Chicago Pinot Days-2008

I was undecided as to whether I was going to attend this year until the last minute. With finals coming up, there's studying that needs to be done, but that's what study breaks are for right

• 2006 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Lindsay's Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone

  nose: nice pungent nose of bright cherries with sweet spices, anise, and soft red licorice tones
  
  taste: bigger body giving a medium/full pinot feel with bright cherries, spice, and red licorice tones
  
  overall: Really good medium/full bodied pinot. Nice structure with medium acidity though there is a bit of heat with a nice red cherry attack and anise based finish

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• 2006 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Adobe Bien Nacido Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  nose: really good dark fruit driven nose filled with dark cherries, earthen tones, and a good amount of dark raspberry
  
  taste: nice medium pinot feel with dark cherries, earthen tones and dark raspberries
  
  overall: excellent depth with some nice tart acidity. Really good aromatics with good weight on the palate providing a nice deep dark cherry attack and dark red fruited finish

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• 2006 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Le Colline Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  nose: really good depth on the nose with lots of dark red fruits of dark cherries, dark raspberries, some bluefruits, and nice subtle tones of strawberries creep in. Very well balanced with dark and subtle aromatics that bring you into the wine
  
  taste: excellent medium body with dark cherries, black spices, dark raspberries, and bits of blue fruits. Very smooth and silky that is very well balanced
  
  overall: An outstanding pinot. Really wonderful balance and aromatics to it that continue over to the palate. Not going to overpower you, but instead it works its way in a subtle manner that provides a lot of joy. Great medium acidity binds the wine with a lush dark cherry attack and dark raspberry finish

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• 2006 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Brosseau Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone

  nose: nice dark nose filled with earthen tones, bits of mushrooms, black spices, tart dark cherries and some perfume tones emerge. very expressive that just wafts from the glass with a lot of beauty
  
  taste: Excellent medium pinot feel with a good amount of depth providing tones of dark cherries, some black spices, rasbperries, and bits of earthen tones
  
  overall: This is a wine that will get a lot better as there is a lot of promise. Really smooth medium feel with medium/high acidity that needs a bit of time to calm down. A budding beauty with very expressive aromatics and a lush dark cherry attack with a tart raspberry finish

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• 2006 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  nose: a bit of wood to start off that does blow off a bit with dark spices, black cherries, black licorice, and good tart red fruits. Very pungent nose and big nose
  
  taste: excellent medium body with dark spices, black cherries, and tart red fruits with hints of cola
  
  overall: a really good pinot with excellent balance. Nice meidum acidity and medium body that is very smooth and nicely weighted on teh palate with a dark spice attack and a tart red fruited finish

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• 2006 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: very expressive and beautiful nose that is densely layered and filled with dark red fruits, perfumes, purple florals, and bits of spices. Really one of the prettiest california pinot noses that I've come across as its just very expressive and really shows a sense of place
  
  taste: nice bright red fruits of cherries, raspberries, wild strawberries, florals and bits of perfumes. Plush and velvety, this is giving me exactly what I'd want from a pinot noir
  
  overall: I was just very glad that I wasn't getting the over candied RRV fruit that I normally get. Instead, what i got was a very expressive wine that spoke while tasting. Very nice plush medium feel on the palate with very nice medium acidity to allow this to age a bit

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• 2006 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: very well layered nose of black cherries, dark raspberries, black licorice, and nice tones of brown spices. More subtle and nuanced then the RRV, there is a nice class to this that can emerge with more time
  
  taste: very elegant on teh palate with black cherries, black licorice, brown spices, and bits of dark raspberry tones. Very velvety and full of class, this is what new world pinot should taste like
  
  overall: this has that classic cool hollywood female lead quality to it. Great depth and layers on both the nose and palate that exude class and elegance while retaining its new world sensibilities. Good medium body with nice medium acidity to allow this to get a bit of age on it

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• 2007 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast 83 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  nose: very light with some red fruits, bits of perfumes, and very faint spice tones
  
  taste: rather pedestrian with some cherry tones and bits of stems
  
  overall: a pedestrian wine that doesn't do much of anything. Rather uninspiring with non-descript aromas and flavors

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• 2006 Calera Pinot Noir Mount Harlan Cuvée 87 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan

  nose: nice stonish backdrop with bits of red cherries and wild raspberries
  
  taste: decent flavors of red cherries, some stones, and bits of wild raspberries
  
  overall: a solid wine that is decent and easy drinking, but more surface. Nice and easy to drink, but nothing to really get excited about

