Friday night wine with the Mandalorian. Let decant for about an hour and change. Pinot Noir glass and its pretty dark and opulent; a light underneath the glass shows a hazy ruby. Swirls medium, nose is cherry and rhubarb, tomato skin, some earth and a light mint. Unexpected. Second glass, same result. The palate is forward and lighter side of medium bodied. Dark cherries, black fruit undertones, getting that rhubarb in the mid-palate with medium acidity. Slight in tannin, with fruits and earth fading for a shortish finish ending on a slight tart note. The nose was a bit of a surprise, sipped smooth end to end, and just a fun bottle.
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My last bottle, on purpose because these entry-level Lorings do not seem to age well. Consistent with previous note: This bottle had a lot of earth, almost a funky character. I think of Loring as a full-on fruit modern producer, and this bottle does not represent that mindset. It's actually more in my wheel-house of a balanced earthy pinot. If I were to guess, and it's only a guess, I think these have big fruit initially that fade relatively quickly. I bought a case of their 2015 San Mateo pinot noir, and they are dying or dead at this point in time. Regardless, for this wine, same score as last bottle, very good, not exceptional. This is an $18 pinot noir, and that's money well spent.
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This is the 3rd bottle I've consumed, and frankly they've been so different. This bottle had a lot of earth, almost a funky character. I think of Loring as a full-on fruit modern producer, and this bottle does not represent that mindset. It's actually more in my wheel-house of a balanced earthy pinot. If I were to guess, and it's only a guess, I think these have big fruit initially that fade relatively quickly. I bought a case of their 2015 San Mateo pinot noir, and they are dying or dead at this point in time. Regardless, for this wine, same score as last bottle, very good, not exceptional. This is an $18 pinot noir, and that's money well spent.
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Wow, this was a completely different experience than the previous bottle. Yes, this is Loring, so it is New World and fruity. But this one was elegant fruit, not alcoholic, not jammy, not sweet. A pleasure to drink at this price.
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A clear step up from the SBC. This is lushly fruited but has a balancing savory note (tomato leaf?) that adds interest. Just enough acid. I like this a lot, especially at the $19.99 WTSO price. Regular retail of $35ish isn’t outlandish given quality here. 90-91
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Slightly less acidic compared to 2015. I think this is still an "off" year for Loring, but not as "off" as 2015. The string of drought years really took its toll, and a hot summer really affected the hang time. Overall this has good balance and good value, but the complexity is lacking compared to prior vintages.
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I do like Brian's approach to his Pinot making. I was fortunate enough to chat with him at his tasting room a few weeks ago and I recall that he said, "I like to drink wines when they are young." This vintage suits his stated tastes just fine. This is a fuller bodied, darker expression of Pinot than most of my peers are accustomed to, but it's also a pretty tasty young wine. Drink now, and if you are lucky, have a glass with Mr. Loring when you are passing through Buellton.
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7/14/2023 - Winiac wrote: 91 Points
Acid plus, but overall balanced wine with mature flavors.
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1/15/2023 - SUnger Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drinking well, rhubarb, sweet dried currant, medium acidity, slightly acid light finish after one hour decant
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3/3/2021 - Winiac wrote: 90 Points
Classic Pinot bouquet. Acid plus and juicy. Fruit flavors are not quite focused or intense.
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12/18/2020 - LotionInTheBasket Likes this wine:
Friday night wine with the Mandalorian. Let decant for about an hour and change. Pinot Noir glass and its pretty dark and opulent; a light underneath the glass shows a hazy ruby. Swirls medium, nose is cherry and rhubarb, tomato skin, some earth and a light mint. Unexpected. Second glass, same result. The palate is forward and lighter side of medium bodied. Dark cherries, black fruit undertones, getting that rhubarb in the mid-palate with medium acidity. Slight in tannin, with fruits and earth fading for a shortish finish ending on a slight tart note. The nose was a bit of a surprise, sipped smooth end to end, and just a fun bottle.
