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Member since November 2019
Locale: California, USA
Favorite region: Paulliac, Ribera del Duero, Barolo, Santa Barbara CA
Just another drunk :-)
2018 Kynsi Pinot Noir Estate Stone Corral Vineyard
9/3/2023 - Snoot Doggie Dogg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Kynsi is a family owned and operated winery in the San Luis Obispo area, and their Stone Corral Vineyard is located a mere five miles from the Pacific Ocean. This proximity to water presents a significant moderating influence to an area that would otherwise be quite warm, and when combined with well-drained soils of marine origin, it creates ideal growing conditions for this vineyard, which is devoted entirely to Pinot Noir. This particular wine is a blend of clones 115, 667, 777 and 2A, and the winemaker touts its supposed floral attributes.
Pale ruby in color, this wine has a pronounced nose that offers abundant aromas of ripe red cherry, ripe cranberry, ripe red plum and some pomegranate overlaying a substrate of cigar tobacco leaf, forest floor, cedar and a twinge of star anise. Upon sipping, one meets a dry, medium-light bodied wine with very high acid, low tannins and medium alcohol. The attack features tart red cherry, which is joined on a rather intense midpalate by ripe red plum, fresh cranberry, and pomegranate along with cedar, forest floor and a hint of oaky vanilla. This is interesting; while the nose offers more ripe red fruits, the flavors are more on the tart side of red fruit. The finish is reasonably long and acidic, starting off with ripe red cherry and plum before a flash of oaky vanilla, after which the forest floor reappears, fading away in a tart, acidic glow after about 30 seconds.
Overall a good bottle! Certainly well-made. One could drink this now, but it would continue to improve with age; the fruits are intense enough not to fade so quickly, it has the acid structure to age well, and adding some tertiary notes would further increase this wine’s complexity.
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2016 Fiorenzo Nada Barbaresco Rombone
9/1/2023 - Snoot Doggie Dogg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Barbaresco is a region in Piedmont, Italy that is famous for its powerful Nebbiolo-based wines that age brilliantly. Like Barolo, these wines are known for having intense floral aromas that contrast with their big beefy tannins, but there is a point of departure from Barolos, as Barbarescos are a bit lighter in style and have more delicate tannins than their next door neighbors. This difference is often attributed to the region having fertile limestone-based soils and a slightly milder climate.
Pale ruby in color, this wine offers a pronounced nose of ripe red cherry and fresh red raspberries accompanied by black tea, star anise, graphite, a bit of leather, and something floral in there that is hard to decipher (I am admittedly terrible at identifying specific floral notes). Upon sipping, one meets a dry, medium-to-full-bodied wine with high alcohol, medium-high acid, and punchy high tannins that linger on the front of the gums. The attack features a flash of red plum before being joined on the midpalate by ripe red cherry, raspberry, graphite, leather and black tea. After a few sips, star anise begins to make an appearance as the wine continues to open up. The finish is moderately long and very tannic, starting off with red cherry, which transitions to black tea and leather before leaving a long tannic afterglow.
Overall a good wine! It is still a little young and could stand to have a few years of ageing; its fruit is intense enough that it will not fade into obscurity, the flavor profile could benefit from some tertiary notes, and the tannins are still a bit rough. That being said, it is an enjoyable wine and it went quite well with a pasta with red sauce. Definitely recommend enjoying this with some kind of fatty food to smooth out the tannins.
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2019 Foxen Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard
8/27/2023 - Snoot Doggie Dogg Likes this wine: 92 Points
While Foxen has its own vineyards, many of their wines are produced from grapes sourced from a number of top notch locations throughout Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. The winemakers have been in business since Foxen was founded in 1985 at Rancho Tinaquaic. This particular wine features grapes from La Encantada Vineyard, which is just west of Sanford’s vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley. It consists of mostly clone 667 fruit with some 115 and Swan clones mixed in, and it was bottled without fining or filtration.
Pale ruby in color, this wine features an intense nose that mixes aromas of ripe red cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, red plum and blackberry bramble with an underlying substrate of forest floor and, curiously, a detectable black pepper note. In a weird way, this almost seems like a Pinot Noir trying to masquerade as a Syrah. Upon sipping, one meets a dry, light-bodied wine with light, delicate tannins, grippy high acidity and high alcohol. The attack starts off with a fresh red cherry note, which is quickly joined in the intense midpalate by ripe red plum, ripe cranberry, and pomegranate, all supported by underlying black pepper, forest floor and graphite notes. The finish is long and earthy, starting off with a blast of black pepper before being joined by cranberry, red plum and graphite that gradually fade away after quite some time.
Overall this is a very enjoyable wine! There is plenty of earthiness, which makes me suspect it received quite a bit of sun, something not terribly surprising given its proximity to the relatively warm (for the area) vineyards of Sanford. It would get a 91, but the peppery character makes it stands out, earning it a bonus point. Recommend enjoying with some smoked gouda cheese!
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