Was at the tasting room this week and they poured me a sample and i bought a bottle. I won't keep it for long but thought it had great flavors and was not "over the hill". Perhaps this one had lots of bottle variation. They may have poured using a coravin
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4.5 years after the prior: quite dark and earthy. Savory. A bare suggestion of barnyard gives it character. Good acidity. I think this will last a few more years. Whether it evolves in any meaningful way is another question. And on reflection, I’m put off by the massive bottle — hardly eco friendly. Pleasant and enjoyable over three nights.
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To be fair, I should've drank this wine about two years ago. That being said I was disappointed as it was no where near as nice as I had remembered from my first experience in the ABC tasting room. The nose is so subtle as to be almost non-existent; with only a hint of red fruits and earthiness. The palate offers a little more expressiveness of the same but quickly fades into a slightly tannic finish. Again, I probably waited to long to enjoy but I was hoping that the Pinot of a producer as solid as ABC would have aged a little more gracefully.
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Two years ago, this wine won my own blind wine tasting party (yes, poor form as a host). This is the last of my bottles. It's still very good but not as much wow factor tonight.
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From Magnum. Showing a little more rustic/oak on the palate next to the 2008 Knox. Red fruit palate. 'This is what ABC tastes like.' and then there was reference to a revelatory experience with ABC. And I can't lie, I've had one too. Suberb. I'd like to drink this next to some Folk Machine Vecino PN and see what happens.
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Color is see through garnet..legs form quickly....nose is complex mix Of smoke, cherry, herbs, vegetal, green pepper... Taste is bitter cherry Slightly tart, herbal, finish is moderate with easy tannins... For me, it's a good Pinot but not a great QPR,wouldn't buy again...
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Impressed by this. Not super fruit forward, but there is still a lot going on. This almost reminds me of shut-down red burgundy that is just starting to come around. Not a normal feeling with a SB county pinot noir.
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Really enjoying this. So multifaceted. Perfumed and ethereal, yet gutsy, persistent. A nice solid core around which there's lots going on. Perhaps a bit jammy, but that's only a quibble.
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Blackberries, smoke, caramel, some brighter fruit. Low-med acid, low-med tannin, good length. A little duller on the palate than an entry-level Pinot of theirs I tried recently, so in that sense this is a little disappointing, but there is plenty of interest here, not least the restraint and poise of the wine. 13.5%, $51.
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Medium Ruby. Well-balanced and bright. Touch of rose petal on the nose. We were looking for, and hoping for, some funk or forest floor -- but did not notice any. Very nice wine nonetheless -- in a massive bottle. Enjoyed over three nights, gassed and refrigerated in between.
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Ruby colour. Open, lovely classic pinot nose of cherries and underbrush. Nice acidity and balance. Well made and delicious..
I can't say I found this much better than the 2008 La Bauge Au-Dessus I tried a couple years back. But then again, that was the first ABC wine I had tried and the surprise factor could have provided some additional enjoyment.
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A lovely wine, surprisingly lithe given the super low yields that year. I never approve of calling a California pinot- especially from Sta Barbara- "Burgundian," but this really is- well, let's say it's evocative of such. I used to drink a lot of ABC pinots and to my mind this is a departure from the more concentrated, bright wines I remember, but in a very pleasant way. A delicious cheese-like quality lingers for minutes in the mouth.
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With this producer's wines, it's almost a truism that the Pinot Noirs are identifiable as pinot noir. This bottle was tasted without air time (or much time in the glass), and only shortly after purchase, so -- while it was quite nice, even if quite fruit-forward -- I'm convinced that aeration or longer bottle rest will give this the elegance we look for in these wines.
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3/20/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slightly browned ruby.
Nose some dark fruit, a plummy note with some rose florals. .
Palate earthy, vegetal, red fruits with time.
Nice depth of flavor but not sure how much longer it would go out -- drink now
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12/9/2020 - chbeaumont wrote: 88 Points
Advance colour; ripe dark fruit, spicy, fulsome; quiet, rounded palate, fleshy, solid. Finishes well. Very long. Just doesn't convince. I'd drink soon, others thought otherwise.
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2/12/2020 - rwerner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Was at the tasting room this week and they poured me a sample and i bought a bottle. I won't keep it for long but thought it had great flavors and was not "over the hill". Perhaps this one had lots of bottle variation. They may have poured using a coravin
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1/26/2020 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
4.5 years after the prior: quite dark and earthy. Savory. A bare suggestion of barnyard gives it character. Good acidity. I think this will last a few more years. Whether it evolves in any meaningful way is another question. And on reflection, I’m put off by the massive bottle — hardly eco friendly. Pleasant and enjoyable over three nights.
