The appearance here was really weird: even though the wine had been sitting for some time upright, it poured cloudy and almost fully opaque, pale plum purple color - which then seemed to progressively turn darker in the glass! The wine really seemed to be alive by its appearance. The wine is rich, heavily perfumed and quite sweet-toned, ranging from quite attractive to very over-the-top. There are aromas of kirsch and cherry marmalade, cranberry juice, some ripe strawberries, light sweet-toned oak notes of cola or even julmust (that's a weird, sweetly-spiced Swedish thing), light floral notes of violets, a wild raspberry-like hint of Framboise lambic and a lifted, liqueur-ish and slightly raisined note that reminds me of Banyuls. Tons of everything going on in the glass. The wine is ripe, medium-bodied and quite mellow on the palate with somewhat developed and super-juicy flavors of strawberry jam, brambly raspberries, some tart cranberries, light umami notes of steak tartare, a little bit of wizened dark plums, floral hints of violets and a touch of stony minerality. The wine is moderately high in alcohol - especially for such a ripe Pinot - but the ripe tannins feel very light and contributing very little to the texture. The finish is ripe, complex and somewhat meaty with gentle tannic grip and bright flavors of sour cherries, some floral violet tones, a little bit of beef jerky, light stony mineral tones, a hint of ripe strawberry and a touch of wizened dark fruit.
A distinctive, characterful and super-juicy Pinot Noir with quite a bit of weight. From what I've understood, Ambullneo Pinot Noirs are supposed to be fresh and delicate (especially from vintage 2005 onwards), but to me, there was very little elegance here - especially when there were a few Burgundy Pinot Noirs tasted in the same half blind tasting. Out of the Californian Pinot Noirs in the tasting, this was the most obvious ringer - no way there could be this much lush, sunny fruit in Burgundy. Overall the wine was enjoyable and distinctive, but suffered a little bit in comparison, as all the other wines showed more elegance and less obvious alcohol.
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This is a big brawny PN that took 3-4 hrs to open up...had with chicken at dinner, came across monolithic and dense, somewhat disappointing...now, sitting open for 4 hrs, it is singing. Deep blackfruit on the palate, clearly not a shy PN (nor did I expect one). Lovely (if heavy) finish of berries, hangs on the upper palate for minutes. Probably best just with cheeses...we'll see where this goes over the night.
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A beautiful nose. Traditional pinot fruit with a hint of orange flower. The palate doesn't live up to the promise, where a tartness, while not overdone, slightly distracts from the fruit at present. However, this continues to improve the longer it's in the glass, gaining complexity and becoming more integrated and balanced. I'll check back in tomorrow. In general, this is lighter on its feet than many from Cali, but doesn't have the precision of some of the best (e.g Rhys).
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Decanted for just under an hour after using one of those Venturi thingamajigs. Still took quite a while to open up but once it did, the wine was stellar. Would definitely buy again (and decant for at least a few hours).
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Wow. Very soft entry turns rich and lush in the middle. This one is very easy to like. Interesting interplay between ripe and sour cherries. Pop and pour works but it does develop over an hour. Even better on day 2.
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Had to pop a bottle to determine if I wanted to buy more from the JJ Buckley fire sale, as the 2004's were my favorite pinots from last year and the RO is a 1st year vineyard for Ambullneo.
As I poured the wine into the decanter, soaring aromas of red fruit and spice were noted that caused an excitement of what I was going to experience in an hour. As suspected, this wine did not disappoint! Pale light purple color with a classic central coast pinot nose of strawberry, sour cherry, nutmeg, cloves and a hint of cola that sang from the glass (reminded me a little of the 2005 Siduri Pisoni, but more intense). Upon first sip was a balance of sweet fruit and acidity with no hint of alcohol. Although not as dense and in your face as the 2004 Ambullneo’s, this was sheer elegant hedonism with a nice finish of spice and acidity. The next day, the wine put on some weight and became more rich and velvety on the plate and less acidic, which led me to believe it needs more time in the bottle or more air before consuming young.
Regarding the release price ($100) and the fire sale auction pricing ($40), IMHO I would not spend $100 on this or any central coast pinot because it’s not necessary; quality is abundant if you know where to look. However, at the $40 admission price I paid, I will back up the JJ Buckley truck to my cellar and buy all I can find. This hits all the sweet spots for me and promises to evolve over the next several years. Right now it is a notch below extraordinary in the classic rating scale, but based on the day 2 characteristics, I see this potentially gaining a point or two with some time in the bottle.
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1/17/2019 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points
14,3% alcohol. Tasted half blind.
