Tasting note from memory. This was certainly a surprise, the best example of an aged Loring that I have ever had. Unfortunately, this is not the norm, in my experience. Still, it had a velvety richness, dry lush fruit and a medium long finish. Fantastic. It reminded me of some of the best Dehlinger Reserves that I've had.
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This is the best Loring wine I've ever had. I began buying Brian's wines early on his career as a winemaker, and continued for several years, drawn as much by the energy and enthusiasm of the winemakers as the wines themselves. Over time, however, I realized that Cal Pinot is not a wine that appeals to me, and I began dropping off of lists. Going through the cellar, I turned up this one bottle. Knowing Brian's preference for drinking his wines young, I didn't know what to expect from this 2001. What a nice surprise. Gone were the heat and over-the-top extraction I'd noted in its youth. In its place was a more subtle, more complex and beguiling wine. Very nice.
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Loring Retrospective (Orange County, CA): The first bottle had a nice nose of cherry and earth with mature sour cherry and black tea flavors. The second bottle had some terrific grilled meat flavors and was, according to my palate, the better bottle. First bottle: 89 points. Second bottle: 91 points. Average: 90 points.
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Took to Fratello's for SLH tasting. Showing age in the glass: rusty color. Nose a bit reticent. Crushed flowers, a bit of tart cherry on the palate, but also a little of stewed fruit flavor. Not at all unpleasant, but this bottle has peaked and was headed downward. Not nearly as good as the previous bottle I had of this.
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Fratello's Offline - Santa Lucia Highlands (Laguna Niguel, CA): Who said you can't age your Lorings? Nose of rose petals, sour cherry, and bacon. Not sure if this is typical of the vineyard, but this is the second wine I had this evening from Garys' that had meat characteristics. LB really liked this wine too. Must have been the bacon.
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Held on rather nicely, showing definite signs of aging the nose was quite nice with just a touch of pinot funk. Nice fruit and mouthfeel with a finish of brown sugar.
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took to Gerry's Pinot OL... served alongside Miner 2001 Garys'. .. this had more high-toned fruit, some of that cola feel... has aged very nicely...easy drinking, great balance and good finish.
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Very dark. Very hightoned nose of cherries, candied strawberries, and vanilla. Thick mouth feel with flavors of strawberries, and some oak spices. The finish sticks with you but has a bit of a bite.
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More red/bricking than I would've expected in an '01. Initially this wine was a bit thin on the nose, with some heat. Flavors of cherry were augmented by teriyaki sauce and roasted blueberry. Finish was pleasant, with a touch of heat, and lingering bits of sour cherry. Drink up.
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Deep opaque garnet/purple with the merest touch of cloudiness, showing no signs of age. On the nose typical deep Garys’ fruit, call it black cherry matched on the palate with just a touch of sweetness peeking out occasionally on the finish. On the nose and palate I also found some clove and a touch of some pine needle, maybe some cardamom. The acidity is nicely present and the wine retains a touch of grip. It drank very nicely on nights one and two but had fallen off noticeably on night three. It drinks perfectly well now. Whether it will get any better with additional age is questionable but it will easily go another year or so.
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Loring Garys's Vertical 2001-2003 (Seattle, WA, USA): Wow, this was my last 2001 Loring, and it really makes me wonder if I shouldn't have been holding these a lot longer. From the moment we opened the bottle it was screaming of roasted meat and peat, just so earthy, tarry and meaty. Absolutely fantastic! The palate is silky, somewhat restrained, very elegant. I am really stunned at the evolution of this wine, as this is yielding so many gorgeous secondary notes and has really shed so much of its youth. If I were sitting on any more of these, I would be sucking them down right now. Gorgeous!
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Time to revisit this wine -- and my impressions are consistent with other 2001 Loring Pinots -- wonderful nose with that beautiful Cal Pinot signature of black cherry, earth, some spice and smoke. In the mouth, though, the alchol is too prominent. It detracts from enjoyment of the evident fruit, and creates a sense of the wine being out of balance.
