Shea Pinot Provided by and at Gary's: A 1 hour decant, drank a small glass over about an hour. This wine was dark and slightly brooding from the get-go. A bit alcoholic. Nice but lacks balance.
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Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir Tasting (Gary's Place): Dark red color. Decanted for 1 hour; drank a 70ml pour over 40 minutes. This was quite spiced on the nose, a bit green, black cherry and wood spice. The palate was more medium full bodied, darker fruits, sour black cherry, cranberry, currants, tart, with a green edge and bold spiciness. This was nowhere near as good as a bottle 2 years ago...drink up.
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Very musty showing signs of Brett. Tried to decant for a while but never improved. I corked it and will see if it gets better in a couple of days. Glad it's my last bottle.
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Certainly not my favorite 2007 Wright. Lighterweight than I expected, even for a 2007 (most 2007s I have opened have taken on weight and filled out over the past few years. This one has not.) Nice perfumed nose with dried cherry, strawberry, anise, spice and a touch of earth. However, the fruit is not as dark or rich as I have come to expect from Shea vineyard wines, and also has a thin texture, not much depth and a short finish. Overall rather disappointing - even for a wine from what the critics say was a poor vintage.
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Deep and delicate. Drinking beautifully now. Lovely nose of strawberries and cherry and dirt. A nice pulling on the palate. Kept me wanting more. Wish I had another bottle or two. Very good domestic Pinot.
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Pre-Thanksgiving Tasting (Kevin's House): Nose: Dark red fruits (ripe Bing cherry and later cranberry) with a dusty quality. Great nose. Palate: Good acidity (typical of '07' OR wines) w/ the Bing cherry and velvety, dusty tannins showing. Finish is medium to long. After air time in bottle and glass this wine transformed several times with floral aromas trading off with the dusty red fruits. Really solid Ken Wright offering that is in the zone right now, but certainly can go for another year or so. My sense is it is at peak now and should maintain peak over the next year.
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Mostly French Micro-Offline (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Dark red color. PNP, drank 2+ glasses over 2+ hours. I'm surprised to see no one has posted on this wine in almost a year. This wine is really shining right now. The nose is wonderful with a lovely floral perfume, cherries, raspberry, subtle earth, cinnamon, and fine spices. The palate is medium bodied, very elegant with velvety, dusty tannins, nice red fruits, cherry and berries, spice, and a long finish. Impeccably balanced and showing the beauty of the vintage. Very pretty.
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Nice nose of strawberry rhubarb and savory elements - mushroom, herbs. Taste is a bit sharp. Strong tart cranberry and cherries and sour jolly ranchers.creamy texture. Seems like it should taste more rounded, but it stays on a few notes.
I need to drink more Oregon Pinot Noir. None of the flash and “pow” of California Pinot, but with elegance and refinement that more than makes up for what it lacks in fruit forwardness. Plum, cherry and spice qualities, but with deeper background notes including licorice. The mouthfeel is full without being powerful; elegant without being fussy. Quite simply a wonderful wine. No sediment. 13.5% alc. With leftover smoked salmon and roast turkey and country ham. Recommended.
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Decanted for more than an hour and this wine is in a very closed place at this time. Very slight hints of cherry, loam, slight piney forest floor, but not well aligned and finish was slightly medicinal. I hope time improves the rest.
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Unusual for us to have a magnum. bought at the Carlton Wine shop while tasting wtih the Henrichs a few years ago and had with them on Christman eve wtih fondue. Great fun and a great wine. No formal notes, but decanting it was like a little trip back tot he Willamette. Great funky, earthy, fruity if not subdued nose. Smooth and delicious drinking. nice way to celebrate the Holidays
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This bottle was distinctly better than the one I had a few months ago as part of a tasting for my old law firm. At that time if was 6th out of 6 wines and even the Oregon Pinot lover preferred the California wines. The nose is the strongest feature but the balance of the wine is becoming more clear and I think I'll wait a year or two before I try it again. Can't see how Jay Miller at the Wine Advocate rated this a 93.
