Still drinking incredibly well. Cork looked intact, but completely disintegrated. Had to pour through two mesh strainers, essentially decanting twice, in order to clear the debris. Still, the wine held up for three plus hours, displaying incredible acidity and persistence. The wine looked completely bricked, coming in a rusty orange brown, yet there was still fruit and balsamic notes galore. Such an intriguing romp of an aged CA Pinot Noir.
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Glowing lite Brown-orange. Overripe red berry melange, quite sharp, on the nose. Drinks like a cab franc with explosive red fruit astringency including pomegranate, cranberries, Valencia orange, aggressive acids, and a wonderfully balanced sweet/tart ratio. Perfectly aged.
This had a rather beautiful tertiary nose, lovely bit of library and a tiny hint of rubber cement, on the palate some cranberry fruit with ample spice but somewhat sharp and abrasive acidity. This falls into the more interesting than delicious category.
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PnP Zalto Burgundy glass This is beautiful. Aromas of soy, balsamic, cherries and tarragon. It feels like you can smell the acid. Soft entry, red fruits, dill, more notes from assorted herbage, fecund soil, and back to the balsamic - plenty of acid from start through the finish. Also need an ah so to open, disintegrating cork, yet the wine was intact and composed, both upon pour and over 4 hours. A really interesting and mature wine that is currently delivering all of the tertiary interest I could want while retaining vibrancy and good fruit. Drink now. Buy more, if at all possible, and drink over the next couple of years.
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Ah so to open, a little messy with the cork but overall looks pretty good. Slightly cloudy. Decanted for an hour or so. Decent amount of sediment.
Black cherry and menthol nose.
Not a lot of fruit, but very intensely flavorful and despite this…somehow still lots of overripe cherries. It’s clearly a mature wine with hints of leather and tobacco. Vibrantly acidic. Almost like a balsamic glaze at times. Dried flowers. Finish has hint of mint chocolate.
Very unique— never have I had a Sonoma Pinot aged this long. Good, and works well with food. We had it with pork tenderloin in a cherry sauce made with very ripe early season sweet cherries in mid June. But not for the acid faint!
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Excellent shape for a 23 year old Pinot. I think this wine has a lot more to gain in the future. Great acidity. Cherry....lots of cherry....even some strawberries after a while. Long taste. I will try my next bottle in 3-5 years.Great value
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This is a cerebral wine. Have been a massive fan of the Kalin Chardonnays and thought time to try their Pinot. Haven't had a Burgundy PN for some time so memory hazy on what to expect. This bottles (which had been stood up for 4 days prior to opening) is mahogany and slightly cloudy. Nose is perfumed with some cherry bonbon sweetness, some rosehip and some briars. Palate is a little clipped and one-dimensional although there is a twiggy red-fruited charm too. Good but didn't blow me away as I'd hoped.
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Corked pulled using an osso, yet seemed very intact. The aromatics are absolutely stunning - bright and generous red fruit with subtle yet distinct floral aromas. There is a touch of smoke, asphalt, and some gaminess as well.
On the palate, delicate, yet elegant and harmonious red fruit flavor that is deep and focused. The finish goes on for minutes after each sip. The wine tastes of flint, forest floor, orange peel, raspberry, red currant, stoniness, and black tea. Something I've never experienced before from Sonoma Pinot. Truly mind-bending.
This is showing spectacularly now but still has time ahead of it. I don't see it getting better, but developing into something different. Bravo.
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This pours a lightly cloudy light garnet with medium plus bricking. More bricked than expected for the age. The nose is extremely aromatic and complex showing a very classical style of dried red cherries, dried red currants, fresh ginger, a whisp of licorice, a touch of sassafras, menthol, sesame seed, pickle brine, and a whisp of leather. There is significant VA here, which is within acceptable limits for me, but it's a particular style. Not for the VA adverse! The palate shows the dried citrus and bright rich cherry of the nose, then turning to medium minus tannin and medium plus acid. The finish closes on high acid (VA) dried orange peel which is moderate in length. Really nice bottle. This is the first experience I can recall with Kalin and while nice it's very unusual stuff. The VA may be off putting to some and the bricking is significantly more than expected given the age.
