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A lot of Pinot Noirs
My backyard
Tasted May 2, 2015 by Loren Sonkin with 508 views
Introduction
My wife is out of town with some girlfriends visiting Chicago. Since she hates Pinot Noir, that made for a good opportunity to open some bottles from the cellar. I invited some guys over who also brought wine and/or food, the weather cooperated with a beautiful evening, so we lit a fire and sat outside tasting drinking and talking. A very nice evening. The wines were consumed casually, non-blind with breads and cheeses and Cool Ranch Doritos.
Flight 1 (17 notes)
White
2011 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis
88 points
This was one of those bottles that someone brought to our home a while back and it never got open. Good enough not to pitch, but it just sat. Seemed like a good time to open it. It was better than I expected. Smoky with nice lemon scents. Mineral driven with more green apples on the palate. Not real crisp, but not flabby. A nice wine.
White
2011 Château de Flaugergues Coteaux du Languedoc
90 points
A new wine for me. Very minerally. Some peach fruit. Tart on the palate. Screwcapped. Refreshing. Nice finish.
Red
2004 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard
92 points
This started off slow and took some time to open and hit its stride. On opening there is some funk but not much fruit. With air, a nice sour cherry profile developed. Nice texture. Still seems on the younger side of peak. Nice layering now though. Sour cherry fruit. nice balance. Not a block buster but more feminine.
Red
2005 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Cinq Terroirs
91 points
The group seemed split on this one. It is still young. Pure cherry fruit on the nose. Mostly one dimensional, but very pretty fruit. It is not a generous wine at the moment. Nice texture. Clean finish. I enjoyed it more than many.
Red
2012 North Vineyards Pinot Noir
93 points
My first time trying this (or for that matter hearing about it). Made by John Alban. Purple in color. The nose though, was not about intensity. It had a lovely cranberry/rhubarb quality to it. Also some cherries. Tart cherries on the palate. This is delicious but also has a nice subtlety to it. Not what I expected from Alban, especially after seeing the purple color. Its California for sure and very impressive.
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Red
1999 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
94 points
I think I liked this more than the group. For me it was signing on opening. Ruby in color. The nose has cherries and sour cherries, slightly earthy. Complex and layered. Very feminine. Great balance. Seems to be about at peak but has a long life ahead. Great cherry fruit layered with funk and dry earthy notes. Very nice.
Red
2011 Freeman Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
90 points
Another new one for me. This was very nice. Light cherries on the nose. More feminine in nature. Not complex but nice juicy cherries. Easy to drink. Smooth.
Red
2007 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Reserve
94 points
Everyone seemed to love this but Dick, who brought it. Inky purple in color. The nose is big with cherries, dark cherries and coffee. Its delicious. Easy to drink. Deep complexity of dark cherry fruit and damp earth. Long finish.
Red
2008 Heart & Hands Pinot Noir Barrel Reserve
91 points
I bought this on release but this was my first taste. Very nice. Pale ruby in color, the lightest wine on the table. Nice cherry fruit. A bit of a green streak but not bad. Very feminine. Light cherries, layer of complexity. Seems about at peak. A really pretty wine that is unique.
Red
2012 Keating Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch Vineyard
91 points
Another unique wine. This seemed to be love it/hate it among the group. Very interesting nose of spice (nutmeg, cinnamon) and cherries. Already showing a nice complexity. Not the biggest wine, but not delicate either. Nice texture.
Red
2008 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Botella
89 points
Purple/ruby in color. The nose is pretty oaked. Some dark cherries. On the palate, dark cherries and vanilla. This is big. A little to intense for my tastes. Its good, but I would like more complexity and less oak. Others liked it more.
Red
2011 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
91 points
This is really big, but I was expecting even more. Perhaps the vintage. This is good. Not real complex, but very delicious, juicy fruit. Black raspberries and black cherries. Lush texture. Smooth and easy to drink.
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Red
2012 M Cellars Pinot Noir
90 points
This is from a winery in north east Ohio I have been hearing good things about. My first chance to try it. Its very nice. Cherries with a slight green streak. Nice texture. Medium bodied. Nice cherry fruit on the palate. Very tasty. Well done.
Red
2010 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
91 points
I have always been fond of these wine. This is very nice. Cherries and cranberries on the nose. There is a nice complexity already settling in on the wine. Medium bodied. Not too ripe but not green. Nice acidity.
Red
2008 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Ten
94 points
I liked this much more than the Botella. This is very big and pumped up but it also has balance. Lots of cherry fruit on the nose, some vanilla. Great lush texture. Juicy acidity. Cherries and dark cherry fruit on the palate. Long finish. Delicious.
Red
2009 Kutch Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch
91 points
Seemed like we needed another bottle, so I went to the cellar for this one. This was very interesting as it had some contrasting qualities. The nose has nice cherry fruit but many found it stemmy. Yet on the palate, the fruit seemed sweeter than most (not rs). It is very tasty with nice acidity. Starting to develop some layering. Still young.
Red - Fortified
1994 Gould Campbell Porto Vintage
91 points
A couple of guys broke out some cigars, so I went back for this. A nice way to finish. In a good place right now, but probably could have used a bit of air. Raspberries, dark chocolate and raisins on the nose. Slightly sweet. Medium to full bodied. Slight complexity. Very tasty. Nice finish.
Closing
We finished up with a couple of beers (Jackie O's Dark Apparition, and Two Brothers Cane and Ebel). Thanks to all for coming over!