The appearance here was really weird: even though the wine had been sitting for some time upright, it poured cloudy and almost fully opaque, pale plum purple color - which then seemed to progressively turn darker in the glass! The wine really seemed to be alive by its appearance. The wine is rich, heavily perfumed and quite sweet-toned, ranging from quite attractive to very over-the-top. There are aromas of kirsch and cherry marmalade, cranberry juice, some ripe strawberries, light sweet-toned oak notes of cola or even julmust (that's a weird, sweetly-spiced Swedish thing), light floral notes of violets, a wild raspberry-like hint of Framboise lambic and a lifted, liqueur-ish and slightly raisined note that reminds me of Banyuls. Tons of everything going on in the glass. The wine is ripe, medium-bodied and quite mellow on the palate with somewhat developed and super-juicy flavors of strawberry jam, brambly raspberries, some tart cranberries, light umami notes of steak tartare, a little bit of wizened dark plums, floral hints of violets and a touch of stony minerality. The wine is moderately high in alcohol - especially for such a ripe Pinot - but the ripe tannins feel very light and contributing very little to the texture. The finish is ripe, complex and somewhat meaty with gentle tannic grip and bright flavors of sour cherries, some floral violet tones, a little bit of beef jerky, light stony mineral tones, a hint of ripe strawberry and a touch of wizened dark fruit.
A distinctive, characterful and super-juicy Pinot Noir with quite a bit of weight. From what I've understood, Ambullneo Pinot Noirs are supposed to be fresh and delicate (especially from vintage 2005 onwards), but to me, there was very little elegance here - especially when there were a few Burgundy Pinot Noirs tasted in the same half blind tasting. Out of the Californian Pinot Noirs in the tasting, this was the most obvious ringer - no way there could be this much lush, sunny fruit in Burgundy. Overall the wine was enjoyable and distinctive, but suffered a little bit in comparison, as all the other wines showed more elegance and less obvious alcohol.
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3/21/2013 - zoeldar Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a big brawny PN that took 3-4 hrs to open up...had with chicken at dinner, came across monolithic and dense, somewhat disappointing...now, sitting open for 4 hrs, it is singing. Deep blackfruit on the palate, clearly not a shy PN (nor did I expect one).
Lovely (if heavy) finish of berries, hangs on the upper palate for minutes. Probably best just with cheeses...we'll see where this goes over the night.
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12/22/2012 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful again! Big and lush for a pinot.
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12/14/2010 - Jack wrote: flawed
This one must have been flawed. It was messy and not very good.
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3/22/2010 - vanpe003 wrote: 91 Points
A beautiful nose. Traditional pinot fruit with a hint of orange flower. The palate doesn't live up to the promise, where a tartness, while not overdone, slightly distracts from the fruit at present. However, this continues to improve the longer it's in the glass, gaining complexity and becoming more integrated and balanced. I'll check back in tomorrow. In general, this is lighter on its feet than many from Cali, but doesn't have the precision of some of the best (e.g Rhys).
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12/28/2009 - Patch wrote:
Decanted for just under an hour after using one of those Venturi thingamajigs. Still took quite a while to open up but once it did, the wine was stellar. Would definitely buy again (and decant for at least a few hours).
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2/28/2008 - Jack wrote: 94 Points
Wow. Very soft entry turns rich and lush in the middle. This one is very easy to like. Interesting interplay between ripe and sour cherries. Pop and pour works but it does develop over an hour. Even better on day 2.
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1/17/2008 - drinkwinedaily wrote: 94 Points
Had to pop a bottle to determine if I wanted to buy more from the JJ Buckley fire sale, as the 2004's were my favorite pinots from last year and the RO is a 1st year vineyard for Ambullneo.
As I poured the wine into the decanter, soaring aromas of red fruit and spice were noted that caused an excitement of what I was going to experience in an hour. As suspected, this wine did not disappoint! Pale light purple color with a classic central coast pinot nose of strawberry, sour cherry, nutmeg, cloves and a hint of cola that sang from the glass (reminded me a little of the 2005 Siduri Pisoni, but more intense). Upon first sip was a balance of sweet fruit and acidity with no hint of alcohol. Although not as dense and in your face as the 2004 Ambullneo’s, this was sheer elegant hedonism with a nice finish of spice and acidity. The next day, the wine put on some weight and became more rich and velvety on the plate and less acidic, which led me to believe it needs more time in the bottle or more air before consuming young.
Regarding the release price ($100) and the fire sale auction pricing ($40), IMHO I would not spend $100 on this or any central coast pinot because it’s not necessary; quality is abundant if you know where to look. However, at the $40 admission price I paid, I will back up the JJ Buckley truck to my cellar and buy all I can find. This hits all the sweet spots for me and promises to evolve over the next several years. Right now it is a notch below extraordinary in the classic rating scale, but based on the day 2 characteristics, I see this potentially gaining a point or two with some time in the bottle.
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8/5/2007 - EMichels wrote: 93 Points
Wally's Central Coast Tasting: Great deep pinot nose; Very rich; Great clarity; Very good fruit
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