April 4, 2021 - From the cellar of my father-in-law who recently passed away. Fond memories, a well-balanced, juicy, fruit forward low tannin wine. Perfect with Easter ham on the patio.
March 11, 2021 - Crimson in color. 14.9% ABV. Riveting nose of red fruits, cloves, sarsaparilla and damp forest floor. Medium body with perfect acidity. Tremendous purity of fruit. Concentration rarely found in an 11 year old Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Cherry, strawberry, baking spice and earth on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Expectations were high and showed even better than I would have expected. Best over the next 3-5 years.
April 19, 2020 - PnP. Medium deep red. Long "legs". Red fruited nose - especially red apple and strawberry; little spiciness, Medium weight on the palate no rough edges, flavors echo the nose. Medium finish. Has matured nicely and shows that the Dehlinger wines which tend to be big and boisterous in their youth develop some finesse w age. Very good showing and last bottle
February 22, 2020 - This was beautiful. Lively and integrated. Lots of fruit on nose and palate. Long finish. I did not like the previous bottle at all. Now I am thinking it may have been ruined.
December 20, 2019 - Simply fabulous. Vibrant and mature. One of the better Pinot Noirs in my experience but we are huge Dehlinger fans.
May 31, 2019 - Deep red/garnet in color, this Pinot continues to show a nice balance of fruit and structure. Ripe raspberry, pomegranate and Bing cherry fruit is accented with baking spices, cola and cocoa on both the nose and palate. Despite its ripeness, it has fresh acidity, well-integrated alcohol (listed as 14.9%) and medium-weight, silky tannins. Solid and fine-textured in the middle, it goes on to finish with good length. Well-cellared bottles should continue to provide pleasure for at least another five years. Drink now-2024.
March 29, 2019 - Cherries, spice, floral, and earthiness in the nose. Cherries and blackberries in the flavor. Elegant pinot noir with a medium to long finish.
March 2, 2019 - Not going to rate this. Maybe an off bottle? Fruit on the nose at the beginning. After about an hour, there is almost no aroma left. Left me with an unpleasant aftertaste. Seemed too alcoholic and not integrated.
December 30, 2018 - Opened last night, sitting out all night without even the cork in the bottle that held the last 5-6 ounces. So, plenty of aeration. The aromatic to this is all about fresh berry, kind of Zinfandel-like ala Carlisle RRV. Poured and tasted this next to the 2010 Anthill Farms Comptche Ridge, my mood tonight prefers this Dehlinger. The fruit is more round and pure, forward but not candied. It just pleasure. A bit of clove, raspberry jam and some licorice/spice into the finish that is lively and bright with acidity. This is a solid mix of fruit and acid that works for me. Delicious.
December 29, 2018 - tasted blind. nose red fruited with some maple notes. palate sweet red fruits with a cola flavor. a bit riper than I expected but pleasant. 90 pts