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MNB: Whole cluster in Pinot
Home (Noe st)
Tasted November 13, 2017 by RajivAyyangar with 330 views
Flight 1 (7 notes)
Red
2014 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
86 points
(non-blind, my wine)
Pale ruby. Slightly cloudy.
Ripe, clean slightly reductive cherry. Slight ripe peach note (cooler ripeness fruit). No overt oak. Slight ethyl acetate - perfumed.
On the palate, dry, light body, 13.5% alcohol (correct), elevated acid, medium minus tannins. No overt oak. Slight wet leaves, medium intensity fruit - restrained ripeness, neutral barrels (actually 6% new barrels). Youthful.
4% whole cluster according to the producer. I don't get any impact of stems or carbonic.
Pale ruby. Slightly cloudy.
Ripe, clean slightly reductive cherry. Slight ripe peach note (cooler ripeness fruit). No overt oak. Slight ethyl acetate - perfumed.
On the palate, dry, light body, 13.5% alcohol (correct), elevated acid, medium minus tannins. No overt oak. Slight wet leaves, medium intensity fruit - restrained ripeness, neutral barrels (actually 6% new barrels). Youthful.
4% whole cluster according to the producer. I don't get any impact of stems or carbonic.
Red
2015 Château de la Charrière Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières
88 points
(blind)
Pale ruby, clear, bright.
Slight struck match - almost noble reduction. Melded with a hint of oak spice on the nose. Just-ripe cherry - a bit dried. Shows some development. Slightly confected cherry - maybe semicarbonic?
Dry, medium minus body, 13.5% alcohol, elevated acid (on the low end of medium plus), low tannins. Some hint of oak - maybe 10% new oak. Long finish - ripe cherry, some leaves, very clean.
This is ripe, but structurally it's very old world.
- OR - could be, but the quality and oak integration is unusual.
- NZ - acid is too low
- Sonoma - too low in alcohol and ripeness.
- Burgundy - ripe.
On the balance, I think this is a Burgundy from a warm year - 2009, some age, Premier Cru level - maybe Pommard or Volnay. I think this is maybe 30% whole cluster, based on the slight carbonic impact and reduced acidity. I also think this is about 20% new French oak.
Actually 2015 Santenay - 100% destemmed.
2015 Chateau de la Charriere les gravieres 1er cru
It's younger than I thought, but also from a ripe vintage - I was right about that.
Pale ruby, clear, bright.
Slight struck match - almost noble reduction. Melded with a hint of oak spice on the nose. Just-ripe cherry - a bit dried. Shows some development. Slightly confected cherry - maybe semicarbonic?
Dry, medium minus body, 13.5% alcohol, elevated acid (on the low end of medium plus), low tannins. Some hint of oak - maybe 10% new oak. Long finish - ripe cherry, some leaves, very clean.
This is ripe, but structurally it's very old world.
- OR - could be, but the quality and oak integration is unusual.
- NZ - acid is too low
- Sonoma - too low in alcohol and ripeness.
- Burgundy - ripe.
On the balance, I think this is a Burgundy from a warm year - 2009, some age, Premier Cru level - maybe Pommard or Volnay. I think this is maybe 30% whole cluster, based on the slight carbonic impact and reduced acidity. I also think this is about 20% new French oak.
Actually 2015 Santenay - 100% destemmed.
2015 Chateau de la Charriere les gravieres 1er cru
It's younger than I thought, but also from a ripe vintage - I was right about that.
Red
2009 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard
90 points
(blind)
Medium ruby - a bit dark in hue, slightly cloudy. Slight red - age at the rim.
Ripe deep black and red cherry and ripe Ranier cherry / peach with modest dog fur Brett. Liquorice and road tar. Slight confected cherry. Slight bacterial lambic peanut - maybe low sulfur? The spicy brett and smoky reduction are well-integrated. This is a tasty nose. Does this have terpenes? Maybe - a floral dried peach note. Herbaceousness/stems? The nose has a savory tamari cherry that sucks you in.
On the palate, medium minus body, 13% alcohol (actually 13.4%). Ripe black cherry and well-integrated furry brett. elevated acid, medium minus tannins - a bit papery and coarse.
Neutral oak.
50% whole cluster - there's a bit of a confected cherry.
Burgundy 2015 - ripe year but lower quality (no oak) - village level. Nuits-St.-George? (rustic tannins).
This is very well integrated and complex - if a low-sulfur wine, it's really impressing me.
Actually 2009 Rhys family farm
100% whole cluster
40% new French oak.
Never would have guessed Rhys! I think the Brett is unusual but this is a great wine.
Medium ruby - a bit dark in hue, slightly cloudy. Slight red - age at the rim.
Ripe deep black and red cherry and ripe Ranier cherry / peach with modest dog fur Brett. Liquorice and road tar. Slight confected cherry. Slight bacterial lambic peanut - maybe low sulfur? The spicy brett and smoky reduction are well-integrated. This is a tasty nose. Does this have terpenes? Maybe - a floral dried peach note. Herbaceousness/stems? The nose has a savory tamari cherry that sucks you in.
On the palate, medium minus body, 13% alcohol (actually 13.4%). Ripe black cherry and well-integrated furry brett. elevated acid, medium minus tannins - a bit papery and coarse.
