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The Third Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir
My House, Houston, TX
Tasted November 24, 2020 by The Drunken Cyclist with 362 views
Introduction
This is the third year that I have conducted this tasting where I invite other writers in the Houston area to my house to taste some of the best Pinots produced in the U.S. blind. This year, given the pandemic, I decided it prudent to fly solo on the tasting. Hopefully, next year the crew will be back! I tasted the first 36 on Saturday and the remaining 18 the following day.
Flight 1 (18 notes)
Red
2018 Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir Claudia's Choice
89 points
Retail $55. On the dark side in color and initially quite dirty and flinty with maybe some subtle mocha. Really austere on the palate as well. A wine that likely needs time as this is fairly closed right now, even after considerable time open. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2016 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills
91 points
Retail $45. Plenty of fruit, albeit subtle (is that an oxymoron?), with some smoke and flint but it is also rich and inviting. The palate is quite nice, with subtle fruit and plenty of that flint. Very nice. Excellent. 91 Points. Last year, this showed better in the tasting. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County
89 points
Retail $30. Plenty of meat here, maybe some blood and iodine for good measure with some tart cherry and cranberry behind all that livestock. Plenty of fruit on the palate, but might be lacking in the acidity department just a bit. Still, good flavors. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
94 points
Retail $20. A Classic New World Pinot nose here: plenty of fresh red and black cherry, eucalyptus, and touches of spice and earth. Yum. The palate more than holds up to the nose with luscious fruit, balancing acidity, and a marvelous finish. Gangbusters. Excellent. 94 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Bryn Mawr Vineyards Pinot Noir
90 points
Retail $30. I swirled, I sniffed, I sloshed. Hard to find much fruit in the glass here. There is some fresh earth and flint, but fruit? There is much more fruit on the palate, though, with good acidity and balance. Very nice. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Martaella Vineyard
91 points
Retail $65. A bit of subtle Bing cherry here, ruby-colored with pink highlights. The fruit is subtle on the palate as well, but there is plenty of acidity. After a bit of time in the glass, however, this really opened up to lovely fruit and great balance. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Chehalem Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains
89 points
Retail $30. Medium color, sour cherry aromas, with bits of spice and minerality. The palate is quite tart, under-ripe cherry abounds. That minerality comes in on the mid-palate and dominates through the finish. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Siduri Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
95 points
Retail $35. Whoa. A bit on the dark side, with a rich and lovely nose. Whoa. As I had hoped, the palate delivers on what the nose suggested. It did. Fantastic fruit, balanced acidity, lengthy finish. Whoa again. Excellent. 95 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 La Crema Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
93 points
Retail $35. Sweet nose of ripe cherry, molasses, and spice. Yum. Whoa. This is another wine that is quite rich and fruity on the palate, but also well-balanced with a tart acidity that bookends all of that fruit. It might come off a bit thin on the mid-palate, but that is countered by the finish. Whoa? Excellent. 93 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
93 points
Retail $25. Medium to dark color, sweet, rich nose of ripe cherry, vanilla, freshly-turned earth, and five-spice. Yum. Great fruit (cherry, red currant) and acidity on the palate, with depth and length. Yowza. A great start to the tasting. Excellent. 93 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2016 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir Reserve
90 points
Retail $30. Translucent, medium to slightly dark color. A fruity (ripe dark cherry) and a bit of funk that dissipated after a few swirls. Dirty, flinty, both good things. Quite flinty and even chalky on the palate, but the fruit is on the subdued side. It’s there, but just not that prevalent. Still, great tartness just would like a bit more fruit. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir Jessica
92 points
Retail $55. Quite subdued and shy on the nose—there is fruit, but it takes a while to coax it out. More of a sweet, almost Maraschino with some wet earth. Flinty and earthy on the palate with a bit of astringency and noticeable tannins on the finish. This clearly needs some time. I need to revisit this one. Upon revisit, after opening a bit, this is fairly big and muscular. Still needs time—I would love to see it in a couple of years. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Hartford / Hartford Court Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
92 points