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Dark ruby color. Nose initially reticent, comes out after 45 minutes. Lovely dark cherry aromas with a bit of cake spice. Flavors of black cherry and black raspberry. Didn't get any of the typical Garys' strawberry. Blind I would guess this as Pisoni. Very rich and velvety on the palate. Superb balance. Long finish accented with some spicy oak and some remaining dusty tannins. Drinking fabulously now. I wouldn't hesitate to pop another when I'm in the mood for a showy wine, but I'm in no hurry.
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I think this particular bottle really showed well. Concentrated flavors of cherry and cherry pie, with hints of Chambord. Rich earth and punchy cola. Soft and mouth-coating, this wine was delicious!
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After having one of those days I needed something to make me smile, so I baked some pork chops, made a salad and cracked a bottle of Gary’s. I think Brian is such a good guy that drinking his wine always makes me smile, and probably gets him a few extra points ;). So to the wine, it starts very fruity with only a little funk and lots of Cherry. As it opens after over an hour the cherry starts to fade and the nose becomes more feminine. More strawberry perfume and earth (to Eric L I think this would be briar) with cherry that follows. The nose is just intoxicating. There is a smooth silky finish that sits on your tongue in an inviting way that says… please put more of that in your mouth. This wine is a great intro into what pinot can be in California.
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Mmm, this is some lush, silky juice. Piercing cherry is the dominant note with hints of pine, caramel, briar, earth and licorice beneath the sweet, pure fruit. The texture is unreal, pure silk. Mmm, the palate is sappy and sweet with loads of crushed raspberry, nice acid and minerality. This has shed a lot of weight in the past 18 months, really showing a much more classy elegant side than on release. This is really nice juice on its own and with dinner. It doesn't feature the weight, intensity or complexity of the 2002 Garys', but it is awfully alluring.
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This wine was best of all when I popped and poured. As it has gotten some air, it has picked up some astringency. It is still a good wine, but do not decant at all. The nose reveals herbs and a PlayDo element (?). The velvety, lush mouthfeel is the highlight of the wine. I find tastes of cranberries, more herbs, and some dark chocolate. As mentioned earlier, the finish continues to pick up astrigency.
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The first red of the evening, it was a nice transition from the Aubert Chardonnay just prior. I got some untypical flavors of bacon, but this was a fleshy, fun wine to drink. Cherry and hints of cola went well with the bacon and the wine put on weight in the glass. Note to self - decant Brian's wines!
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($42) 3000 Tasting Notes: From a 375ml split. I couldn't decide what to open to mark the milestone of 3000 tasting notes, so I opted for two wines - 2001 and 2002 splits from Brian Loring. The Garys' weighed in at 14.2% alcohol. Translucent ruby in the glass with clear purple edges. On the nose I noticed caramel, toasted oak along with cola and cedar. The palate was marked by tangy cranberry and black cherry fruit. The finish is long on cranberry fruit with rather piercing acidity. Citrus. Nice complexity.
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I have been a bit turned off by Loring Wine recently because of all of the BB hype. This is to my detriment, however, because Brian makes some great wine. Strong nose of oak, red fruit, hint of alcohol, and baking spices. Tremendously well balanced palate with red fruit, earth, and spice. Despite the high extraction and alcohol, the palate of this wine is in wonderful balance. I did not buy any 02's. That was a mistake. After about 3 hours open, the wine showed more vanilla on the palate but also developed a bit of an astrigent edge.
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The wine was consumed at Brothers' Restaurant (at Mattei's Tavern) in Los Olivos, having been purchased the same day. Bright disc. Deep ruby with red rim. Clean nose, opening over 25 minutes to show chocolate, red cherry, plum, raspberry and smoky aromas. Well-balanced on the palate, with medium sweet tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. The mid-palate weakens somewhat, and detracts from the overall rating of this otherwise nice Pinot. Perhaps the mid-palate will fill in and the finish will lengthen after a bit more time in the bottle, but I am concerned that the fruit may decline before this happens.
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Saturday, April 05, 2003 The deep, dark, burgundy color suggested the youthfulness of the wine. We swirled and swirled; the bouquet sent me reeling; swirled some more, then tasted. Michael Ross and I looked at each other and said, ’Oh, my gosh!’ Yeah, it was tight, but damn tasty with cherry, cola and mushrooms. Big, powerful, extracted, but not overdone. Seamless through to the long finish. 14.3% alc. Putting the rest down now for a long slumber. A meal in itself.
