2012 Cirq Pinot Noir TreeHouse
Community Tasting Note
csimm wrote:
Saturday, March 25, 2017 - Previous notes apply from 6 months and a year ago. An initial wave of very nice brambly purple and red fruit, and some hints of mulch, earth, brush, and river rock. The acid seemed low; the frame came off a little fuzzy, especially after some air. As mentioned before, once this monkey sat out in the glass for a couple of hours, it displayed a flat mid and finish. PnP and the first sips were very nice, and then seemingly between the air and coming more to room temp, it became a fainting damsel in distress.
As mentioned, PnP was "good;" somewhat interesting, somewhat enticing, somewhat nuanced, somewhat complex, somewhat...
I think I like this wine the way I like the idea of a first date with a mysterious, beautiful woman, but someone I probably know will bore the crap out of me in the first fifteen minutes. This wine would "fail the car ride" - after a few minutes driving to dinner, you'd just want to turn around a go home to your pizza, dog, and Family Guy.
So, (here it comes...) if this wine was $50, it would be a no-brainer, but it's twice that much off the mailing list - 3x that much on the secondary market! What are we doing?? If you're gonna be the best domestic Pinot in the world, then do it. But do it now please, because being "somewhat" anything is pretty darn inexcusable for this QPR. Don't get me wrong...you could serve this to folks and it will be "fine"...but that's what it will be.
93? points when looking through the most objective lens I can when evaluating this wine. I rant a bit because I care about this wine being something, and frustrated that the divorce just seems inevitable. Maybe the 2013s will show better.
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5 comments have been posted
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Comment posted by bdklein:
3/26/2017 4:40:00 PM - The critics (WS, AG, RP/WA) gave the 13s better scores (13 first year for Bootlleggers) than the 12, which in turn got better scores than the 11. Get the feeling the 14s will be dynamite . With you on the money though . Not sure if bang for the buck. $125 is most I have ever spent on a wine, and the shipping costs are high.
Comment posted by csimm:
3/26/2017 6:46:00 PM - Hi there bdklein! You're absolutely right... and the 2014s might be epic. I hate that I'm even weighing the cost in as a factor, but I guess it has to matter at some point. If you want to be one of the most expensive domestic Pinots, I just figure you better be one of the best domestic Pinots. Maybe this is exactly that for some folks. And maybe I'm being too judgy for one vintage. Who knows, but after four goes at the 2012 over the past year or so, I'll focus more in the 2013s and see if there is improvement. Thanks very much for your thoughts. Much appreciated.
Comment posted by bdklein:
3/27/2017 6:32:00 AM - Thanks for all your info.
Do keep in mind a few things:
1. The reviews on Cellar Tracker and elsewhere on the 2013s have been pretty stellar. These wines-just a few years old- are moving in the direction.
2. Not sure why the need/desire to let the wine sit out in the glass for a couple of hours
3. And let it sit at room temperature. IMO cool weather grapes are meant to be served at cool temperatures.
And if you like Cirq and want to save some money, look at Chenoweth Pinot. A blend of Treehouse, Bootleggers, and Chenoweth Ranch. I had the 2012 and was really good.
Comment posted by csimm:
3/27/2017 7:50:00 AM - All excellent points.
I actually prefer all of my reds at cellar temp (54-56) if I can help it. This last time was at a restaurant, so the wine was consumed slowly over dinner (so it made its way to room temp - our fault there). But I just find it interesting how this particular wine seems to drastically react to temperature and extended air. It's concerning in terms of its potential longevity and its seemingly fragile acid balance and frame (cool climate or not).
In any event, thanks again for the info/recommendations and helpful insight. I'll focus on the 2013s.
Comment posted by csimm:
3/29/2017 6:46:00 AM - Hi dc8. Thanks for your comment. The score reflects the best sips on the initial PnP for me. (I might be being a tad generous with a 93). And yes, after the declination of the wine over time, somewhere in the 89 point area would be about right. So I suppose a more accurate range for the whole experience from a score standpoint would be 89-93 (actually 93-89 if going by the direct linearity of time). Hope that helps. Thank you.