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• 2005 Calera Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan

  nose: interesting chalky nose filled with crushed rocks, red cherries, and spice tones. While interesting, there isn't a whole bunch of depth on the nose, but I do like the mineral undercurrants that form the base of the wine
  
  taste: good medium feel with chalk tones, crushed rocks, black raspberries, spice tones, and bits of red cherries
  
  overall: A very nice wine, but it doesn't have that extra level of excitement. Good medium acidity and feel with a smooth black raspberry attack

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• 2005 Calera Pinot Noir 30th Anniversary Mills Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan

  nose: great nose filled with crushed rocks, dark red cherries, floral tones, and asian and brown spices
  
  taste: very polished and silky feel with smooth and rounded tones of crushed rocks, dark raspberries, dark red cherries, floral tones, and some brown spices
  
  overall: very much a baby as the acidity is still very much kicking. Very good dark red cherry attack that flows well into a brown spiced finish

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• 2005 Talisman Pinot Noir Adastra Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  nose: tight upfront nose that unwinds a bit into big dark fruited tones of dark candied cherries, raspberries, brown spices, black licorice, and some perfume tones
  
  taste: medium/full bodied with dark candied cherries, raspberries, and black licorice tones
  
  overall: Needs a bit more time to come around. The nose took a slight bit to get going, but the feel on the palate was very good and weighted for those that want a more full bodied pinot. A slight bit hot and extracted with good medium acidity

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• 2005 Talisman Pinot Noir Thorn Ridge Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: very candied and perfumy with red cherries, raspberries, and lots of red currants underneath. Fairly big and candied nose, but there is a balance to it
  
  taste: rich tones of red cherries, wild strawberries, red currants, and raspberries. Medium/Full bodied with good weight
  
  overall: Very rich and sweet in that candied pinot style. A lot of body on the palate, but it still move and transitions fairly well, but there is a slight lack of acidity taking away from it. Good candied cherry attack with a tart raspberry finish

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• 2005 Talisman Pinot Noir Red Dog Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  nose: fairly tight on the nose with some dark red cherries, raspberries, black licorice, and some perfumes. I wouldn't be surprised if this got decanted for a good two hours that the nose would jump a bit more as it took some serious digging to get what I got off of it
  
  taste: well defined on the palate with some earthen tones, dark red cherries, raspberries, and black licorice. Not as full bodied as the other Talisman's that were being poured, which was a bit of a welcome departure
  
  overall: Good medium body and medium acidity. Smooth and polished on the palate with some good weight too. As with the other talisman's, the palate is more defined then the aromatics

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• 2005 Talisman Pinot Noir Hawk Hill Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: extremely tight on the nose. It's hard to get much, but some raspberries, red cherries, red currants, and some dark red fruits poke their way through
  
  taste: very smooth with good medium body giving off raspberries, red cherries, and dark red fruit tones
  
  overall: Again, better on the palate then on the nose. This was in need of a serious decanting, but it still posseses a nice and smooth raspberry attack and a fat dark red fruited finish

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• 2007 Dain Wines Pinot Noir Savage Juliet 92 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  nose: very aromatic, this is just a thing of beauty with layers of black cherries, dark raspberries, dark florals, and just loaded with spices that seem to come from a kitchen spice rack
  
  taste: Very polished and smooth with tasty tones of black cherries, dark raspberries, dark florals, and some bits of spices. Great medium body that flows great across the palate
  
  overall: A beautiful wine that seems to be ready to drink right out of the gate. Great aromatics that are seamless and it follows through for the most part on teh palate(though the mid palate is a bit hollow). Great medium body to it with medium acidity that gives off a tasty black cherry attack and a really good spice based finish

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• 2007 Dain Wines Pinot Noir American Beauty Amber Ridge Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: well balanced nose with bits of earth, brown spices, dark cherries, and nice wafting perfume tones. very pretty aromatics that are deftly balanced together, just a lot of fun to smell
  
  taste: good medium body with some earthen tones, brown spices, and dark cherries. Great attack, but then it falls off a cliff on the mid palate and finish
  
  overall: hopefully some time will work out that big dropoff on the mid palate and finish, it just made this wine a complete tease. Beautiful and formed aromatics already with a really good medium feel that gives off a nice dark cherry attack, but then the drop off happens, which is too bad

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• 2006 August West Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: nice light and delicate nose of wild strawberries, red berries, raspberries, and some dried fruits. Pretty and feminine with a classy delicate streak
  
  taste: Very finessed on the palate with a light feel providing tones of wild strawberries, raspberries and dried fruits. Very pinot driven on the palate that aims for the varietal and region to speak, and not the winemaking
  
  overall: Nice and soft, but with tart acidity. This is a pinot drinkers pinot noir. Very light in color and wrapped in finesse all the way around. It goes about itself in a delicate and refined nature that is very pleasing for me