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I popped all three bottles of my 2001 Loring Wine Company Sampler Pack tonight to have with some salmon (cooked en Papillote w/ fresh thyme butter served atop some caramelized leeks).
The 2001 Gary's was stunning with layers of flavor and a finish that keeps on going. This is a STUNNING wine! It might be heresy but the more I drink wines like this, Flowers, and Dehlinger I just don't find the same acidity and freshness in Oregon Pinot. With winemakers like Brian I am finding that CA Pinot is stealing my affection...
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Author: Brian Loring (Loring Wine Company) Date: 12-09-02 15:13
I think the Rancho Ontiveros would go best with more "traditional" pinot pairings, such as salmon, seared ahi, or mushrooms. The Garys' and Clos Pepe will work with the traditional stuff as well, but I think they're big enough to handle a steak.
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Barrel tasting of blended samples 50/50 Garys' and Clos Pepe - this will not be bottled this way. Complex, rich delicious. Meaty. Awesome. Tough to separate out all the flavors but seems to capture the best parts of both wines.
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Barrel Tasting - 4 yr old barrel - Zesty with a touch of CO2 (this one was still out-gassing) Same sweet character as the new barrel. Slightly metallic nose. Wonderful strawberry cherry fruit.
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6/11/2016 - kkrahenbuhl Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful aged Pinot.
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5/5/2009 - Mark wrote: 92 Points
Tasting note from memory. This was certainly a surprise, the best example of an aged Loring that I have ever had. Unfortunately, this is not the norm, in my experience. Still, it had a velvety richness, dry lush fruit and a medium long finish. Fantastic. It reminded me of some of the best Dehlinger Reserves that I've had.
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1/5/2008 - SteveHyde wrote:
This is the best Loring wine I've ever had. I began buying Brian's wines early on his career as a winemaker, and continued for several years, drawn as much by the energy and enthusiasm of the winemakers as the wines themselves. Over time, however, I realized that Cal Pinot is not a wine that appeals to me, and I began dropping off of lists. Going through the cellar, I turned up this one bottle. Knowing Brian's preference for drinking his wines young, I didn't know what to expect from this 2001. What a nice surprise. Gone were the heat and over-the-top extraction I'd noted in its youth. In its place was a more subtle, more complex and beguiling wine. Very nice.
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5/26/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 90 Points
Loring Retrospective (Orange County, CA): The first bottle had a nice nose of cherry and earth with mature sour cherry and black tea flavors. The second bottle had some terrific grilled meat flavors and was, according to my palate, the better bottle. First bottle: 89 points. Second bottle: 91 points. Average: 90 points.
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2/18/2007 - Colima74 wrote: 88 Points
Took to Fratello's for SLH tasting. Showing age in the glass: rusty color. Nose a bit reticent. Crushed flowers, a bit of tart cherry on the palate, but also a little of stewed fruit flavor. Not at all unpleasant, but this bottle has peaked and was headed downward. Not nearly as good as the previous bottle I had of this.
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2/15/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 92 Points
Fratello's Offline - Santa Lucia Highlands (Laguna Niguel, CA): Who said you can't age your Lorings? Nose of rose petals, sour cherry, and bacon. Not sure if this is typical of the vineyard, but this is the second wine I had this evening from Garys' that had meat characteristics. LB really liked this wine too. Must have been the bacon.
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1/22/2007 - Bushwood wrote: 89 Points
Held on rather nicely, showing definite signs of aging the nose was quite nice with just a touch of pinot funk. Nice fruit and mouthfeel with a finish of brown sugar.
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7/9/2006 - Colima74 wrote: 90 Points
took to Gerry's Pinot OL... served alongside Miner 2001 Garys'. .. this had more high-toned fruit, some of that cola feel... has aged very nicely...easy drinking, great balance and good finish.
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6/16/2005 - JasonD wrote: 88 Points
Very dark. Very hightoned nose of cherries, candied strawberries, and vanilla. Thick mouth feel with flavors of strawberries, and some oak spices. The finish sticks with you but has a bit of a bite.