Retail $35. Medium color, translucent. Sweet corn and red cherry on the nose. Big, luscious fruit on the palate, more of a ripe style here. Lovely tartness, a touch of earth. Fantastic. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Fox Den
94 points
Retail $62. On the dark side in the glass with more of a candied fruit (cherry Jolly Rancher) on the nose along with some cardamom and baking spice. Really fruity on the palate, a crowd-lover’s kind of Pinot. Still, this is particularly well-made with some tannin on the finish. Still? I really like it. I guess I am part of the crowd? Outstanding. 94 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Select Yamhill-Carlton
91 points
Retail $45. Medium color, with a touch of funk on the nose and plenty of sour, under-ripe cherry. Solid palate, well-balanced, but maybe lacking a bit of fruit here. Still, I would never complain if I found this in my glass. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve California
91 points
Retail $20. Rich and a bit dirty from this above-average colored wine. Black cherry, a tad on the sweet side on the nose. Also comes off as a tad sweet on the palate, but that comes from the fruit (I doubt there is RS). Tart, bright, not exactly my style (I would like some earth or spice), but this is another strong iteration of the variety. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Stoller Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
89 points
Retail $32. An odd and funky nose. After a bit of time open, this was meaty, a bit funky, and difficult to coax any fruit out of. Lacking fruit on the palate as well. There is nothing “wrong” here, but I just wish there was more fruit. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard
92 points
Retail $22. Meaty and iodine on the nose, the fruit is pretty much hidden behind those two elements. Maybe a little herbal as well (mint?) or eucalyptus. This is “different” as it seems to focus on secondary (or even tertiary) elements over the fruit. But me likey. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Flight 2 (18 notes)
Red
2016 Copain Pinot Noir Les Voisins
93 points
Retail $42. Another fruity, juicy, lovely nose of fresh and ripe dark and red cherry with a hint of meat. That ripe cherry is front and center on the palate with zingy acidity, plenty of weight on the mid-palate, and a finish that lasts for a while. Yowza. Excellent. 93 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Hallberg Vineyard
92 points
Retail $55. Mostly flint and smoke with strawberry and cherry lurking behind. Tart, really tart cherry on the palate, initially, it is rather subtle, but not by the mid-palate. Wow, that’s tart. By the finish? It’s full-blown under-ripe cherry, but you know what? I like on it. After this opened a bit and I had another chance to try it? Pretty close to amazing. Make sure to offer a healthy decant here. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Copain Pinot Noir Tous Ensemble
91 points
Retail $28. On the dark side, here, with a really muted nose. Rich fruit on the palate, though, really surprising. It is actually fantastic once it gets past the lips, with balance and nice flavors. Eventually, some candied cherry came through on the nose, but still rather faint. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Nielson by Byron Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County
88 points
Retail $20. Funk. Not quite Brett, I don’t think, but there is a reductive, sulfur thing going on. Normally, I like the funk, but this is a bit over the top, even for me. The palate is fruity, but that funk is definitely still there. Very Good. 88 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Comments (2)
Red
2017 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Reserve
89 points
Retail $25. A lot of salinity here, almost a seashore salty mist going on joined by a meaty component. Not much fruit to find on the nose, however. The palate comes off a bit flat as what fruit there is comes off as dried and there is a rather unpleasant meaty (stinky sock?) aspect on the finish. 87. After tasting again, the odd elements were reduced if not eliminated. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Chemistry Pinot Noir
88 points
Retail $20. Another odd nose. Hmmm. Something going on there, I am not quite sure what, though. The palate is far better than the nose, however, with some fruit, acidity, and balance. But that nose… Very Good. 88 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch
91 points
Retail $45. Fairly dark in the glass, and a bit hot, but there is some nice red fruit here as well. The palate is fairly big with dark berry fruit, heat, and spice. While this certainly blows past restrained without so much of a blink, there are many redeeming qualities. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir Lindley's Knoll
93 points
Retail $55. Darker in both color and in red fruit with black cherry, and some black raspberry. The palate has all that one needs in a New World Pinot: fresh fruit, bracing acidity, plenty of weight and spice on the mid-palate, and a fruity, lengthy finish. Very nice. Excellent. 93 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Left Coast Estate Pinot Noir Cali's Cuvee
90 points
Retail $25. Fruity (dark and red cherry), flinty, earthy, quite a lovely nose going on here. Another lovely palate with nice tartness, ample fruit, and a bit of intrigue. Nice. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2015 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve
