2009 Pinot Days Seminar - Northern AVA 2007s

Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
Tasted Saturday, June 27, 2009 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 751 views

Introduction

This seminar featured wines from the much anticipated 2007 vintage from Northern California AVAs--Russian River Valley, Carneros, Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz, the Sonoma Coast, Mendocino--and one from Oregon. All wines were poured blind in flights of four, and the winemakers or representatives on hand each spoke about their wine after it was revealed.

Many were pre-release bottlings. There were a lot of excellent wines in this tasting, showing a lot of potential, but most are, of course, very tight yet. Showing the best right now, in my opinion, were the Keller Estate El Coro and the Winderlea Estate (the one non-California entrant).

Flight 1 - Flight 1 (4 Notes)

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Winderlea's Bill Sweat
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Kanzler's Greg Stock
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Dutton-Goldfield's Brandon Lapides
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Dan Tudor
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  • 2007 Winderlea Pinot Noir Estate 92 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Light medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; Burgundian, tart red fruit and mineral nose; tasty, tart red fruit, tart cherry and cinnamon palate with good balance and acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (clones 667, 777, 115 and Pommard; from old blocks planted in '74 blended with newer blocks)

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  • 2007 Kanzler Vineyards Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; tight, stemmy, earthy nose; stems and green on palate too, with concentration and tart red fruit, could resolve and get a lot better with time, but in an awkward phase at the moment; medium finish 88+ pts. (20% whole cluster; clones 667, 115 and Pommard)

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  • 2007 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir McDougall Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Medium red color with pale meniscus; very reticent borscht nose; somewhat concentrated, very tight, tart red fruit, borscht, some oak showing; medium finish (mainly Dijon 828 with a little 115)

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  • 2007 Tudor Wines Pinot Noir Balo Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Dark cherry red color; reticent cherry, berry nose; tart on palate, with lime acidity, clementine, very tart red fruit, orange, a little hot; medium-plus finish 88+ pts.

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Flight 2 - Flight 2 (4 Notes)

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WesMar's Denise Selyem
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Shandel's John Pepe
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Small Vines' Paul Sloan
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  • 2007 WesMar Pinot Noir Hellenthal Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Light medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; stemmy tart red fruit and mineral nose; tight ripe cherry palate, with some greenness and tart tannins; medium-plus finish (at least 30% whole cluster; Pommard, Martini, Swan and Mount Eden clones)

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  • 2007 Adastra Pinot Noir Proximus 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; light cherry pie, rhubarb pie nose; focused rhubarb, tart cherry palate, a little one-dimensional and forced; medium finish (80% new oak; Pommard, 777 and 115)

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  • 2007 Shandel's Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir 88 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

    Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; dense orange spice, tart cherry and floral nose; big spicy, oak spice, orange spice, baked cherry palate; medium-plus finish (40% new oak; 9-yr-old vines; clones 114, 115 and Pommard)

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  • 2007 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Medium red color with clear meniscus; intriguing spicy, tart red fruit and incense nose; rich, but tight, spicy, tart berry, cherry and orange spice palate with a hint of licorice; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (blend of 3 vineyards, 1 of which was planted in '99 and the other two in '01; clones 113, 114, 115, 667, 777, Swan and 459; no whole cluster, no pressed wine; native yeasts)

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Flight 3 - Flight 3 (4 Notes)

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Clos Saron's Gideon Beinstock
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picket fence's Katy Leese
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Ana Keller
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Paul Mathew winemaker Mat Gustafson
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  • 2007 Clos Saron Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 82 Points

    USA, California, Sierra Foothills

    Medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; high VA, reduction nose, with perhaps a touch of carbonic maceration; unbalanced, tart cherry, black cherry palate with Granny Smith apple on the end; short finish (no sulfite in the bottle; never racked in barrel)

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  • 2007 Picket Fence Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Light medium red color with pale meniscus; stemmy, brett, menthol and pine nose; better on palate of tart cherry, menthol, mineral and brett; medium finish (to be released Sept. 1, 2009)

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  • 2007 Keller Estate Pinot Noir El Coro 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; tart red fruit, floral and berry syrup nose; nice, floral, delicate, cherry, tart strawberry palate with balance and good acidity, very pretty; medium finish (planted in '99; El Coro is a 20-acre block planted to seven different clones)

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  • 2007 Paul Mathew Pinot Noir Horseshoe Bend Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Medium cherry red color with clear meniscus; high pitched floral, hibiscus, cinnamon nose; tart cherry, cinnamon, spice and cherry pie palate with depth; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (100% clone 113)

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Flight 4 - Flight 4 (4 Notes)

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Sojourn's Craig Haserot
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Kosta Browne's Shane Finley
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Lynmar's Hugh Chapelle
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Nicole Abiouness
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  • 2007 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; focused cherry pie, baking spice nose; big, spicy, cherry, berry and cherry pie palate; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (clones 115 and 777)

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  • 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Medium dark red color with pale meniscus; light cranberry nose; bright, light medium bodied cranberry, tart cherry palate with good acidity, but tight yet; medium-plus finish (clones 114, 777 and Pommard)

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  • 2007 Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; tart red fruit, earth, mineral nose; solid tart red fruit, mineral palate with depth and sweet tannins; medium-plus finish

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  • 2007 Abiouness Pinot Noir Pommard Clones Stanly Ranch 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    Medium red color with clear meniscus; tight, tart red fruit and mineral nose; good tart red fruit, Burgundian, mineral palate, tight yet though; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.

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