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5/13/2005 - MarkC wrote: 88 Points
More red/bricking than I would've expected in an '01. Initially this wine was a bit thin on the nose, with some heat. Flavors of cherry were augmented by teriyaki sauce and roasted blueberry. Finish was pleasant, with a touch of heat, and lingering bits of sour cherry. Drink up.
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4/12/2005 - whostler wrote:
Deep opaque garnet/purple with the merest touch of cloudiness, showing no signs of age. On the nose typical deep Garys’ fruit, call it black cherry matched on the palate with just a touch of sweetness peeking out occasionally on the finish. On the nose and palate I also found some clove and a touch of some pine needle, maybe some cardamom. The acidity is nicely present and the wine retains a touch of grip. It drank very nicely on nights one and two but had fallen off noticeably on night three. It drinks perfectly well now. Whether it will get any better with additional age is questionable but it will easily go another year or so.
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3/14/2005 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Loring Garys's Vertical 2001-2003 (Seattle, WA, USA): Wow, this was my last 2001 Loring, and it really makes me wonder if I shouldn't have been holding these a lot longer. From the moment we opened the bottle it was screaming of roasted meat and peat, just so earthy, tarry and meaty. Absolutely fantastic! The palate is silky, somewhat restrained, very elegant. I am really stunned at the evolution of this wine, as this is yielding so many gorgeous secondary notes and has really shed so much of its youth. If I were sitting on any more of these, I would be sucking them down right now. Gorgeous!
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1/9/2005 - SteveHyde wrote:
Time to revisit this wine -- and my impressions are consistent with other 2001 Loring Pinots -- wonderful nose with that beautiful Cal Pinot signature of black cherry, earth, some spice and smoke. In the mouth, though, the alchol is too prominent. It detracts from enjoyment of the evident fruit, and creates a sense of the wine being out of balance.
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12/14/2004 - backroadbob wrote:
Dark ruby color. Nose initially reticent, comes out after 45 minutes. Lovely dark cherry aromas with a bit of cake spice. Flavors of black cherry and black raspberry. Didn't get any of the typical Garys' strawberry. Blind I would guess this as Pisoni. Very rich and velvety on the palate. Superb balance. Long finish accented with some spicy oak and some remaining dusty tannins. Drinking fabulously now. I wouldn't hesitate to pop another when I'm in the mood for a showy wine, but I'm in no hurry.
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12/10/2004 - MarkC wrote: 92 Points
I think this particular bottle really showed well. Concentrated flavors of cherry and cherry pie, with hints of Chambord. Rich earth and punchy cola. Soft and mouth-coating, this wine was delicious!
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11/10/2004 - JasonD wrote: 93 Points
After having one of those days I needed something to make me smile, so I baked some pork chops, made a salad and cracked a bottle of Gary’s. I think Brian is such a good guy that drinking his wine always makes me smile, and probably gets him a few extra points ;). So to the wine, it starts very fruity with only a little funk and lots of Cherry. As it opens after over an hour the cherry starts to fade and the nose becomes more feminine. More strawberry perfume and earth (to Eric L I think this would be briar) with cherry that follows. The nose is just intoxicating. There is a smooth silky finish that sits on your tongue in an inviting way that says… please put more of that in your mouth. This wine is a great intro into what pinot can be in California.
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10/31/2004 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
Mmm, this is some lush, silky juice. Piercing cherry is the dominant note with hints of pine, caramel, briar, earth and licorice beneath the sweet, pure fruit. The texture is unreal, pure silk. Mmm, the palate is sappy and sweet with loads of crushed raspberry, nice acid and minerality. This has shed a lot of weight in the past 18 months, really showing a much more classy elegant side than on release. This is really nice juice on its own and with dinner. It doesn't feature the weight, intensity or complexity of the 2002 Garys', but it is awfully alluring.
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9/3/2004 - Jason wrote: 89 Points
This wine was best of all when I popped and poured. As it has gotten some air, it has picked up some astringency. It is still a good wine, but do not decant at all. The nose reveals herbs and a PlayDo element (?). The velvety, lush mouthfeel is the highlight of the wine. I find tastes of cranberries, more herbs, and some dark chocolate. As mentioned earlier, the finish continues to pick up astrigency.
