December 29, 2023 - Drank from magnum. I was excited to see where Maggie's wines could go with some age, and this one did not disappoint. The previous note from 3daywinereview.com nails it - strawberries, red cherries, pine needles, florals, baking spices, minerals and forest floor.
It has come together quite nicely after a decade in the bottle, but I don't think it's built to go too much longer. There may be a few more tricks up it's sleeve with a few more years of cellaring, but I will personally plan on drinking my remaining magnum sometime in the next 1-2 years.
September 17, 2023 - What a great wine in a great place. Pine needles, strawberries, floral notes, mild pepper, spices and floral notes. Super complex wine that has some life left for sure. Drink through 2030. WoW!
February 25, 2023 - Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. PNP at client dinner. This is a stellar wine! Balanced & smooth as silk. Black cherry, floral, spice nose & palate. Don’t get a lot of secondary characteristics, but this is a fantastic wine! Not sure it rivals Burgundy especially given its current release price of $150 for 2021. Seems like a $ grab unfortunately. But I guess if I were Maggie, I’d ask for it too!
September 30, 2022 - Pop and pour - not fair to the wine, but ultimately it didn't matter much. In the glass, pink/red at the rim, shading to dark, brooding red at the core. On the nose, a wave of cherries, pine, and nutmeg. On the palate, rich with fruit but not cloying in the slightest, with cherries, cacao, a touch of tangy citrus, and spice, and a modest amount of tannin on a long finish. An elegant, refreshing pinot.
July 13, 2022 - Prior bottle was a year ago and this wine simply continues to impress. Black and red cherry, earth, spices and floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied with both black and red cherry notes upfront, with darker black cherry and plum through the middle. Tart black cherry, black berry, fine grained tannins and acidity on the backside provide contrast and structure. Mid-body and finishing transition remain two key strengths; the mid-body is beautifully elegant, rounded and silky with depth, complexity and nuance. The transitions are virtually seamless and even at 10 years old, this wine still feels lithe. There may have been some positive bottle variation in this particular bottle as the mid-body seemed slightly deeper, the fruit a touch more expressive and the wine overall, slightly better balanced. Based on my recent notes, I think this was simply a great individual bottle and I therefore kept my score the same. I will certainly jump at any opportunity to purchase more as this wine still has time left.
June 25, 2022 - Fabulous!
April 27, 2022 - Tasting pour from a magnum; super floral and candied red berry fruits initially; with some air a hint of forest floor and more baking spice emerge. The palate is rich and decadent, not heavy, but definitely not elegant either; still a fair amount of structure and maybe losing some freshness. The finish is a bit warm, but it is long and leaves a sensation of pure red fruits. This is probably a bit big for me, but still holds together to be enjoyable. The right meal would help. I'd probably tend to drink these sooner given the waning freshness.
February 18, 2022 - I feel like this has put on weight over the years. Very much a richer style, relative to Pinot, that flirts with maybe Aston or Boars' View, without all the oak, stylistically. Red fruit forward, but there are touches of bramble, spice and a bit of earthiness to remind you of Oregon and the grape. Overall, this drinks close-ish to Cab... but just not made from Cab. It's better than that sounds and was a great pairing with duck tartare and a NY strip, but that should give you an idea of the weight. A very well made wine, but you just need to know what you're in for. Tons of stuffing to this, so I wouldn't be in a rush to drink this, but I wouldn't expect a ton of evolution or added complexity.
December 14, 2021 - Tasted double blind. I had a hard time to pin this down. First impression, this has the intensity, bright fruit and many of the aromatics of a Rayas. Then again more Pinot aromas came forward. Too old world in style to be Californian or an another new world Pinot... but a touch too intense and ripe for a Burgundy. 95 pts easily. The only negative point: some alcohol notes were showing (otherwise this could have been a 97 pts wine). I don‘t have any experience with this winery or any Oregon Pinot for that matter, but I like this style a lot.
TN: Intoxicating nose, super intense ripe red berries, loads of spices, fresh herbs and some minerality. With time intense meaty notes. Every sniff reveals a new aroma. On the palate this is even more impressive with so much seductive, sweet yet pure and fresh red berries, some vegetal aromas, lots of spices and minerality, fresh herbs. With every sip new nuances pop up. Fine tannins, lots of tension, very good acidity, no excess weight and perfectly slightly creamy texture, good long finish. On the palate and towards the finish there are some alcohol notes.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting necessary.
December 11, 2021 - Late night at Maison Dakota with Frenchie peeps. Drank in Grassl Cru.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour with thin garnet rim. Legs.
Same tasting note as before but strangely the toast oak seems more apparent now than few years ago. Smooth structured medium+ tannins, same deep spices and nice fruits as before.
Long finish.
Big impressive New World Pinot. Kept the guests very happy. Feels like another few years for the oak to integrate more also could be good.