92 points
Retail $40. This wine seems to have improved since last year's tasting. Another classic nose with tart cherry, freshly tilled dirt, a bit of slate, and just a hint of smoke. Another fantastic wine: fruit, acid, depth, this is certainly a “fruity Pinot” but it has all the necessary components. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Stoller Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
91 points
Retail $28. Dark and shy in the glass, it’s difficult to eke any aromas out, but the palate is a pleasant surprise, with great fruit, balanced tartness, quite lovely, in fact. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2016 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate
92 points
Retail $26. Yowza, lovely nose. Fruit, earth, minerality all show up and say “how d’ya do?” Another perfectly delicious wine: fruit, that minerality/flintiness, and a great balance all the way through. Nice. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Ron Rubin Pinot Noir
90 points
Retail $22. Dirty, flinty, and a tad bit smoky on the nose with some dark cherry fruit peeking its head out eventually. Fruity on the palate. Really, really fruity. So much fruit that it is easy to forget or overlook the acidity. Good. If you like fruit. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Pellegrini Family Vineyards Pinot Noir
91 points
Retail $40. Meaty, cherry, and a bit funky in the glass. No real evidence of funk on the palate as this is really, really nice. Yes, there is a ton of fruit here, but it is balanced and quite delightful. Yum. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Hartford / Hartford Court Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards
90 points
Retail $50. Quite the muscular wine on the nose here with firm red fruit, a touch of heat, and minerality. The palate also comes off a tad hot, but there is more than ample fruit and plenty of chutzpah. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Torii Mor Pinot Noir
87 points
Retail $28. Really nothing on the nose here. Nada, zilch, zippo. Big fruit on the palate, though, without being “fruity.” It is more of a mouthfeel and a weight more than anything else. This is perhaps a bit disjointed and out of balance. Very Good. 87 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2016 Siduri Pinot Noir Lemoravo Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands
87 points
Retail $30. Dark in the glass with flint, funk, and fumée. The palate is fruity, but comes off as overly extracted. I would not necessarily seek this wine out, but nor would I be overly upset if I were served this wine. Very Good. 87 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Ram's Gate Pinot Noir
91 points
Retail $48. Red fruit, an herbal aspect (I swear it is celery root, but…), some minerality, iodine, beef blood. Really rich on the palate as one might guess from the nose, with deep cherry, strawberry, and rhubarb. A bit big, but good. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Flight 3 (18 notes)
Red
2017 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir Dutton Ranches
90 points
Retail $55. Medium color, fruity, classic nose of tart cherry and bits of earth and spice. Yum! Big fruit on the palate. Big fruit! Spicy, loaded with flavor, and a tad hot on the palate. As I said, this is a bit hot, but it is also really friggin’ tasty. But big! Did I mention that? Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
91 points
Retail $40. Fruity, as in the “I wanna be a pleaser of the crowd” kinda fruity (i.e., a touch over-extracted, perhaps) with a slight hint of funk. The palate is a bit to the contrary. Yes, there is fruit, but it is surprisingly reserved and, well, in balance. Not at all the boisterous bully that I expected. In fact, this is quite nice. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Pedroncelli Pinot Noir Signature Selection
88 points
Retail $22. A shade darker than “average” with a meaty, smoky nose. Somewhat remarkable as it smells a lot more like smoked baby back ribs than it does Bing Cherry. That meatiness and smokiness persist on the palate. Very Good. 88 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Iris Vineyards Pinot Noir
89 points
Retail $24. Fairly dark in color with touches of meat and iodine out in front of the red and dark berry fruit. The palate is solid—nothing really to gripe about, but nothing to run down the hall doing cartwheels over, either. Fine, nice. OK. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Emerald Ridge
89 points
Retail $66. Fruity (red and blueberries) with eucalyptus, and an herbal quality (not quite a full-blown mint, but close). The palate opens with fruit, but never quite comes around to the tartness I am looking for in a Pinot. Still? Pretty darned good. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Bacigalupi Vineyard
92 points
Retail $65. A bit dirty and dark on the palate here with dark cherry and freshly tilled earth—right in line with a classic Pinot nose. Good fruit, acidity, balance on this palate—and a finish to match! This is what most would hope a Pinot to be. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2016 Bryn Mawr Vineyards Pinot Noir Krista's Block