Neutral oak.
50% whole cluster - there's a bit of a confected cherry.
Burgundy 2015 - ripe year but lower quality (no oak) - village level. Nuits-St.-George? (rustic tannins).
This is very well integrated and complex - if a low-sulfur wine, it's really impressing me.
Actually 2009 Rhys family farm
100% whole cluster
40% new French oak.
Never would have guessed Rhys! I think the Brett is unusual but this is a great wine.
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Red
2012 Carrick Pinot Noir
flawed
(blind)
Pale ruby.
Strong reduction - coin polish. Slight terpenes - smells like... weed/grapefruit/hops. This is faulted - I can't get past the coin polish on the nose.
Dry, light body, 14% alcohol (correct), elevated acid, 10% new French oak (slight vanilla and baking spice), low tannins - a bit scratchy.
No whole cluster, 10% new French oak, Oregon Pinot 2015, $20
2012 Carrick Pinot, Bannockburn Central Otago, NZ, $35
20% new French oak
This is a terrible example of Central Otago Pinot - lacking depth of fruit and acidity.
Pale ruby.
Strong reduction - coin polish. Slight terpenes - smells like... weed/grapefruit/hops. This is faulted - I can't get past the coin polish on the nose.
Dry, light body, 14% alcohol (correct), elevated acid, 10% new French oak (slight vanilla and baking spice), low tannins - a bit scratchy.
No whole cluster, 10% new French oak, Oregon Pinot 2015, $20
2012 Carrick Pinot, Bannockburn Central Otago, NZ, $35
20% new French oak
This is a terrible example of Central Otago Pinot - lacking depth of fruit and acidity.
Red
2013 Baxter Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Oppenlander Vineyard
90 points
(blind)
Pale ruby, clear and bright.
Sweet - judicious oak, slight saffron (botrytis?). Slight vegetal broccoli notes (stems?). Slight confected cherry. Floral - fresh violets.
Some development - mushroom and faded fruit. No notable reduction at this point.
Dry, medium body, 14% alcohol (correct - 13.8%), medium plus acid, very ripe. Medium tannins - silky. Beautiful well-integrated texture.
50% whole cluster, 20% new French oak, 2012, Oregon Pinot (something good, like Goodfellow). High quality ($50+).
Actually 2013 Baxter Mendocino Oppenlander Vineyard - 100% whole cluster, $60
Pale ruby, clear and bright.
Sweet - judicious oak, slight saffron (botrytis?). Slight vegetal broccoli notes (stems?). Slight confected cherry. Floral - fresh violets.
Some development - mushroom and faded fruit. No notable reduction at this point.
Dry, medium body, 14% alcohol (correct - 13.8%), medium plus acid, very ripe. Medium tannins - silky. Beautiful well-integrated texture.
50% whole cluster, 20% new French oak, 2012, Oregon Pinot (something good, like Goodfellow). High quality ($50+).
Actually 2013 Baxter Mendocino Oppenlander Vineyard - 100% whole cluster, $60
Red
2012 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
88 points
(blind)
Pale ruby, slightly cloudy.
Slightly reductive ripe red cherry with a hint of nutmeg oak spice.
Dry, medium body, 14% alcohol (correct - 14.1%), medium acid, medium tannins - a bit scratchy. Ripe and oak-influenced on the palate.
No whole cluster - just ripe fruit.
40% new French oak.
California > Sonoma > high quality ($50+) - Kosta Browne? 2014
Actually 20% Whole Cluster
Pale ruby, slightly cloudy.
Slightly reductive ripe red cherry with a hint of nutmeg oak spice.
Dry, medium body, 14% alcohol (correct - 14.1%), medium acid, medium tannins - a bit scratchy. Ripe and oak-influenced on the palate.
No whole cluster - just ripe fruit.
40% new French oak.
California > Sonoma > high quality ($50+) - Kosta Browne? 2014
Actually 20% Whole Cluster
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Red
2012 Domaine Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin
89 points
Slightly reductive (toasty struck match), cherry, hint of wet leaves and moist earth, no notable new earth. Slight fresh flowers.
Medium body, 13.5% alcohol (actually 12.5%), high acid, medium tannins (silky). No obvious new oak. Tart cherry fruit. Herbal stemmy notes on the finish.
Given the acid profile - Kumeu River pinot, 2015 (a bit on the lean side for New Zealand).
10% new French oak, and 40% whole cluster.
Actually: 2012 Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin, Unknown whole cluster but usually less than the higher bottlings (90%). The Gevrey-Chambertin is usually 20-50% so I'm not far off.
This would have been a more classic guess. Don't know why I went NZ.
Medium body, 13.5% alcohol (actually 12.5%), high acid, medium tannins (silky). No obvious new oak. Tart cherry fruit. Herbal stemmy notes on the finish.
Given the acid profile - Kumeu River pinot, 2015 (a bit on the lean side for New Zealand).
10% new French oak, and 40% whole cluster.
Actually: 2012 Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin, Unknown whole cluster but usually less than the higher bottlings (90%). The Gevrey-Chambertin is usually 20-50% so I'm not far off.
This would have been a more classic guess. Don't know why I went NZ.