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An oxymoron of a wine. The first thing I noticed was the transparent brick color, not unlike an ancient Nebbiolo. The nose was really perplexing. It was primarily vegetal, like tomato leaf and forest floor, but there was a fat dose of VA that never quite faded. The fruit was faded, dried in the background. This is certainly not a wine for everyone, but as an acid freak I loved it.
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Fig, molasses, rosemary, beef bouillon, cola/Pimm's, and leather. Not much to look at, but the intensity of flavor belies its tawny color. Round entry with toasty, dried red fruits and cinnamon.. Zippy finish with tart, dried fruit. Nice value in aged pinot. I'd be looking at another $25+ for a comparable Beaune 1er.
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BYOB Vinklubben Vinminnen: Vinminnen 9 Roligt vin som verkligen var en vattendelare. Fyra personer tyckte detta inte var så roligt och over the hill. Två personer gav den 91-92 p.
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Purchased 03/2019. Not the first btl of this wine that I’ve tasted. I have a Durand but i took a chance opening it with a good waiters corkscrew. Thought I’d get it completely but it was like the lower portion of the cork was glued to the inside of the neck :). Crumbled but no disaster. Crystalline cherry candy and other attributes that have been discussed well by others but once again the VA to me detracts, a good bit more than what might potentially add to the complexity of the wine. Not a dumper, Certainly educational. With the defect I nevertheless give this an 88/100 rating.
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This was my first Kalin Pinot and it did not disappoint. Huge dusty strawberry fruit, lots of nice acidity, nice texture, and a depth you don't always see. It also had a really interesting funk that was hard to place but was enjoyable.
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Pinot under $100 (East Bistro): Crumbly cork as others have noted before. I think this was very divisive, our table all thought it was old-world but the other table was adamant that it was very clearly new-world. Looking at previous notes, I think our table's impression was closer to what was mentioned before.
Very classic Burgundian earthiness and sous-bois, tertiary mushroom notes and some VA on the nose even though this wasn't quite as well done as the best producers from Burgundy. Savoury notes on the palate that led me to Gevrey. Lovely acid to the wine still despite the ripe fruit. Apparently the winemaker who is also a professor took some yeasts from DRC to make this.
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Wow, wow wow - from left field. Somebody bought a bottle over and I had no idea what to expect. Tons of energy - driving acidity - lovely nose with slight oxidative notes, mint, eucalyptus, light dead leaf elements - really fascinating. This wine made me think - and think. Finish is long and juicy - I enjoyed it and one of the most cerebral wines I’ve had in a while - 18 years before releasing? Hell yeah!
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2000 Lunch (Old Bazaar Kitchen): Served blind in a pair, hawthorn acidity on the nose quite close to the Ponsot and Leroy on its side. Picked this one to compare with similar styles from Burgundy. Some successfully guessed Sonoma pinot, indeed missing the earthy notes and structures from the best of Burgundy. Delicious to drink again, still. 92-93
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I don't really understand the fascination with this wine. It is impressive that this wine is 20 years old and still has the structure of a much younger wine but... the VA is outrageous. I've had older burgundies that have some incredible finesse and nuance of flavors and this... this is just a old Pinot Noir from Alexander Valley. Not flawed, not bad, but not worth the hype. At least my bottle wasn't, I know theres a bit of bottle variation on these wines
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Coarsely textured and more eucalyptus than I'd like to see. But a rather enjoyable old wine. Zero issues with acid balance or browning / orange color, this is quite fresh. So nice to pick this up at the wine shop and enjoy a pleasant, mature wine an hour, not 20 years later.
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Dry broken cork, decanted to serve. Crazy high acidity, which benefited a lot from the decanting, revealing beautiful layers of hawthorn and some Beaune green characters. Very focused, complex, and energetic. Colour is on the natural side, so I would not agree that this is the "American DRC" but is certainly on the higher end of natural burgundy if served blind. Believed to be late release. 94
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it is amazing to me that this is 20+ year old wine. the colour looks like aged nebbiolo but it drinks like it was bottled yesterday. the acidity is so strong at the start that it is almost undrinkable (in my opinion) but given time the wine softens and opens up. its good now but i am definitely going to save the rest of my bottles for another 10 years.