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8/28/2019 - Papajakey Likes this wine: 86 Points
To be fair, I should've drank this wine about two years ago. That being said I was disappointed as it was no where near as nice as I had remembered from my first experience in the ABC tasting room. The nose is so subtle as to be almost non-existent; with only a hint of red fruits and earthiness.
The palate offers a little more expressiveness of the same but quickly fades into a slightly tannic finish. Again, I probably waited to long to enjoy but I was hoping that the Pinot of a producer as solid as ABC would have aged a little more gracefully.
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3/23/2019 - hadlieh2 Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Seemed bitter tonight. Dusty? Just not great. One companion liked another neutral. Last bottle if this vintage. Drink up if you still have
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6/21/2018 - PatrickH wrote: 88 Points
Two years ago, this wine won my own blind wine tasting party (yes, poor form as a host). This is the last of my bottles. It's still very good but not as much wow factor tonight.
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8/29/2017 - tkanemoto@comcast.net wrote: 92 Points
Lighter in color but elegant pure pinot flavor with nice balanced finish. More burgundy style than big and fruity Calif. pinots. Would buy again
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6/7/2017 - nzinkgraf wrote:
From Magnum. Showing a little more rustic/oak on the palate next to the 2008 Knox. Red fruit palate. 'This is what ABC tastes like.' and then there was reference to a revelatory experience with ABC. And I can't lie, I've had one too. Suberb. I'd like to drink this next to some Folk Machine Vecino PN and see what happens.
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9/2/2016 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 89 Points
Color is see through garnet..legs form quickly....nose is complex mix
Of smoke, cherry, herbs, vegetal, green pepper... Taste is bitter cherry
Slightly tart, herbal, finish is moderate with easy tannins...
For me, it's a good Pinot but not a great QPR,wouldn't buy again...
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4/4/2016 - bconly Likes this wine:
Impressed by this. Not super fruit forward, but there is still a lot going on. This almost reminds me of shut-down red burgundy that is just starting to come around. Not a normal feeling with a SB county pinot noir.
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2/9/2016 - wineamateur Likes this wine:
Really enjoying this. So multifaceted. Perfumed and ethereal, yet gutsy, persistent. A nice solid core around which there's lots going on. Perhaps a bit jammy, but that's only a quibble.
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10/17/2015 - Benj Likes this wine: 89 Points
Blackberries, smoke, caramel, some brighter fruit. Low-med acid, low-med tannin, good length. A little duller on the palate than an entry-level Pinot of theirs I tried recently, so in that sense this is a little disappointing, but there is plenty of interest here, not least the restraint and poise of the wine. 13.5%, $51.
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7/25/2015 - Pikemeister123 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely. Good structure. Tasted more like a young Grand Cru Burgundy than anything from California. Would love to taste again in 10 years.
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7/11/2015 - Deux Chevaux Likes this wine:
Medium Ruby. Well-balanced and bright. Touch of rose petal on the nose. We were looking for, and hoping for, some funk or forest floor -- but did not notice any. Very nice wine nonetheless -- in a massive bottle. Enjoyed over three nights, gassed and refrigerated in between.
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6/16/2015 - Kitura Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby colour. Open, lovely classic pinot nose of cherries and underbrush. Nice acidity and balance. Well made and delicious..
I can't say I found this much better than the 2008 La Bauge Au-Dessus I tried a couple years back. But then again, that was the first ABC wine I had tried and the surprise factor could have provided some additional enjoyment.
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1/17/2015 - Decanting fool Likes this wine:
A lovely wine, surprisingly lithe given the super low yields that year. I never approve of calling a California pinot- especially from Sta Barbara- "Burgundian," but this really is- well, let's say it's evocative of such. I used to drink a lot of ABC pinots and to my mind this is a departure from the more concentrated, bright wines I remember, but in a very pleasant way. A delicious cheese-like quality lingers for minutes in the mouth.
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1/10/2015 - Italiana wrote:
With this producer's wines, it's almost a truism that the Pinot Noirs are identifiable as pinot noir. This bottle was tasted without air time (or much time in the glass), and only shortly after purchase, so -- while it was quite nice, even if quite fruit-forward -- I'm convinced that aeration or longer bottle rest will give this the elegance we look for in these wines.
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12/7/2014 - Iceman611 wrote: 94 Points
Much more concentrated than the sbc or even au dessus from au Bon climat. Yet it retained the earth and balance in the lighter bodied wines. Superb.
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