88 points
Retail $50. Dark red fruit, mocha, a touch of flinty dirt. Some fruit, but rather austere on the palate. That flintiness is there, as is some of that dark berry fruit. Fine but unspectacular. Very Good. 88 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir Goodchild High 9 Vineyard
88 points
Retail $35. Rich red cherry fruit with a healthy dose of vanilla. Scrumptious nose if you like that dynamic (which I do). Good fruit, but the acidity is a bit light, causing some imbalance. I would have no problem with this being poured in my glass, but not something I would seek out. Very Good. 88 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2016 Spellbound Pinot Noir
88 points
Retail $14. Cranberry and rhubarb a go-go here—quite tart on the nose. Not nearly as tart on the palate, but the fruit seems a bit extracted here and rather one-dimensional on the whole. Very Good. 88 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Redwood Ridge Vineyard
94 points
Retail $62. A very intriguing nose (a good thing) with not exactly red fruit, certainly not black fruit, but not quite blue fruit. A touch of sweetness, and a rich, wet, earth note. Yum. Really wonderful fruit, great balancing acidty, healthy tanins, and a fabulous finish. OK. Whoa. Outstanding. 94 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Comments (2)
Red
2018 Maggy Hawk Pinot Noir Jolie
89 points
Retail $65. A brilliant crimson in the glass, but a whole lot of funk on the nose. Funky. Parliament kind of funky. I normally love the funk, but this is a bit much, at least on the nose. Brett and a bit of reduction. The palate is decidedly better with plenty of fruit, good acidity, and a lengthy finish. But that nose. Very Good. 89 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir "Red Cap"
87 points
Retail $25. While I thought the previous wine was funky, this makes that wine smell like a walk in the park. Sulfur, iodine, meat, vegetal, and little to no fruit. Yowza (and that is a bad ‘Yowza’ to be clear). While better on the palate, that is a decidedly low bar. Fruit, acid, tannin, but that nose? Whoa (again, not a good thing here). Still, Very Good. 87 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2018 Maggy Hawk Pinot Noir Afleet
90 points
Retail $70. One of the lighter pinots, at least in color thus far. Hints of funkiness and red fruit, this is a bit shy on the nose. Fruity, good acid, balance. This might be a touch overly-fruity for me, but it works. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2018 Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate
90 points
Retail $28. A shade to the dark side with black and red fruit, eucalyptus, vanilla. At least on the nose? This falls into the “yum” category. Solid on every front, this is nice, but not extraordinary. Excellent. 90 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2015 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Tall Poppy
91 points
Retail $60. Bright cherry and fresh earth, this certainly shows promise. The fruit is certainly subtle on the palate but balanced with tartness and acidity. This is not a world-beater type of Pinot, but it is demure, lovely, and tasty with a lengthy finish. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2016 Siduri Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard
94 points
Retail $62. There are not many noses in this line-up of 54 wines that I find more appealing: rich (but not unctuous) fruit, touches of earth, hints of vanilla. The palate did not disappoint. Great fruit, acidity, and verve. Yeah, I can do this all day long and twice on Sunday. Outstanding. 94 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Red
2017 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir
92 points
Retail $30. Tart, lean, and with a touch of funk, this is well within the realm of “classic Pinot.” The fruit is front and center on the palate until a wave of acidity comes in on the mid-palate. The finish is long, spicy, and a bit hot, but this is a nice wine. Excellent. 92 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Red
2017 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
91 points
Retail $30. Another really lovely nose of round red berry fruit with some baking spice and minerality. The palate takes a minute or so to get going, but when it does, the fruit comes rushing in along with some complexity and drying tannins. More, please. Excellent. 91 Points. thedrunkencyclist.com
Closing
Top Ten Wines (alphabetical)
2016 Copain Pinot Noir Les Voisins, Anderson Valley
2017 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir Lindley’s Knoll, Russian River Valley
2017 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Fox Den, Green Valley of Russian River Valley
2017 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Redwood Ridge Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
2017 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian River Valley
2017 La Crema Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
2018 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2017 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Estate Vineyards, Russian River Valley
2016 Siduri Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills
2018 Siduri Pinot Noir Willamette Valley