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Followed for two days... this shows a truly lovely bouquet with savory scents of roast pork, spicy notes of clove and cardamon, floral hints of lavender, and a touch of earthy leather. The palate is dominated by uber bright and hard lemony acids with some nice cherry fruit in reserve and just a bit of dry tannin remaining on the bright, lingering finish. Lots to like here, but this is seriously acidic and it really requires food to do it any justice. Acid freaks will adore this, I *merely* like, but it’s certainly an interesting and refreshing wine. Seems ready to go.
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PnP. Riedel burgundy somm. This is remarkably better than my last bottle. Similar in that it improved markedly over the evening. At first string cherry notes, almost cough drop lozenge like cherry. But then the acidity appears in an hour or so. Some smoky, lapsong souchong type flavors. Very strong acidity that almost masks the still lively fruit. One of the best wines I have had in a long time. This score can go much higher. And this will last at least another decade. And at $40 a bottle....,
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My cork broke in half, but was easily rescued. Wow, what a wine (as always) from Kalin. First time trying one of their reds and it did not disappoint. Despite the rather aged hues, it was very much alive with a nice line of acidity. Very difficult to guess this blind, but one in our group guessed a California Pinot from the late 90s—not bad!
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Similar to what others here have recently reported, the cork broke and had to be carefully extracted but the wine itself was fine, though very mature looking with lots of brickiness at the rim. On the nose there is beautiful complexity that continues to evolve for several hours with scents of Asian spices, cedar, tobacco, ripe cherries, and earth. On the palate the wine is nicely balanced, almost seamlessly so, with nice, savory acidity to counter the ample fruit. To my palate it is very much a ripe California pinot noir but it is not over-extracted or heavy. There's still some tannin there too. All in all I found it excellent and expect it to last for many years, if the corks hold out that is.
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Cork buggered so had to poke it in and then decant through a coffee filter paper. Orange brown Nebbiolo colour. The nose is very tertiary. Spice, orange rind and polish. Lots of acidity on the palate and cherry spice. Nice mouth coating texture and finishes with peppery spice. Interesting more than enjoyable
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Purchased from Bottle Barn. This was way OTH, corkscrew went in like a hot knife through butter. Cork broke in the center, had to pull out the Durand To get the rest out. Poured brown, cork wasn’t stained beyond the base and all the sediment was in the neck, hard to figure where the failure was. Nose of old brown wine, lots of acidity and a great texture but the fruit dropped out long ago. Left it st in the glass over a couple hours. Was I really expecting a miracle? The acidity made for a good drain cleaner though. Such is the wine trail.
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I don't think Kalin wines age *that well*. Besides being Pinot instead of tempranillo this tastes like Rioja from the '70s. Surprisingly tertiary, but still a nice core of red cherry fruit.
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Wow. This really opened up over the evening. At first it seemed tired and over the hill -- a bit raisiny and austere acidity. But then after an hour or so this started to open up into a beautiful subtle experience. Lovely acidity, almost ethereal. Perhaps it would be nice with a little bit more complexity, but I just kept coming back to this over and over again and was very disappointed when the bottle was empty.
Red fruit, earth, mushroom on the nose... red fruit and lots of tertiary notes and some dirt in the middle, very high acidity in back with some wild tang... subtlety up front, overt in back. "like a 20 year old Burgundy villages hooked up with a wild fermented flemish ale" she says, and I can't disagree.
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Good deeper color. Nose of sweet pomegranate and mulled raspberry, pepper spice, dry earth dusting, touch of truffle, maybe a hint of vanilla from damp French oak. My mouth is salivating hard. On the pallet sour and tart cherry comes through with the dry dirt and a musky wood. It’s yummy. I’d like more please.
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Winter Solstice Tasting (Jan-Dirk Taams' residence, Groot-Ammers, Netherlands): Latest release of this wine. Fully mature appearance, almost bricked through; mature nose, quite volatile, earthy, tertiary; light and fresh palate, very youthful for age, almost fully resolved tannins, huge acidity; light and volatile finish with little definition. Unhinged.
