshly fermented feel. Pure rasberry, bing cherry. A day later, retasting this again, it picks up some black cherry notes and a beam of delineation, energy. However, what's interesting, this wine is a single barrel of '13 Falstaff so where that wine has finesse and polish, this wine lacks that trait, I suspect because of the absence of the sulfur? Anyway, there is little of this around as it's going to be restaurant only but we appreciate Jamie letting us have a bottle to try and get our heads around.
A 50/50 blend of Campbell Ranch and Sonoma Stage vineyards, with 25% new wood. Solid stuff. Zesty and crunchy fruit, with black cherry and a smoky, gamy tone. Bright cherry core, with a loamy edge that has good length. As it takes on more air, it darkens up the fruit tone, yet it also becomes more rocky and tannic, with a meaty note, posessing that same zesty quality. The 100% whole cluster here, as opposed to say the 2011 that still shows that signature, I don't get that signature here in the 2013. Retasting a day later, good fruit presence, and I get the stems today a bit more. They're woven into the wine, given a bit of bitterness to go up against the raspberry and black cherry fruit. Still tight at this stage, good energy but the coil on it will need time to soften. I can sense the fruit and acid that lies under that structure, and with the 12.3% alc, should be a great drink in another year and onward.
Neutral oak here, 100% whole cluster. This has a rose petal, spice and stem aromatic. The fruit? Gorgeous, albeit less sexy in tone than the 2012 (which does have about 20% new oak on that wine). The tones here are smooth, generous, juicy with dark raspberry, red apple and a zesty personality. As the wine sat through dinner and warmed, another glass revealed some added blue fruit tones, game and high acidity, with great energy. Beautiful.
This wine is money, so good. I decided to insert this bottle into the dinner's flight to give contrast against the 2013, which we poured next to it. That wine is also 100% whole cluster, although that one is made with neutral wood, whereas the 2012 is 20% new. The 2012 is floral and really jumps out of the glass. It has impeccable balance, full of dark raspberry, blue tones, juicy and it seems to just cover the palate in all directions. As it breathed and warmed up, like the 2013, it got even better, showing an exotic quality and intensity and depth. I have yet to find a CA wine this year that thrills me as this 2012 does and I suspect at this point I have found my red WOTY for 2014. Will be hard for anything to overtake this beauty.
Like with many of the Kutch 2013s, this is also 100% whole cluster and neutral wood. Upon opening, and even after a decant, driven by in part some of the cool temp I put on the wine, it is pretty wound up and tight. Mainly cherry, clove/mint, chewy and at least with an hour of air, showed the reddest fruit quality of all the Kutch 2013s. It's also leaner than the rest of the lineup, showing as Steve Nordhoff called it, a watermelon quality, which was spot on. It too picked up some blue tones with more air and a warmer glass temp, although for me it remained tight. Will be a long ager.
While 100% whole cluster, like the 2012 McDougall, it sees 50% new wood, which is the highest of the 2013s, as many saw no new wood. And the color of this thing, it's dark and the 2012 is even darker. Syrah like in color, both of them. Rich, darker fruit, some vanilla, dark raspberry, mineral. As it warms up, stays brawny, dark a brooding wine for sure. Jamie indicated that this wine is still one year off from release and it needs it! Big boy here.
And I thought the 2013 McDougall was a biggun, this is a bit bigger and darker in color, too. Meaty, chewy, chalk, crushed rocks, also a brooding kind of wine. A super core of dark fruit that covers the palate. As it warmed up through dinner (and I did decant this wine before I left the house, as I did the 2013, and also the 2013 Bohan), it gets darker, liqueur-like, with dark cherry and density. Needs some time to uncoil or a day or more of slow ox. Wow.
2013 Kutch Pinot Noir Sans Soufre Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
There is a freshness to this wine, exhibiting what I would call something that is energized, with a carbonic or freshly fermented feel. Pure rasberry, bing cherry. A day later, retasting this again, it picks up some black cherry notes and a beam of delineation, energy. However, what's interesting, this wine is a single barrel of '13 Falstaff so where that wine has finesse and polish, this wine lacks that trait, I suspect because of the absence of the sulfur? Anyway, there is little of this around as it's going to be restaurant only but we appreciate Jamie letting us have a bottle to try and get our heads around.
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2013 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
A 50/50 blend of Campbell Ranch and Sonoma Stage vineyards, with 25% new wood. Solid stuff. Zesty and crunchy fruit, with black cherry and a smoky, gamy tone. Bright cherry core, with a loamy edge that has good length. As it takes on more air, it darkens up the fruit tone, yet it also becomes more rocky and tannic, with a meaty note, posessing that same zesty quality. The 100% whole cluster here, as opposed to say the 2011 that still shows that signature, I don't get that signature here in the 2013. Retasting a day later, good fruit presence, and I get the stems today a bit more. They're woven into the wine, given a bit of bitterness to go up against the raspberry and black cherry fruit. Still tight at this stage, good energy but the coil on it will need time to soften. I can sense the fruit and acid that lies under that structure, and with the 12.3% alc, should be a great drink in another year and onward.
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2013 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Neutral oak here, 100% whole cluster. This has a rose petal, spice and stem aromatic. The fruit? Gorgeous, albeit less sexy in tone than the 2012 (which does have about 20% new oak on that wine). The tones here are smooth, generous, juicy with dark raspberry, red apple and a zesty personality. As the wine sat through dinner and warmed, another glass revealed some added blue fruit tones, game and high acidity, with great energy. Beautiful.
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2012 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
This wine is money, so good. I decided to insert this bottle into the dinner's flight to give contrast against the 2013, which we poured next to it. That wine is also 100% whole cluster, although that one is made with neutral wood, whereas the 2012 is 20% new. The 2012 is floral and really jumps out of the glass. It has impeccable balance, full of dark raspberry, blue tones, juicy and it seems to just cover the palate in all directions. As it breathed and warmed up, like the 2013, it got even better, showing an exotic quality and intensity and depth. I have yet to find a CA wine this year that thrills me as this 2012 does and I suspect at this point I have found my red WOTY for 2014. Will be hard for anything to overtake this beauty.
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2013 Kutch Pinot Noir Bohan Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Like with many of the Kutch 2013s, this is also 100% whole cluster and neutral wood. Upon opening, and even after a decant, driven by in part some of the cool temp I put on the wine, it is pretty wound up and tight. Mainly cherry, clove/mint, chewy and at least with an hour of air, showed the reddest fruit quality of all the Kutch 2013s. It's also leaner than the rest of the lineup, showing as Steve Nordhoff called it, a watermelon quality, which was spot on. It too picked up some blue tones with more air and a warmer glass temp, although for me it remained tight. Will be a long ager.
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2013 Kutch Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
While 100% whole cluster, like the 2012 McDougall, it sees 50% new wood, which is the highest of the 2013s, as many saw no new wood. And the color of this thing, it's dark and the 2012 is even darker. Syrah like in color, both of them. Rich, darker fruit, some vanilla, dark raspberry, mineral. As it warms up, stays brawny, dark a brooding wine for sure. Jamie indicated that this wine is still one year off from release and it needs it! Big boy here.
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2012 Kutch Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
And I thought the 2013 McDougall was a biggun, this is a bit bigger and darker in color, too. Meaty, chewy, chalk, crushed rocks, also a brooding kind of wine. A super core of dark fruit that covers the palate. As it warmed up through dinner (and I did decant this wine before I left the house, as I did the 2013, and also the 2013 Bohan), it gets darker, liqueur-like, with dark cherry and density. Needs some time to uncoil or a day or more of slow ox. Wow.
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