Community Tasting Notes 5

• RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 91 points

  April 5, 2024 - Prior bottle was almost 15 months ago and the wine remains in a good drinking window. Soft black cherry along with light earth and spice notes on the nose with just a hint of tea now towards the back. Medium bodied with rounded black cherry upfront and just a small hint of red cherry. Mid-body has good depth, but less of a noticeable difference from the upfront profile. Plum notes come in through the back as well as a bit of blackberry, but like the upfront black cherry, they're more rounded and accessible as compared to my prior bottle. Tart cherry towards the back and then in finishes with fine grained tannins, acidity and a mix of earth, spices and a lingering tea/mineral quality. As compared to my prior bottle, balance was noticeable better overall (helped by the warmer serving temperature), but in particular with regard to the tea and spice notes which took time to come together in my prior bottle. The tea notes from the vineyard site are always distinct, but this bottle presented them in a more harmonious fashion. No signs of fading, so this wine clearly has some time left, but seems to have reached its peak and will show it's best over the next 18+ months.

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• RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 91 points

  January 20, 2023 - Prior bottle was exactly a year ago. Black cherry, earth, spices and tea on the nose. Medium bodied with both black and red cherry upfront. Takes several hours to really allow the fruit and spice notes to come together. Initially, the spice and tea notes are a bit dominant as it warms from cellar temperature. But eventually shows good black cherry and plum notes through the middle. Tart cherry, earth, spices, tea and minerals through the finish. Perhaps slightly less complex than my prior bottle and not quite as deep, but overall, still showing quite well. I actually have one more bottle which I'll hold until Q4 2023 or Q1 2024.

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• RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 points

  January 19, 2022 - Prior bottle was 16 months ago and this wine remains in a very good spot. Earth mineral and a mixture of black and red cherry on the nose (more black cherry than red this time). Medium bodied with red cherry upfront, showing more initial depth and openness than previously. Black cherry, plum and higher toned blackberry through the middle along with some red cherry notes behind. Finished with tart cherry, earth, minerals and a balanced mix of tannins and acidity. Overall, this wine felt noticeably more integrated than the prior bottle. The structural notes were in much better harmony with the fruit and the fruit itself seemed to have more depth. Where my prior bottle needed 6+ hours to show its best, my bottle tonight needed less than two to reach the same heights. Quite pleased with how this wine has come together and I'll plan to open my next bottle in Fall 2022.

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• RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 points

  September 6, 2020 - Prior bottle was a year ago and this wine continues to show positively. Spices, minerals, earth and red cherry on the nose with some occasional darker, black cherry notes. Medium bodied with very pretty red cherry upfront, showing tinges of brightness and openness. Black cherry, plum and blackberry again showed through the middle into the backside. Good acidity combined with tart red cherry provided and contrast and structure. This wine took a long time open to come together and next time, I'm almost certain to decant. The acidity and tart notes dominated for a long time and the wine didn't show it's true density and expressiveness for 6+ hours. Has better density through the middle than most FLX pinots and with the undercurrent of tart red cherry, earth and minerals, felt very much like an OR pinot. I will probably open my next bottle in early Fall 2021; under its glass cork this wine will have a long life.

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• RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 points

  September 7, 2019 - Spices, mineral, earth notes and red cherry with a black cherry edge on the nose. Medium bodied (13.3% ABV) with red cherry upfront showing impressive roundness and openness. Mid-body has excellent density and depth and brings in black cherry, plum and blackberry. Backside shows tart cherry, good acidity and solid tannins. Spices, floral and mineral notes through the finish. What is most impressive about this wine is the concentration achieved in the mid-body and the depth of fruit it shows here. There's enough structure to suggest this wine will continue to improve over the next few years. Balance and integration should both get even better with more time and it might even take on some elements of that elegant silkiness found in the best Oregon pinots. From a strong vintage, but it's more than that. This is simply an impressive wine. Next bottle for me in Summer 2020.

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Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2016
• Type Red
• Producer Heart & Hands
• Varietal Pinot Noir
• Designation Reserve Single Vineyard Clone 115
• Vineyard Elaine's Vineyard
• Country USA
• Region New York
• SubRegion Finger Lakes
• Appellation Cayuga Lake

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 12 (32%)
• Consumed 25 (68%)

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