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Kalin brings wine to the market when they are ready to go in their opinion. Applause for that!! What you get is an 18 year old pinot noir showing all the nice signs of maturity on both nose and palate. Love the acidity which makes it still very vibrant.
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3/9/2024 - PDX-S wrote:
Still drinking incredibly well.
Cork looked intact, but completely disintegrated. Had to pour through two mesh strainers, essentially decanting twice, in order to clear the debris.
Still, the wine held up for three plus hours, displaying incredible acidity and persistence.
The wine looked completely bricked, coming in a rusty orange brown, yet there was still fruit and balsamic notes galore. Such an intriguing romp of an aged CA Pinot Noir.
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1/5/2024 - diffwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was a really nice wine, particularly for the price of $44.
Epitomizes the similarities between pinot noir and nebbiolo for me. This drank like an aged nebbiolo with perfectly resolved tannins.
Desiccated rose, sous bois, mushroom, sour cherries. It did gain a little body after 4+ hours of being opened, so last glass was probably the best.
I don't think there's much use to aging this further, I'd drink up what you have left over the next couple years.
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12/27/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 93 Points
Glowing lite Brown-orange. Overripe red berry melange, quite sharp, on the nose. Drinks like a cab franc with explosive red fruit astringency including pomegranate, cranberries, Valencia orange, aggressive acids, and a wonderfully balanced sweet/tart ratio. Perfectly aged.
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10/19/2023 - jviz wrote: 91 Points
This had a rather beautiful tertiary nose, lovely bit of library and a tiny hint of rubber cement, on the palate some cranberry fruit with ample spice but somewhat sharp and abrasive acidity. This falls into the more interesting than delicious category.
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8/15/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dull medium garnet red. Sweet, honeyed red fruits on the nose. Sweet red cherries with intense raspberry sourness. Aged to perfection. Delicious.
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6/26/2023 - PDX-S wrote:
PnP Zalto Burgundy glass
This is beautiful.
Aromas of soy, balsamic, cherries and tarragon. It feels like you can smell the acid.
Soft entry, red fruits, dill, more notes from assorted herbage, fecund soil, and back to the balsamic - plenty of acid from start through the finish.
Also need an ah so to open, disintegrating cork, yet the wine was intact and composed, both upon pour and over 4 hours.
A really interesting and mature wine that is currently delivering all of the tertiary interest I could want while retaining vibrancy and good fruit.
Drink now. Buy more, if at all possible, and drink over the next couple of years.
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6/24/2023 - jaredoco wrote: 93 Points
Ah so to open, a little messy with the cork but overall looks pretty good. Slightly cloudy. Decanted for an hour or so. Decent amount of sediment.
Black cherry and menthol nose.
Not a lot of fruit, but very intensely flavorful and despite this…somehow still lots of overripe cherries. It’s clearly a mature wine with hints of leather and tobacco. Vibrantly acidic. Almost like a balsamic glaze at times. Dried flowers. Finish has hint of mint chocolate.
Very unique— never have I had a Sonoma Pinot aged this long. Good, and works well with food. We had it with pork tenderloin in a cherry sauce made with very ripe early season sweet cherries in mid June. But not for the acid faint!
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5/23/2023 - Hildo Schulz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent shape for a 23 year old Pinot. I think this wine has a lot more to gain in the future. Great acidity. Cherry....lots of cherry....even some strawberries after a while. Long taste. I will try my next bottle in 3-5 years.Great value
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4/10/2023 - Bathtub58 wrote: 88 Points
Color and profile were showing a bit of oxidation and age. Not as vibrant as I expected.
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4/4/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is a cerebral wine. Have been a massive fan of the Kalin Chardonnays and thought time to try their Pinot. Haven't had a Burgundy PN for some time so memory hazy on what to expect. This bottles (which had been stood up for 4 days prior to opening) is mahogany and slightly cloudy. Nose is perfumed with some cherry bonbon sweetness, some rosehip and some briars. Palate is a little clipped and one-dimensional although there is a twiggy red-fruited charm too. Good but didn't blow me away as I'd hoped.
