A distinctive note that I tend to associate with Pinot from the Santa Cruz Mountains, but not sure if it is clone or terroir or something else. Fruit forward, but not over ripe or overbearing. Balanced and quite tasty, but not obviously set up for long aging.
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I'm going to disagree with the prior review. From a PnP. This wine brings more (nice clean) earthiness than any RRV Pinot I've tasted and more than any I recall from the Big Basin lineup. The wine is fairly substantial, with a brooding underbelly that competes with not-fully-integrated oak, so I think it will perform better with air/time in bottle. It is a masculine Pinot, but it does not evoke Syrah, with plenty of Pinot character on the nose, which might have been a little closed (but I was drinking socially out of small glasses). If this was buried in tannin and somewhat more acidic people would confuse it with a Burgundy designed to be served at vintage +15 with quail. Well, in any case, it's a SCM Pinot, and a damn good one. If I had another I'd hold another 2+ years. 91+
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No muce typicity in this wine...color Syrah-like, nose absent any PN aroma, and palate is heavier than even the RRV fruit-bombs. While perhaps well-crafted (hence the inflated points), this is definitely a PN made by a Syrah producer.
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High pitched cherry, orange and apple perfumed nose. Midpalate is thoroughly mouthcoating ending with dense complexity of cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry, orange julius and grand marinier. So dense yet chrome like on the tongue.
-- Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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Nice deep color and rich aromas of red and black fruit. Palate offers a sense of earthiness and underlying herb elements. Medium to full-bodied with deep, full flavor profile. On the darker, brooding side of a Pinot driven by older vines and whole cluster fermentation. Good complexity.
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Nice nose -- loads of red fruits, but not overbearing. The thing that sticks about this wine is the finish.It is very long and the wine stays with you for a long time. This is missing a little bit on the complexity front, but the long finish more than makes up for it. Delicious.
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Santa Cruz Mountain Trip (Windy Oaks, Alfaro Family, Big Basin): Tasted at the winery in a flight with the Alfaro and Lester pinots. Strawberry and floral aromas. Lots of minerality and acidity mixing with dark red fruits on the palate. Long, slightly earthy finish. Really, really interesting wine.
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Falltacular 2012 (FMIII in the OC): My favorite Big Basin PN. Great complexity at such a young age with forest floor and earth tones but not dirt. Excellent.
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Barrel sample Nose - lovely pure fruit framed by dried herbs and spice, primary Morgan - lovely!, nice mineral sense. Smooth mushroomy Morgan, good mineral and earth. Needs 2 years.
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5/12/2018 - cruzio32 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Time aged this very well!
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12/2/2016 - dougie wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful.
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12/21/2015 - missionpk Likes this wine:
A distinctive note that I tend to associate with Pinot from the Santa Cruz Mountains, but not sure if it is clone or terroir or something else. Fruit forward, but not over ripe or overbearing. Balanced and quite tasty, but not obviously set up for long aging.
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7/5/2015 - dougie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bright fruit. Wendi liked it more.
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3/18/2014 - svpandae wrote: 92 Points
Muscular. Big and balanced. Yum.
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2/19/2014 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding depth and balance.
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7/15/2013 - silton Likes this wine:
I'm going to disagree with the prior review. From a PnP. This wine brings more (nice clean) earthiness than any RRV Pinot I've tasted and more than any I recall from the Big Basin lineup. The wine is fairly substantial, with a brooding underbelly that competes with not-fully-integrated oak, so I think it will perform better with air/time in bottle. It is a masculine Pinot, but it does not evoke Syrah, with plenty of Pinot character on the nose, which might have been a little closed (but I was drinking socially out of small glasses). If this was buried in tannin and somewhat more acidic people would confuse it with a Burgundy designed to be served at vintage +15 with quail. Well, in any case, it's a SCM Pinot, and a damn good one. If I had another I'd hold another 2+ years. 91+
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4/11/2013 - stufis wrote: 87 Points
No muce typicity in this wine...color Syrah-like, nose absent any PN aroma, and palate is heavier than even the RRV fruit-bombs. While perhaps well-crafted (hence the inflated points), this is definitely a PN made by a Syrah producer.
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3/13/2013 - Gestalted Likes this wine: 93 Points
High pitched cherry, orange and apple perfumed nose. Midpalate is thoroughly mouthcoating ending with dense complexity of cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry, orange julius and grand marinier. So dense yet chrome like on the tongue.
--
Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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1/16/2013 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Nice deep color and rich aromas of red and black fruit. Palate offers a sense of earthiness and underlying herb elements. Medium to full-bodied with deep, full flavor profile. On the darker, brooding side of a Pinot driven by older vines and whole cluster fermentation. Good complexity.
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6/10/2012 - popquizkid wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose -- loads of red fruits, but not overbearing. The thing that sticks about this wine is the finish.It is very long and the wine stays with you for a long time. This is missing a little bit on the complexity front, but the long finish more than makes up for it. Delicious.
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5/19/2012 - chukon99 wrote:
Santa Cruz Mountain Trip (Windy Oaks, Alfaro Family, Big Basin): Tasted at the winery in a flight with the Alfaro and Lester pinots. Strawberry and floral aromas. Lots of minerality and acidity mixing with dark red fruits on the palate. Long, slightly earthy finish. Really, really interesting wine.
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1/15/2012 - brigcampbell wrote: 92 Points
Falltacular 2012 (FMIII in the OC): My favorite Big Basin PN. Great complexity at such a young age with forest floor and earth tones but not dirt. Excellent.
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3/28/2010 - yhn wrote: 92 Points
Barrel sample
Nose - lovely pure fruit framed by dried herbs and spice, primary Morgan - lovely!, nice mineral sense.
Smooth mushroomy Morgan, good mineral and earth. Needs 2 years.
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