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• 2006 August West Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  nose: beautiful and classy nose filled with wild bush fruits, violets, perfumes, some fresh cherries, and some underlying red currants to spruce up the nose. Very well layered and enjoyable to smell
  
  taste: pretty and delicate with wild bush fruits, violet tones, perfumes, some spices, and bits of fresh picked cherries. Light on the palate, but with really good layers to go with them
  
  overall: pretty and refined like a classic hollywood blonde. Very good depth on this, and definitely has more depth then the graham. Light ruby color, this is a pure pinot that strives to be pinot and has a delicate balance to it that just drives the wine in a pleasing way

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• 2007 August West Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  nose: nice light and lifting nose of wild strawberries, raspberries, perfumes, and a good helping of florals
  
  taste: pretty and lithe with tones of strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and bits of perfumes on the back end
  
  overall: Delicate and feminine with a smooth and light attack of strawberries and perfumy finish. I'm really loving this style from august west, it just scratches me where I itch when I want to drink pinot. Its rather refreshing to see this style come out of california when the Laube-bomb is the more dominant style

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• 2007 August West Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: beautiful and expressive nose of candied cherries, raspberries, wild berries, and bits of brown spice. There is an underlying intensity to this that is in stark contrast from the other august west noses that I've had
  
  taste: back to the lighter style with candied cherries, raspberries, and wild berry tones. There isn't that intensity here that there was on the palate
  
  overall: a bit weakish on the mid palate right now and not really defined. The subtle intensity on the nose caught me off gaurd a bit, but it provides an interesting wrinkle. Still retains some delicacy, but slightly more robust then previous august west pinots

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• 2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Premier Cuvée 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: a bit tight and soft with red cherries, plums, spice, and bits of perfumes. Nice and easy, but not really strutting like it had for me previously
  
  taste: Good soft attack of red cherries, plums, and perfumes with a bit of earthen tones. Nothing really standing out, and nothing really defining. It just exists as it is
  
  overall: a very solid wine, but not what you'd expect from this winery and this vintage. It didn't have that flashy feel that I got the last time I tasted it and it has a nice red cherry attack

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• 2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate 92 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  nose: really good depth with rich plum tones, dark cherries, loads of florals, and some zesty pine tones. Really well balanced on the nose, and not as overbearing as I would expect, and not as candied as other 06s have been for me
  
  taste: Not as heavy as I would've expected with well defined and rich flavors of plums, dark cherries, pine tones, and tart raspberries hiding underneath
  
  overall: Almost what you would expect from a wine of this pedigree, but it leaves a bit lacking. A bit thin on the mid palate and overall. Still it posseses good structure with nice medium acidity

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• 2006 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Équinoxe 92 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: really good nose filled with plums, mint, pine tones, dark red cherries, and bits of earth creep in underneath. Well layered and nice depth showing off the new vineyard, and I'm liking it a lot as its a bit different then the cote est, diversite, and rocheaux
  
  taste: nicely polished medium/light feel with mint, pine tones, dark red cherries, and bits of earth
  
  overall: very pretty and balanced. Well representative of the terroir, this is very approachable now to where I'm not sure it needs to be layed down. Medium/low acidity gives a bit of a spine, but to me, this is ready to go, or will have a shorter aging curve

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• 2006 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Diversite 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: very pungent with a nice floral backdrop along with tones of red cherries, plums, and some minty tones poking through
  
  taste: very smooth and savvy on the palate with red cherries, plums, mint, and some bits of mixed berries
  
  overall: this will need some time to calm down the acidity. Good medium/high acidity with nice and laid back aromatics along with a smooth red cherry attack and mixed berry finish

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• 2007 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Équinoxe 91 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: wide open with beautiful and nuanced aromatics of pine tones, earthen notes, dark plums, and lots of dark red fruits. Very well balanced that just slowly rises from the glass
  
  taste: smooth and lighter bodied with wild berries, pine tones, earth, and a whole lot of dark red fruits. The balance on this is great and moves well across teh palate
  
  overall: A lot of polish and a good amount of acidity. This will certainly need some time to add a bit more weight and calm down the acidity, but this is great and classic oregon pinot noir. Very elegant with a nice dark red fruit attack and a earthen finish

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• 2007 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Rocheux 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: very earth driven nose with violets, dark red cherries, and an assortment of garden herbs
  
  taste: nice light bodied feel with earth driven flavors, violets, a good amount of mixed berries, garden herbs, and nice soft dark red cherries
  
  overall: good medium/high acidity with a lighter feel. Nice soft and balanced aromatics that define the wine in a subtle way

