November 25, 2020 - My second of two bottles, consumed ~2 years after the first. This wine is showing its age just a bit. Not quite as fruit forward as before, though still quite full of fruit. I'd recommend consuming within the next year.
October 11, 2020 - Decanted for 30 minutes as this wine needs at least 20 minutes of air to open, darken and integrate. As others have mentioned, this is not your typical pinot noir. Starts with red fruit aromas. The medium to plus bodied palate is quite fruity with both red and black cherry, some cranberry, raspberry, and even blueberry. These are joined by spice and some earth, along with balancing acidity, and some tannin on the finish. Give this wine a fair amount of air, then let your palate be entertained by one of the fruitiest non-typical pinot noirs we've experienced. This wine should hold for at least another year or two.
April 25, 2020 - Fun if you are drinking it for what it’s supposed to be and not the truest expression of Pinot. Had many that loved it bc of its bombastic nature.
September 8, 2019 - Not surprinsly, this has started to show some age. The fruit is fading a bit and secondary flavors are coming to the fore. Still good (but not for everyone). Time to drink up.
April 13, 2018 - 92+ Wow! Not your typical Pinot Noir, but an amazing wine nonetheless. Strong nose of rose petal and lavender. On the palate there's cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc. with some spice. This is a typical full throttle Herman Story-style wine.
January 11, 2018 - Garnet color. Dark berry menthol aromas. Rich and full bodied dark cherry and raspberry flavors with a lengthy liquore finish. Not your typical Pinot but a special wine for the right occasion.
April 28, 2017 - Heavy spicy pinot noir, not to sweet, dry tannins makes a good job kepping the sweet fruit down. Dark dryer fruits, more like soft Syrah with a twist of amarone. Surprise:-)
April 15, 2017 - Splash decant.
It's a Pinot on the nose for sure! I love Smash City. It's a pound for pound a stunner that I always try to stock up on!
This bottle came across as a little fleshy on the palate with the ample viscosity of some of his other wines. Not as "lively" as I remembered a previous tasting of the 2013. Nowhere near as complex as the 2014.
I'm amazed at times where I'll try Russell's wines and am simply floored, while other times leave me wondering if it's more "miss than hit." This wine was really neither. It's still one of my favorite Pinots to drink because it's so boisterous. Smash City can be polarizing as it has both the ability to start a conversation, as well as piss others off! However, this particular bottle came across as "middle of the road."
Last words: The 2013 is probably my least favorite vintage of Smash City, but still easily a wine that I can enjoy anytime.
Not bad in anyway, just par for the course.
89+/90-
December 24, 2016 - Having read fellow Cellartrackers reviews I had no illusions that this was a liberal interpretation of Pinot Noir.
No, it's a f'ing Frankenwine.
Sure it's syrupy and fruitful as a Syrah but it's also stemmy and unbalanced. Neither food friendly nor serviceable as a cocktail wine, it's one virtue is the cartoonish label which is a great conversation starter, but like the monster truck on the label this wine is wheels up before it reaches the end of the circuit.
November 28, 2016 - Dark ruby color. Took to a family Thanksgiving where I knew they would enjoy the monster truck label. Like others have said, this is over the top and drinks more like a syrah, but it was a big crowd pleaser with it's fruit punch characteristics. Smooth with some heat and nice finish.