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2007 Shea Vineyard Tasting (Willamette Wine Storage - Portland, OR): Dark cherries show on the nose along with some pepper, cherry skins, and some deep funk. Good dark cherry flavors are blended with light citrus on the palate. Some lighter cherry skin flavors linger on the finish.
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2007 Shea vineyard comparative tasting (Willamette Wine Storage - Portland, OR): Very dark in glass compared to other wines in this line-up. Showing strong flavors of strawberries and cream on the nose, concentrated. The palate has a medium weight with a strong intensity of flavor, delicious cherries, red berries with very mild earth. The fruit is much more forward here and is on full display. As fruity as this is, it has a strong structure to back it up and could be considered all most balanced with it's big character. People at the tasting were either love it or hate it on this wine, there was feeling far more extracted than many of the other wines. I was in the 'love it' camp.
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taste: full bodied and on the richer side with bigger tones of dark red cherries, spice tones and a good dose of plums. While there are no oak tones, the influence is certainly there
overall: This was definitely a larger scaled pinot, but it held the style well. While not completely to my tastes, this is definitely a very good wine that will work great with people who like bigger styled pinots
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2007 Oregon Pinots (Chicago, IL): Big fruit. Noas as heavy on the palate as I would have thought given the nose. There was lots of oak integrated throughout too. Great fruit being used, this is a non-apologetic fruit forward pinot. Well-made with really great fruit, I can imagine this being a show-stopper for lots of people. For me, this doesn't have the acidic backbone to create that rare balance between ripe fruit and an acidic spine. I'm picky, i know, but the lack of balance of this wine kinda through me off.
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cherry on the nose and up front. Nice acidity and smooth tannins plus an earthy, laomy character made this a nice match for mushroom dusted grilled salmon. It took about an hour for the wine to open up.
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This tastes like a well made wine from a bad vintage. This probably need 3 years to really come together, but will never be awesome. Nice acidity and flavors, fruit is just not there. 88ish now, becoming 90 in time. Good wine for Swordfish or other meals that lend themselves to light, persistent reds...AMM
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Clear light red appearance, restrained nose, with the subtlest floral, fruit and earth notes. Tart red fruit on the palate, did not get much more than that. Good acidity, medium finish. Fine tannins are fully integrated to the point of being hardly noticeable. Pleasant, but not exactly inspiring Pinot Noir, especially for the price. Ridiculously heavy bottle!
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Tartness dominated, high acidity, brightness some cherry flavors, but not yet fully integrated, much too young for drinking. I am not looking for this one to have a lot of earth when it finally comes around, but has potential to be a seamless whole.
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Very nice a easy to drink wine. Was not extremely impressed but overall a nice and classic wine. Seemed almost more like a classic european PN than a US one. It lacked some edges and a little depth but overall an OK wine. The alcohol is not overpowering and is very well integrated. Great acidity and medium finish. Perhaps a little bit too expensive.
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Sweet nose with a hint of petrol, 1 dimensional on the palate: red cherries, chocolate and quite some oak flavors. Short finish. Much too expensive for what you are getting.
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A black cherry red color edging toward purple. Sweet nose of blueberies and spice heading to a finish with a bit of a sweet tang to it. In the back is a nice sense of ground.
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Oregon Pinot Tasting (Waterford Wines Milwaukee): referred to as having more structure and weight than McCrone. 13.5% abv vs 14.7% for the Auteur Shea of the same vintage. Oops, no note really.
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Nice dark cherry fruit. The oak gets in the way a little bit right now. I can imagine time will give greater intigration. Certainly the greater wine than McCrone.
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The lightest of the pinots tasted, but one of the better 07’s I have tried thus far. Ruby in color and medium bodied. On the nose there was cherry and raspberry, with a touch of terrior. On the palate there was more of the same wild cherry, black raspberry, little funk, and spice on the tail. The finish was average. For the price this is a pass. 50+5+12+15+7
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Balanced pinot that with double decanting through Venturi aerator is very drinkable now. Mild sour cherry with pleasant tartness and smooth finish with residual fine tannins. Will benefit from at least a couple years of bottle age. Good compliment to many flavors of Thanksgiving
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5/18/2021 - ersmith wrote: 91 Points
Still drinking beautifully. Unlike some other reviews, I think this is still aging very nicely.