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11/25/2020 - joet626 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Lots of dark berry fruit
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6/6/2020 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
My last bottle, on purpose because these entry-level Lorings do not seem to age well. Consistent with previous note:
This bottle had a lot of earth, almost a funky character. I think of Loring as a full-on fruit modern producer, and this bottle does not represent that mindset. It's actually more in my wheel-house of a balanced earthy pinot. If I were to guess, and it's only a guess, I think these have big fruit initially that fade relatively quickly.
I bought a case of their 2015 San Mateo pinot noir, and they are dying or dead at this point in time. Regardless, for this wine, same score as last bottle, very good, not exceptional. This is an $18 pinot noir, and that's money well spent.
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5/31/2020 - joet626 Likes this wine: 89 Points
very fruit forward. Tasty
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4/22/2020 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
This is the 3rd bottle I've consumed, and frankly they've been so different. This bottle had a lot of earth, almost a funky character. I think of Loring as a full-on fruit modern producer, and this bottle does not represent that mindset. It's actually more in my wheel-house of a balanced earthy pinot. If I were to guess, and it's only a guess, I think these have big fruit initially that fade relatively quickly.
I bought a case of their 2015 San Mateo pinot noir, and they are dying or dead at this point in time. Regardless, for this wine, same score as last bottle, very good, not exceptional. This is an $18 pinot noir, and that's money well spent.
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2/2/2020 - lockestep wrote: 86 Points
Fruit forward, one-dimensional. Medium body, finish slightly short. Pleasant sipper but nothing interesting.
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9/27/2019 - joet626 Likes this wine: 89 Points
very good. Typically ripe, full bodied berries
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7/27/2019 - VinCrush Likes this wine: 89 Points
Savory, Smoky, and Smooth.
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6/21/2019 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Wow, this was a completely different experience than the previous bottle. Yes, this is Loring, so it is New World and fruity. But this one was elegant fruit, not alcoholic, not jammy, not sweet. A pleasure to drink at this price.
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5/22/2019 - jpinsb wrote:
A bit too early to pop and Pour. Opened up after an hour or so with blackberry undertones. Worth the money and enjoyable but a little scary at first
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5/19/2019 - jmull Likes this wine: 90 Points
A clear step up from the SBC. This is lushly fruited but has a balancing savory note (tomato leaf?) that adds interest. Just enough acid. I like this a lot, especially at the $19.99 WTSO price. Regular retail of $35ish isn’t outlandish given quality here. 90-91
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3/31/2019 - gravedee Likes this wine: 90 Points
Slightly less acidic compared to 2015. I think this is still an "off" year for Loring, but not as "off" as 2015. The string of drought years really took its toll, and a hot summer really affected the hang time. Overall this has good balance and good value, but the complexity is lacking compared to prior vintages.
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1/28/2019 - winepog wrote: 89 Points
Food pairing means everything to this wine - high acidity. Works well with soft cheeses. Enjoyed it more on the second day - some air helps as well.
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1/24/2019 - Castle Peak wrote: 90 Points
This may be the best SLH QPR PN I have ever had.
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1/15/2019 - Quaffing in Colorado Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bright, juicy cherry, raspberry, cola, plum, herbs, and a soy sauce/umami streak.
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1/10/2019 - BrunelloBob wrote: 90 Points
Delicious on nose and palate. Plum, raspberry. We both like
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12/28/2018 - WineKnut Likes this wine: 90 Points
I do like Brian's approach to his Pinot making. I was fortunate enough to chat with him at his tasting room a few weeks ago and I recall that he said, "I like to drink wines when they are young." This vintage suits his stated tastes just fine. This is a fuller bodied, darker expression of Pinot than most of my peers are accustomed to, but it's also a pretty tasty young wine. Drink now, and if you are lucky, have a glass with Mr. Loring when you are passing through Buellton.
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11/25/2018 - galewskj wrote: 82 Points
Tasty, juicy and tangy fruit juice. Blind, I don't think I'd guess this as pinot noir. Frankly, it hardly tastes like wine.
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