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3/31/2023 - hprphf wrote: 92 Points
Hawthorn, cherry, rose, lychee, perfumed and detailed on the nose. Quite sweet and old on the palate, however. 92
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3/9/2023 - Eric_Lavoie wrote: 94 Points
Corked pulled using an osso, yet seemed very intact. The aromatics are absolutely stunning - bright and generous red fruit with subtle yet distinct floral aromas. There is a touch of smoke, asphalt, and some gaminess as well.
On the palate, delicate, yet elegant and harmonious red fruit flavor that is deep and focused. The finish goes on for minutes after each sip. The wine tastes of flint, forest floor, orange peel, raspberry, red currant, stoniness, and black tea. Something I've never experienced before from Sonoma Pinot. Truly mind-bending.
This is showing spectacularly now but still has time ahead of it. I don't see it getting better, but developing into something different. Bravo.
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11/27/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote: 93 Points
This pours a lightly cloudy light garnet with medium plus bricking. More bricked than expected for the age. The nose is extremely aromatic and complex showing a very classical style of dried red cherries, dried red currants, fresh ginger, a whisp of licorice, a touch of sassafras, menthol, sesame seed, pickle brine, and a whisp of leather. There is significant VA here, which is within acceptable limits for me, but it's a particular style. Not for the VA adverse! The palate shows the dried citrus and bright rich cherry of the nose, then turning to medium minus tannin and medium plus acid. The finish closes on high acid (VA) dried orange peel which is moderate in length. Really nice bottle. This is the first experience I can recall with Kalin and while nice it's very unusual stuff. The VA may be off putting to some and the bricking is significantly more than expected given the age.
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10/23/2022 - evjoh Likes this wine:
An oxymoron of a wine. The first thing I noticed was the transparent brick color, not unlike an ancient Nebbiolo. The nose was really perplexing. It was primarily vegetal, like tomato leaf and forest floor, but there was a fat dose of VA that never quite faded. The fruit was faded, dried in the background. This is certainly not a wine for everyone, but as an acid freak I loved it.
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10/13/2022 - Yassine23 wrote: flawed
TCA and VA on top of the cork taint. Rough
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9/17/2022 - Yassine23 Does not like this wine:
Marred by VA
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9/16/2022 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Mature but not lacking freshness. Still packed with fruit. Very good
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6/30/2022 - MarkLA wrote:
Fig, molasses, rosemary, beef bouillon, cola/Pimm's, and leather. Not much to look at, but the intensity of flavor belies its tawny color. Round entry with toasty, dried red fruits and cinnamon.. Zippy finish with tart, dried fruit. Nice value in aged pinot. I'd be looking at another $25+ for a comparable Beaune 1er.
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6/16/2022 - merlotsmile wrote: 85 Points
BYOB Vinklubben Vinminnen: Vinminnen 9
Roligt vin som verkligen var en vattendelare. Fyra personer tyckte detta inte var så roligt och over the hill. Två personer gav den 91-92 p.
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1/7/2022 - StevieW wrote: flawed
Purchased 03/2019. Not the first btl of this wine that I’ve tasted. I have a Durand but i took a chance opening it with a good waiters corkscrew. Thought I’d get it completely but it was like the lower portion of the cork was glued to the inside of the neck :). Crumbled but no disaster. Crystalline cherry candy and other attributes that have been discussed well by others but once again the VA to me detracts, a good bit more than what might potentially add to the complexity of the wine. Not a dumper, Certainly educational. With the defect I nevertheless give this an 88/100 rating.
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12/10/2021 - klezman wrote:
This was my first Kalin Pinot and it did not disappoint. Huge dusty strawberry fruit, lots of nice acidity, nice texture, and a depth you don't always see. It also had a really interesting funk that was hard to place but was enjoyable.
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9/24/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
Pinot under $100 (East Bistro): Crumbly cork as others have noted before. I think this was very divisive, our table all thought it was old-world but the other table was adamant that it was very clearly new-world. Looking at previous notes, I think our table's impression was closer to what was mentioned before.