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8/24/2019 - TL Does not like this wine:
Ken Wright wines just aren't built for longevity. Too bad
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6/27/2017 - SeattlePaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious Shea fruit with dark barely translucent burgundy color and rich smoky strawberry flavors. Subtle vanilla laced through. Aging really well.
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2/6/2016 - TL wrote: flawed
All this Ken Wright is going bad. What a shame
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1/31/2016 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Shea Pinot Provided by and at Gary's: A 1 hour decant, drank a small glass over about an hour. This wine was dark and slightly brooding from the get-go. A bit alcoholic. Nice but lacks balance.
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1/30/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir Tasting (Gary's Place): Dark red color. Decanted for 1 hour; drank a 70ml pour over 40 minutes. This was quite spiced on the nose, a bit green, black cherry and wood spice. The palate was more medium full bodied, darker fruits, sour black cherry, cranberry, currants, tart, with a green edge and bold spiciness. This was nowhere near as good as a bottle 2 years ago...drink up.
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12/16/2015 - golfhawk wrote: 80 Points
Very musty showing signs of Brett. Tried to decant for a while but never improved. I corked it and will see if it gets better in a couple of days. Glad it's my last bottle.
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9/18/2014 - rickspicks wrote: 87 Points
Certainly not my favorite 2007 Wright. Lighterweight than I expected, even for a 2007 (most 2007s I have opened have taken on weight and filled out over the past few years. This one has not.) Nice perfumed nose with dried cherry, strawberry, anise, spice and a touch of earth. However, the fruit is not as dark or rich as I have come to expect from Shea vineyard wines, and also has a thin texture, not much depth and a short finish. Overall rather disappointing - even for a wine from what the critics say was a poor vintage.
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11/30/2013 - nicefish wrote: 92 Points
Deep and delicate. Drinking beautifully now. Lovely nose of strawberries and cherry and dirt. A nice pulling on the palate. Kept me wanting more. Wish I had another bottle or two. Very good domestic Pinot.
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11/27/2013 - Mattshank wrote: 93 Points
Pre-Thanksgiving Tasting (Kevin's House): Nose: Dark red fruits (ripe Bing cherry and later cranberry) with a dusty quality. Great nose. Palate: Good acidity (typical of '07' OR wines) w/ the Bing cherry and velvety, dusty tannins showing. Finish is medium to long. After air time in bottle and glass this wine transformed several times with floral aromas trading off with the dusty red fruits. Really solid Ken Wright offering that is in the zone right now, but certainly can go for another year or so. My sense is it is at peak now and should maintain peak over the next year.
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11/27/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Mostly French Micro-Offline (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Dark red color. PNP, drank 2+ glasses over 2+ hours. I'm surprised to see no one has posted on this wine in almost a year. This wine is really shining right now. The nose is wonderful with a lovely floral perfume, cherries, raspberry, subtle earth, cinnamon, and fine spices. The palate is medium bodied, very elegant with velvety, dusty tannins, nice red fruits, cherry and berries, spice, and a long finish. Impeccably balanced and showing the beauty of the vintage. Very pretty.
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2/10/2013 - lolo66 wrote:
Nice nose of strawberry rhubarb and savory elements - mushroom, herbs. Taste is a bit sharp. Strong tart cranberry and cherries and sour jolly ranchers.creamy texture. Seems like it should taste more rounded, but it stays on a few notes.
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2/6/2013 - blabbott wrote: 91 Points
Great nose of dark cherry and earth. Flavors of dark fruits and earth. Beautiful long lip smacking finish. A great bottle.