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• 2007 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Côte Est 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: fairly tight nose with some earth, pine, and plum. Relativly simple, but fairly well defined
  
  taste: thin and light with earth, pine, and plum tones. Reserved and uninspiring
  
  overall: This was the first vintage that Cote Est wasn't done by josh bergstrom. Its a rather simple effort that could be due to the vintage, but the other le cadeau 07s are pretty good. Medium/high acidity with a soft earthen attack and light plum finish

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• 2007 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Diversite 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: a bit tight with light purple and red florals, red cherries, raspberries, and pine tones. Nice soft aromatics emerge with a bit of swirling
  
  taste: Lighter and soft feel with red cherries, raspberries, and pine tones. Fairly young on the palate and the flavors are nice, but just not deep enough at this point in time
  
  overall: a very pretty pinot. Nice aromatics and light feel on the palate, the acidity is lower on this then the other 07s, but its still fairly tart. A good lighter style of pinot that will be very nice in a few years

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• 2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Sonatera Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: nice bright nose with a good amount of spices, red cherries, and raspberries. Not over the top and very well balanced, but just a bit reserved
  
  taste: nice medium feel with mixed berries, lots of spice tones, bright red cherries, and some bits of raspberries
  
  overall: Excellent medium acidity on this with nice balanced flavors all around. A bit young and reticent right now, this should blossom with a slight bit of age on it

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• 2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  nose: sumptuous and layered nose filled with perfumes, florals, red cherries, various spices, and raspberries. This just draws you in with great balance and the perfumes just permeate in the glass
  
  taste: very plush and smooth with a beautiful perfume backdrop along with red cherries, spice tones, and tart raspberries
  
  overall: great medium feel and medium acidity. Very well balanced and perfumed that is a joy to smell and drink. Basically the opposite of what I've experienced with the big fruit that siduri normally brings, this is very smooth and balanced

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• 2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  nose: big bold and ripe nose of black fruits, rich red cherries, blackberries, and black licorice tones. While ripe and big, this isn't over the top
  
  taste: big and full that is loaded with black fruits, red cherries, blackberries, and black licorice. Fairly weighted on the palte to go along with the fuller feel
  
  overall: this is a full bodied pinot and more along what I'd expect from siduri. Nice aromatics for those that are fans of this style with medium/low acidity that gives off a nice black licorice finish

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• 2004 Raye's Hill Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 82 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  nose: is this a bad amarone or is this supposed to be a pinot? Raisins, dates, prunes, dark cherries, and a bit of barnyard tones
  
  taste: this is a bit better, but the raisins and and pruny tones still exist accompanied by dark raspberries, and some dark cherries
  
  overall: not really sure what happened here. The nose was just completely out of joint with some very odd flavors. The feel was fairly smooth and medium bodied and the tannins are still very strong, but I really doubt that anything special is going to happen when they shed a bit

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• 2005 Raye's Hill Pinot Noir Henneberg Anderson Valley 87 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  nose: fairly pungent and fruit forward wine with black cherries, some rich red fruits, red licorice, and some raspberry tones. While there is a fair amount going on, there isn't a whole lot of depth to it
  
  taste: medium/full bodied that is smooth and fruit forward with black cherries, red licorice, and rich red fruits
  
  overall: a very good pinot for the price. Does what it needs to well and is good for those that are fans of this style and want this profile without paying over 30. Nice smooth black cherry attack and a red licorice finish

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• 2007 Zepaltas Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: nice forward nose of cherries, spice, and red berries. Nice and pungent
  
  taste: Smooth medium feel with cherries, spice, red berries, bush fruits, and bright tones of raspberries
  
  overall: great balance and density on both the nose and palate. An outstanding wine with a smooth red cherry attack and a tart raspberry finish

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• 2006 Zepaltas Pinot Noir W.E. Bottoms 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: decently perfumed nose with cola tones, cherries, and wild strawberries
  
  taste: fairly full bodied with candied cherries, cola, berries, and some strawberry tones
  
  overall: solid, but while big, nothing is really jumping out and instead is just a good amount of candied tones. Decent acidity with a tart candied cherry attack and decent berry finish

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• 2005 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Sonoma County 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  nose: nice sweet cherried nose with other candied fruits, and black spices
  
  taste: good medium bodied feel with sweet red cherries, candied fruits, black spices, and some bits of strawberries
  
  overall: a really nicely styled pinot with a good amount of tannins and tart medium/high acidity. Nice sweet red cherry attack and a tasty strawberry finish, this will be a better wine in a year or two, but is very nice right now