Very classic Burgundian earthiness and sous-bois, tertiary mushroom notes and some VA on the nose even though this wasn't quite as well done as the best producers from Burgundy. Savoury notes on the palate that led me to Gevrey. Lovely acid to the wine still despite the ripe fruit. Apparently the winemaker who is also a professor took some yeasts from DRC to make this.
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8/24/2021 - drfloyd Likes this wine:
Wow, wow wow - from left field. Somebody bought a bottle over and I had no idea what to expect. Tons of energy - driving acidity - lovely nose with slight oxidative notes, mint, eucalyptus, light dead leaf elements - really fascinating. This wine made me think - and think. Finish is long and juicy - I enjoyed it and one of the most cerebral wines I’ve had in a while - 18 years before releasing? Hell yeah!
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8/15/2021 - hprphf wrote: 92 Points
Clean red fruit, light, cherry, fine acidity. 92-93
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6/23/2021 - hprphf wrote: flawed
Cork came out whole, but again some TCA. Leaf day if that matters.
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4/27/2021 - hprphf wrote: flawed
Learnt the lesson and managed to pull out the cork whole with Durand. Alas, the clean, wood-free wine is slightly corked.
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3/25/2021 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
2000 Lunch (Old Bazaar Kitchen): Served blind in a pair, hawthorn acidity on the nose quite close to the Ponsot and Leroy on its side. Picked this one to compare with similar styles from Burgundy. Some successfully guessed Sonoma pinot, indeed missing the earthy notes and structures from the best of Burgundy. Delicious to drink again, still. 92-93
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2/18/2021 - The Wine Dispatch [b2w.wine] wrote: 89 Points
I don't really understand the fascination with this wine. It is impressive that this wine is 20 years old and still has the structure of a much younger wine but... the VA is outrageous. I've had older burgundies that have some incredible finesse and nuance of flavors and this... this is just a old Pinot Noir from Alexander Valley. Not flawed, not bad, but not worth the hype. At least my bottle wasn't, I know theres a bit of bottle variation on these wines
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2/13/2021 - Force5 Likes this wine:
Coarsely textured and more eucalyptus than I'd like to see. But a rather enjoyable old wine. Zero issues with acid balance or browning / orange color, this is quite fresh. So nice to pick this up at the wine shop and enjoy a pleasant, mature wine an hour, not 20 years later.
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2/11/2021 - hprphf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dry broken cork, decanted to serve. Crazy high acidity, which benefited a lot from the decanting, revealing beautiful layers of hawthorn and some Beaune green characters. Very focused, complex, and energetic. Colour is on the natural side, so I would not agree that this is the "American DRC" but is certainly on the higher end of natural burgundy if served blind. Believed to be late release. 94
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1/26/2021 - Mhilgeman Likes this wine: 87 Points
it is amazing to me that this is 20+ year old wine. the colour looks like aged nebbiolo but it drinks like it was bottled yesterday. the acidity is so strong at the start that it is almost undrinkable (in my opinion) but given time the wine softens and opens up. its good now but i am definitely going to save the rest of my bottles for another 10 years.
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1/24/2021 - blanquito wrote:
Followed for two days... this shows a truly lovely bouquet with savory scents of roast pork, spicy notes of clove and cardamon, floral hints of lavender, and a touch of earthy leather. The palate is dominated by uber bright and hard lemony acids with some nice cherry fruit in reserve and just a bit of dry tannin remaining on the bright, lingering finish. Lots to like here, but this is seriously acidic and it really requires food to do it any justice. Acid freaks will adore this, I *merely* like, but it’s certainly an interesting and refreshing wine. Seems ready to go.
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12/19/2020 - Ron Slye wrote: 95 Points
PnP. Riedel burgundy somm. This is remarkably better than my last bottle. Similar in that it improved markedly over the evening. At first string cherry notes, almost cough drop lozenge like cherry. But then the acidity appears in an hour or so. Some smoky, lapsong souchong type flavors. Very strong acidity that almost masks the still lively fruit. One of the best wines I have had in a long time. This score can go much higher. And this will last at least another decade. And at $40 a bottle....,
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12/18/2020 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 94 Points
My cork broke in half, but was easily rescued. Wow, what a wine (as always) from Kalin. First time trying one of their reds and it did not disappoint. Despite the rather aged hues, it was very much alive with a nice line of acidity. Very difficult to guess this blind, but one in our group guessed a California Pinot from the late 90s—not bad!