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12/27/2012 - timewithwine wrote:
I need to drink more Oregon Pinot Noir. None of the flash and “pow” of California Pinot, but with elegance and refinement that more than makes up for what it lacks in fruit forwardness. Plum, cherry and spice qualities, but with deeper background notes including licorice. The mouthfeel is full without being powerful; elegant without being fussy. Quite simply a wonderful wine. No sediment. 13.5% alc. With leftover smoked salmon and roast turkey and country ham. Recommended.
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11/23/2012 - Battleship wrote: 87 Points
Decanted for more than an hour and this wine is in a very closed place at this time. Very slight hints of cherry, loam, slight piney forest floor, but not well aligned and finish was slightly medicinal. I hope time improves the rest.
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9/28/2012 - Acohen wrote: 90 Points
Dark cherry fruit and some spice and earth with a medium finish
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5/22/2012 - blabbott wrote: 89 Points
Great nose,cherry flavors. Complex and layered.
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12/24/2011 - schnittle wrote:
Unusual for us to have a magnum. bought at the Carlton Wine shop while tasting wtih the Henrichs a few years ago and had with them on Christman eve wtih fondue. Great fun and a great wine. No formal notes, but decanting it was like a little trip back tot he Willamette. Great funky, earthy, fruity if not subdued nose. Smooth and delicious drinking. nice way to celebrate the Holidays
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12/20/2011 - bundydavis wrote: 88 Points
Expected ths wine to be so much better. Flat and never really opened up. Maybe needed more time???
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11/25/2011 - jwensm wrote: 92 Points
Very good wine. Beautiful cherry nose. Well balanced
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11/1/2011 - ddisler wrote: 83 Points
Good not great
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9/15/2011 - northbridge wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was distinctly better than the one I had a few months ago as part of a tasting for my old law firm. At that time if was 6th out of 6 wines and even the Oregon Pinot lover preferred the California wines. The nose is the strongest feature but the balance of the wine is becoming more clear and I think I'll wait a year or two before I try it again. Can't see how Jay Miller at the Wine Advocate rated this a 93.
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8/20/2011 - Edclr wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous nose, beautifully balanced, nice acidity. Came in 1st place in Or Pinot tasting of 18 wines, all blind.
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1/20/2011 - subtlet Likes this wine: 89 Points
2007 Shea Vineyard Tasting (Willamette Wine Storage - Portland, OR): Dark cherries show on the nose along with some pepper, cherry skins, and some deep funk. Good dark cherry flavors are blended with light citrus on the palate. Some lighter cherry skin flavors linger on the finish.
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1/20/2011 - gripNsip wrote: 89 Points
2007 Shea vineyard comparative tasting (Willamette Wine Storage - Portland, OR): Very dark in glass compared to other wines in this line-up. Showing strong flavors of strawberries and cream on the nose, concentrated. The palate has a medium weight with a strong intensity of flavor, delicious cherries, red berries with very mild earth. The fruit is much more forward here and is on full display. As fruity as this is, it has a strong structure to back it up and could be considered all most balanced with it's big character. People at the tasting were either love it or hate it on this wine, there was feeling far more extracted than many of the other wines. I was in the 'love it' camp.
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12/25/2010 - Surfdoc wrote: 88 Points
Light weight profile with restrained cherry and oak flavors. Finish is relatively short with some alcohol heat.
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11/21/2010 - Acohen wrote: 88 Points
lots of cherry and fruit up front, but not overly complicated
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11/20/2010 - jrwhitney6 wrote: 86 Points
some cherries, maybe a little thin overall. good, but a little disappointing given price and expectations.