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8/27/2004 - MarkC wrote: 90 Points
The first red of the evening, it was a nice transition from the Aubert Chardonnay just prior. I got some untypical flavors of bacon, but this was a fleshy, fun wine to drink. Cherry and hints of cola went well with the bacon and the wine put on weight in the glass. Note to self - decant Brian's wines!
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5/6/2004 - dbg wrote:
excellent
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3/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($42) 3000 Tasting Notes: From a 375ml split. I couldn't decide what to open to mark the milestone of 3000 tasting notes, so I opted for two wines - 2001 and 2002 splits from Brian Loring. The Garys' weighed in at 14.2% alcohol. Translucent ruby in the glass with clear purple edges. On the nose I noticed caramel, toasted oak along with cola and cedar. The palate was marked by tangy cranberry and black cherry fruit. The finish is long on cranberry fruit with rather piercing acidity. Citrus. Nice complexity.
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12/26/2003 - Jason wrote: 91 Points
I have been a bit turned off by Loring Wine recently because of all of the BB hype. This is to my detriment, however, because Brian makes some great wine. Strong nose of oak, red fruit, hint of alcohol, and baking spices. Tremendously well balanced palate with red fruit, earth, and spice. Despite the high extraction and alcohol, the palate of this wine is in wonderful balance. I did not buy any 02's. That was a mistake. After about 3 hours open, the wine showed more vanilla on the palate but also developed a bit of an astrigent edge.
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4/22/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 87 Points
The wine was consumed at Brothers' Restaurant (at Mattei's Tavern) in Los Olivos, having been purchased the same day. Bright disc. Deep ruby with red rim. Clean nose, opening over 25 minutes to show chocolate, red cherry, plum, raspberry and smoky aromas. Well-balanced on the palate, with medium sweet tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. The mid-palate weakens somewhat, and detracts from the overall rating of this otherwise nice Pinot. Perhaps the mid-palate will fill in and the finish will lengthen after a bit more time in the bottle, but I am concerned that the fruit may decline before this happens.
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4/5/2003 - timewithwine wrote:
Saturday, April 05, 2003 The deep, dark, burgundy color suggested the youthfulness of the wine. We swirled and swirled; the bouquet sent me reeling; swirled some more, then tasted. Michael Ross and I looked at each other and said, ’Oh, my gosh!’ Yeah, it was tight, but damn tasty with cherry, cola and mushrooms. Big, powerful, extracted, but not overdone. Seamless through to the long finish. 14.3% alc. Putting the rest down now for a long slumber. A meal in itself.
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12/16/2002 - Eric wrote:
I popped all three bottles of my 2001 Loring Wine Company Sampler Pack tonight to have with some salmon (cooked en Papillote w/ fresh thyme butter served atop some caramelized leeks).
The 2001 Gary's was stunning with layers of flavor and a finish that keeps on going. This is a STUNNING wine! It might be heresy but the more I drink wines like this, Flowers, and Dehlinger I just don't find the same acidity and freshness in Oregon Pinot. With winemakers like Brian I am finding that CA Pinot is stealing my affection...
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12/9/2002 - bheller wrote:
Author: Brian Loring (Loring Wine Company)
Date: 12-09-02 15:13
I think the Rancho Ontiveros would go best with more "traditional" pinot pairings, such as salmon, seared ahi, or mushrooms. The Garys' and Clos Pepe will work with the traditional stuff as well, but I think they're big enough to handle a steak.
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8/2/2002 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Barrel tasting of blended samples 50/50 Garys' and Clos Pepe - this will not be bottled this way. Complex, rich delicious. Meaty. Awesome. Tough to separate out all the flavors but seems to capture the best parts of both wines.
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8/2/2002 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Barrel Tasting - New Seguin Morrow barrel - much deeper color. Candied strawberry orange zest funk nose. Candied cherries. Rich sweet - acid finish. Delicious stuff. Medium-full bodied. Nice.
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8/2/2002 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Barrel Tasting - 4 yr old barrel - Zesty with a touch of CO2 (this one was still out-gassing) Same sweet character as the new barrel. Slightly metallic nose. Wonderful strawberry cherry fruit.
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