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11/26/2020 - tomandlu wrote: 93 Points
Similar to what others here have recently reported, the cork broke and had to be carefully extracted but the wine itself was fine, though very mature looking with lots of brickiness at the rim. On the nose there is beautiful complexity that continues to evolve for several hours with scents of Asian spices, cedar, tobacco, ripe cherries, and earth. On the palate the wine is nicely balanced, almost seamlessly so, with nice, savory acidity to counter the ample fruit. To my palate it is very much a ripe California pinot noir but it is not over-extracted or heavy. There's still some tannin there too. All in all I found it excellent and expect it to last for many years, if the corks hold out that is.
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7/5/2020 - Wineloon Likes this wine: 87 Points
Cork buggered so had to poke it in and then decant through a coffee filter paper. Orange brown Nebbiolo colour. The nose is very tertiary. Spice, orange rind and polish. Lots of acidity on the palate and cherry spice. Nice mouth coating texture and finishes with peppery spice. Interesting more than enjoyable
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3/21/2020 - River Rat wrote: flawed
Purchased from Bottle Barn. This was way OTH, corkscrew went in like a hot knife through butter. Cork broke in the center, had to pull out the Durand To get the rest out. Poured brown, cork wasn’t stained beyond the base and all the sediment was in the neck, hard to figure where the failure was. Nose of old brown wine, lots of acidity and a great texture but the fruit dropped out long ago. Left it st in the glass over a couple hours. Was I really expecting a miracle? The acidity made for a good drain cleaner though. Such is the wine trail.
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3/5/2020 - diggydan wrote: 91 Points
I don't think Kalin wines age *that well*. Besides being Pinot instead of tempranillo this tastes like Rioja from the '70s. Surprisingly tertiary, but still a nice core of red cherry fruit.
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10/12/2019 - Ron Slye wrote: 93 Points
Wow. This really opened up over the evening. At first it seemed tired and over the hill -- a bit raisiny and austere acidity. But then after an hour or so this started to open up into a beautiful subtle experience. Lovely acidity, almost ethereal. Perhaps it would be nice with a little bit more complexity, but I just kept coming back to this over and over again and was very disappointed when the bottle was empty.
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6/22/2019 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still has a lot of character and the fruit is there but the tangy finish over powers it.
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6/10/2019 - oropeza Likes this wine:
Red fruit, earth, mushroom on the nose... red fruit and lots of tertiary notes and some dirt in the middle, very high acidity in back with some wild tang... subtlety up front, overt in back. "like a 20 year old Burgundy villages hooked up with a wild fermented flemish ale" she says, and I can't disagree.
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6/7/2019 - BRogo Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good deeper color. Nose of sweet pomegranate and mulled raspberry, pepper spice, dry earth dusting, touch of truffle, maybe a hint of vanilla from damp French oak. My mouth is salivating hard. On the pallet sour and tart cherry comes through with the dry dirt and a musky wood. It’s yummy. I’d like more please.
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12/21/2018 - dvansteenderen wrote:
Winter Solstice Tasting @ JD's home (Groot-Ammers): Winter Solstice tasting.
Not rated, too much volatile acidity...
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12/21/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 89 Points
Winter Solstice Tasting (Jan-Dirk Taams' residence, Groot-Ammers, Netherlands): Latest release of this wine. Fully mature appearance, almost bricked through; mature nose, quite volatile, earthy, tertiary; light and fresh palate, very youthful for age, almost fully resolved tannins, huge acidity; light and volatile finish with little definition. Unhinged.
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12/21/2018 - Kriz wrote: 91 Points
Kalin brings wine to the market when they are ready to go in their opinion. Applause for that!! What you get is an 18 year old pinot noir showing all the nice signs of maturity on both nose and palate. Love the acidity which makes it still very vibrant.
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