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• 2005 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: nice pungent and filling nose with ripe red cherries, various red fruits, and sweet red licorice tones
  
  taste: Really good medium body pinot with red cherries, red licorice, and a lot of various red fruits. Very tasty and well balanced with good fruit that isn't over the top
  
  overall: A very tasty pinot with a good amount of ripe balanced fruit. Great medium body with good medium acidity, this is a really good pinot that is a great buy in the lower 30s

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• 2004 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: very smooth and polished nose of cherries, red currants, raspberries, along with bits of mint and spice tones
  
  taste: great medium feel that flows well across the palate with tart red cherries, red currants, raspberries, some wild strawberries, and some spice and mint tones
  
  overall: Very smooth and wonderful feel and weight on the palate. A very polished wine that has a good fruity core and an interesting mint based finish

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• 2006 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir 'Big Brother' 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: very deep nose filled with dark cherries, anise, dark raspberries, and a slew of dark red fruits. Very well layered and deep, there is a lot going on with this nose
  
  taste: good medium/full feel with a lot of depth providing tones of dark cherries, anise, and a lot of dark red fruits. Very smooth with good weight
  
  overall: very impressive. There is a boldness to this with good fruit, but its far from overdone. Very smooth attack of dark cherries with a nice dark red fruit finish

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• 2005 Scherrer Winery Vin Gris 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  nose: nice nose with some good depth providing tones of honeysuckle, strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon tones
  
  taste: very easy drinking with tasty tones of cherries, strawberries, honeysuckle and raspberries
  
  overall: a really good rose. Good and easy drinking with nice aromas that are very enjoyable

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• 2006 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Grande Assemblage Cuvée 87 Points

  USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Gorge

  nose: nice and light with red cherries, plums, and spice. Solid nose that is in place and in the pocket, but nothing really standing out
  
  taste: smooth feel with decent weight bringing solid tones of red cherries and spice
  
  overall: a really nice pinot. Very solid and straightforward that gives a good sense of oregon. Nice and easy drinking with a red cherry attack and spice finish

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• 2005 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Griffin's Cuvée 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  nose: really good nose with nice depth providing pine tones, raspberries, cherries, and plum tones. Well balanced and very pungent that lifts well from the glass into the nose
  
  taste: excellent medium feel with red bush fruits, pine tones, raspberries, and nice tart plum tones. Very smooth and nice classic oregon feel
  
  overall: a wine that just screams oregon on both the nose and palate. Great profile with a good smooth medium feel and medium acidity

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• 2006 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Nuestro Sueno 91 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

  nose: really bright nose filled with cherries, minerals, raspberries, pine tones, and plums
  
  taste: nice and smooth with a mineral base providing tones of bright cherries, pine tones, and ripe plum tones
  
  overall: Great feel and polish. Has some of the 06 brightness to it, but its not over amplified. Good medium acidity with a smooth attack of bright cherries and a mineral based finish

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• 2007 Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir Ketcham Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: nice sweet nose of tart red fruits, with bits of cola undertones, raspberries, and some zesty spice tones give this a nice backdrop. A bit of swirling opens it up and reveals more depth showing off wine well
  
  taste: great smooth feel that glides across teh palate with dark cherries, sweet red fruits, bits of cola and asian spice tones
  
  overall: Very approachable and enjoyable. This is a barrel sample as its due to be bottled soon, but there is a lot to like with a pretty dark cherry attack and a tasty asian spice finish

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• 2006 Picket Fence Pinot Noir 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  nose: nice sweet candied RRV driven nose with red currants, cola tones, lots of spices, some tart red cherries, and bits of earth. Very nice nose, but doesn't have a lot of depth to it
  
  taste: good medium body to it with cola, spices, and candied red cherries
  
  overall: A really good cali pinot for under 30. Very nice with medium body and medium acidity. This is a great pinot to introduce people into california pinot and show them that next level of pinot that exists above the 20-25 range

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• 2007 Landmark Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: bright red cherry tones with some candied and creamed fruits, raspberries, and some tart tones of wild berries
  
  taste: nice medium body, but a bit of heat detracts with creamed red fruits, red cherries, and candy tones
  
  overall: A bit hollow on the mid palate too, to go along with the bit of heat. Good medium acidity, this needs a bit of time to flesh out, but has the kanzler trademark candied fruit that will work with fans of this style

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I'm really glad I went. A lot of really good wine was being poured, and its always nice to talk to the winemakers or reps. There was a much bigger crowd then last year, but there was also more room this year as it was moved into one of the bigger convention halls. While there were a lot of people, it didn't seem that way and it was never a problem getting a pour. A well run event and hopefully I'll be able to go next year