September 1, 2017 - Beautiful subtle fruit. Smooth finish. Just like I like!
January 14, 2017 - Light color, but great concentration of orange peel, spice, stems, and rustic cherry fruit tacked to the palate by fine gritty tannins, just delicious.
December 31, 2016 - Koolade colored, intense strawberry cherry fruit, meshed very well with a variety of foods at Christmas. Really light, pure, but intense stuff, very Cali but doesn't suffer from overt ripeness or alcohol.
March 10, 2016 - This is amazing Pinot Noir. It's still youthful and vibrant. Strawberries, cherries and floral notes, spice, hints of tobacco, clove, mint and herbal tea. Tannins are well balanced the wine is silky smooth.
October 23, 2015 - A very pretty wine of carnelian-red with an almost wispy look of dustiness. Nose of tart cranberries and just a bit of creme brulee. Nose alone shows elegance and class. Palate reveals what I will describe as the perfectly matured Russian River Pinot; it's perfectly balanced layerers of purity, sensuality and presence and within a perfectly packager framework of glorious fruits of quiet strawberries and warm tart cranberry pie. Interesting soft rose petals too! There is nothing popping out as a 'spot me?' quality. Acidity perfectly delineated and tannins perfectly resolved. A delicate wine that if one swirls too vigorously one will sense some reduction notes, so I won't. After a dozen minutes this starts exploding upward from the glass and now is super fragrant. This wine right now does demand/deserve the perfect serving temperature, somewhere right at 63-65 is downright necessary. I did say it's a delicate flower and needs to be treated like one. Long and graceful finish all reminiscent of what came before. This is one to savor, not rush through.
September 2, 2015 - 13.0% alcohol. Light red color. Gorgeous nose of red cherry, baking spice, mushroom, and earth. Classic Saralee's. In the mouth, light and elegant but vibrant. A tantalizing streak of red cherry fruit is supported by ample acidity and a high level of complexity, leading to a slightly tart finish. A-
January 13, 2015 - 13.0% alcohol. This just continues to roll along. A terrific bottle of Pinot. Light red cherry color. Gorgeous nose of red cherry fruit, light spice, and pronounced floral notes. In the mouth, linear and leading with red cherry fruit, spiked with excellent acidity, floral notes, and underlying spice. Smooth finish. A balanced, complete wine that is starting to show its upside. A-
June 26, 2014 - The Vineyard Lunch Gang Visits Saralee's + 97 Pentagon & 02 Trenton: Probably my favorite of the flight although the most closed. Doesn't show a lot of stuffing but should become a pretty and balanced pinot. My guess is it should be consumed over the next few years.
June 15, 2014 - Cloudy light ruby color with lots of thrown sediment. The bouquet was a highlight of the wine- really pretty tertiary notes of mushroom, tea and clove, along with fig and strawberry fruit. Lots of sweet spice on the palate- cinnamon and clove were prominent, along with red cherry fruit. Some mineral and earthiness lingered in the background. Awkward at first, the flavors developed with air and the wine gained texture, although it was very light and dainty throughout in both tannins and acid. Ultimately for me this was a little clumsy, both in the prominence of sweet spice flavors, and in an overall lacking structure. Perhaps this is in an awkward stage (I really wanted to love this), but I just didn't detect the acid and structure to tie it all back together.
September 5, 2013 - 13.0% alcohol. Light red cherry color. Gorgeous nose of red cherry, mushroom, and spice. In the mouth, the picture of elegance in a red cherry frame. Bright acidity. Some tannic bite on the back end. This is a very pretty, bright, lovely wine that is just starting to hit its stride. Pretty gorgeous and with great upside. A-