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11/3/2010 - jeffm_fla wrote: 82 Points
raisiny and tart didn't like. Maybe a bad bottle
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10/15/2010 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
a small look at some 2007 Oregon Pinots (Dorado, Chicago IL): nose: well this was a very different nose from everything else. Intense and gregarious nose filled with dark red fruits, dark reed cherries, spice tones and bits of plums
taste: full bodied and on the richer side with bigger tones of dark red cherries, spice tones and a good dose of plums. While there are no oak tones, the influence is certainly there
overall: This was definitely a larger scaled pinot, but it held the style well. While not completely to my tastes, this is definitely a very good wine that will work great with people who like bigger styled pinots
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10/15/2010 - tooch wrote: 88 Points
2007 Oregon Pinots (Chicago, IL): Big fruit. Noas as heavy on the palate as I would have thought given the nose. There was lots of oak integrated throughout too. Great fruit being used, this is a non-apologetic fruit forward pinot. Well-made with really great fruit, I can imagine this being a show-stopper for lots of people. For me, this doesn't have the acidic backbone to create that rare balance between ripe fruit and an acidic spine. I'm picky, i know, but the lack of balance of this wine kinda through me off.
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9/12/2010 - lushlife wrote: 90 Points
cherry on the nose and up front. Nice acidity and smooth tannins plus an earthy, laomy character made this a nice match for mushroom dusted grilled salmon. It took about an hour
for the wine to open up.
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7/12/2010 - AMM3RD wrote:
This tastes like a well made wine from a bad vintage. This probably need 3 years to really come together, but will never be awesome. Nice acidity and flavors, fruit is just not there. 88ish now, becoming 90 in time. Good wine for Swordfish or other meals that lend themselves to light, persistent reds...AMM
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2/2/2010 - JB in SD wrote: 85 Points
Clear light red appearance, restrained nose, with the subtlest floral, fruit and earth notes. Tart red fruit on the palate, did not get much more than that. Good acidity, medium finish. Fine tannins are fully integrated to the point of being hardly noticeable. Pleasant, but not exactly inspiring Pinot Noir, especially for the price. Ridiculously heavy bottle!
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10/30/2009 - ScottScott wrote: 88 Points
Tartness dominated, high acidity, brightness some cherry flavors, but not yet fully integrated, much too young for drinking. I am not looking for this one to have a lot of earth when it finally comes around, but has potential to be a seamless whole.
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10/8/2009 - canan wrote:
Very nice a easy to drink wine. Was not extremely impressed but overall a nice and classic wine.
Seemed almost more like a classic european PN than a US one. It lacked some edges and a little depth but overall an OK wine.
The alcohol is not overpowering and is very well integrated. Great acidity and medium finish.
Perhaps a little bit too expensive.
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7/17/2009 - dubdub wrote: 86 Points
Sweet nose with a hint of petrol, 1 dimensional on the palate: red cherries, chocolate and quite some oak flavors. Short finish. Much too expensive for what you are getting.
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7/12/2009 - smphelps wrote: 90 Points
A black cherry red color edging toward purple. Sweet nose of blueberies and spice heading to a finish with a bit of a sweet tang to it. In the back is a nice sense of ground.
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5/1/2009 - Forint wrote: 90 Points
Dark Cherry and blue fruit, would say give it more time to see where it goes - a bit earthy with spice notes ($100 Leilas)
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3/11/2009 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Oregon Pinot Tasting (Waterford Wines Milwaukee): referred to as having more structure and weight than McCrone. 13.5% abv vs 14.7% for the Auteur Shea of the same vintage.
Oops, no note really.
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3/11/2009 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Nice dark cherry fruit. The oak gets in the way a little bit right now. I can imagine time will give greater intigration. Certainly the greater wine than McCrone.
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12/7/2008 - manonthemoon wrote: 89 Points
The lightest of the pinots tasted, but one of the better 07’s I have tried thus
far. Ruby in color and medium bodied. On the nose there was cherry and
raspberry, with a touch of terrior. On the palate there was more of the same
wild cherry, black raspberry, little funk, and spice on the tail. The finish
was average. For the price this is a pass. 50+5+12+15+7
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11/27/2008 - kennyg wrote: 90 Points
Balanced pinot that with double decanting through Venturi aerator is very drinkable now. Mild sour cherry with pleasant tartness and smooth finish with residual fine tannins. Will benefit from at least a couple years of bottle age. Good compliment to many flavors of Thanksgiving
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