April 13, 2009 - There are plenty of bad reviews on CellarTracker; Lord knows I have written my share. There are an equal number of poor ratings and I am also equally guilty of poor scoring. Because of the way that Eric set up CellarTracker those bad reviews and poor ratings do not get flamed by the more knowledgeable reviewers. For that we should all be thankful because I am sure that flaming would happen and I am sure that it would reduce the frequency and breathed of reviews. I bring this up because on the CellarTracker Forum there is a thread that is (as of this writing) 14 pages long with over 400 posts that basically makes fun of selected reviews. Thank you Eric for designing CellarTracker as you did.
This seems to be the little Pinot that could. Last January I stated that it was “time to drink up”. It wasn’t. This wine continues to surprise and there was no need for me to hurry up and drink over the last two years. Now I regret being down to my last bottle. Wine is wonderful right out of the bottle. There are several variations on cherries in the aroma. “Pinot Candy” cherry, dusty cherry, and some cherry fruit jam that all faded into a general berries and herbs. Soft and comfortable on the palate. Dusty cherry, some coffee and chocolate, and red berries in the taste. Not much acid or tannin but enough for a soft but pleasant finish.
December 10, 2008 - This wine has become like a favorite old sweatshirt. Soft and comfortable. Wine is wonderful right out of the bottle and needs no breathing time. All the flavors are slightly faded but still pleasant. There was whiff of Pinot candy and then it was gone. Cherries and plums in the nose that softened out to being berries and herbs. Not much acid or tannin and no white pepper on the finish. Very soft in the mouth. This wine has aged well, maybe better than could be expected. Rather than develope off flavors it has turned into the Pinot Noir version of comfort food.
June 7, 2008 - Lighter weight and color Cali pinot with still a bit of funk on the nose. The typical cherry pinot fruit has already begun to dimish. I would drink up now.
March 23, 2008 - Best bottle of this wine that I have had. Due to the low level of tannins the wine is showing age. Wine was wonderful out of the bottle and needs no breathing time. Brick red with a very light tinge of brown. Nose of prunes, plums, cherries, and tobacco. Similar flavors in taste with an earthy component. Enough acid to balance the flavors and provide a nice finish. For this wine it is time to drink up.
January 9, 2008 - Starting to show some "brick red" around the edge. Nose light but fragrant with a cherry smell. Fruit has dropped out considerably. Just lingering hints of "pinot candy" in the taste. Medium bodied. Nice balance, tannins and acids light enough so wine is pleasant. Not much in the way of finish. Enjoyable bottle of wine. Time to drink up.
December 23, 2007 - Nice bottle of wine but it suffered in comparison to the Le Cadeau, but then most Pinot's are going to suffer in comparison. Medium bodied. Nice balance between fruit and oak. Light nose.
December 4, 2007 - This bottle showed a little age, which was nice. Not much in the way of nose, which was different from the prior bottles. Medium bodied. Light garnet color. Taste of oak, leather, and cherry. It was nice to drink a Pinot that was not grape syrup, where the fruit had dropped out and was subdued. Nice wine for an informal setting.
February 17, 2007 - Very pleasant wine to drink. Nose of berry with some tea leaf background. Taste of "pinot candy" with enough tannin and acid to keep the wine from being cloying. Medium bodied. Enjoyable fruit finish.
August 26, 2006 - Nice aroma of earth, mushrooms, followed by a surprising amount of fruit--raspberries, primarily. Had alongside the Dom Coteau, Yamhill, which I thought was a bit better, although it had less fruit showing.
July 11, 2006 - Nice, easy drinking Pinot Noir. I drank this 2 weeks ago, and forgot to post notes, so I don't recall the specifics. I do know that while it was very nice, it was not as good as the 2002 Rosella's or the 2004 Marin.