NC Cindy Tasting, Blinds Night. (NC Wino's Stately Wayne Manor): NC Cindy tasting, Blinds Night. Pinot Noir - Oregon v. California v. Burgundy. By far the darkest of the three, it looked more Californian than the other two wines, and smelled the part, as well. It was quite aromatic (an indicator of higher ABV) and was the most fruit-forward on the nose of the three. It also had a really nice and surprising floral aspect to it. On the palate, this was a no-brainer as the California wine. Fairly extracted, big but very smooth tannin, with a candy-esque quality to it, this was a high-octane wine. The finish was the longest of the three, and it came across as the youngest of the three, as well. I think this will get better over the next 2-3 years, as the tannins break down a little and some secondary flavors develop. It was a tough room for big Pinot noir, though, as most of the participants just do not like this style, and many put this at the middle or bottom of the pile. My own judgement is that this was actually the best of the three wines, with excellent complexity and good balance to it. It's big, yes, but really very nice. It was also the most expensive at ~$40, so you pay for what you get. Coelho beats it in QPR terms, but if someone else is buying (and especially if I have big flavors to match with it), I'll take this one.
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2/18/2017 - Burgessdpilot wrote: 90 Points
Might have been 87 points in 2011, but it's drinking better now!
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9/17/2011 - Phredd wrote: 90 Points
NC Cindy Tasting, Blinds Night. (NC Wino's Stately Wayne Manor): NC Cindy tasting, Blinds Night. Pinot Noir - Oregon v. California v. Burgundy. By far the darkest of the three, it looked more Californian than the other two wines, and smelled the part, as well. It was quite aromatic (an indicator of higher ABV) and was the most fruit-forward on the nose of the three. It also had a really nice and surprising floral aspect to it. On the palate, this was a no-brainer as the California wine. Fairly extracted, big but very smooth tannin, with a candy-esque quality to it, this was a high-octane wine. The finish was the longest of the three, and it came across as the youngest of the three, as well. I think this will get better over the next 2-3 years, as the tannins break down a little and some secondary flavors develop. It was a tough room for big Pinot noir, though, as most of the participants just do not like this style, and many put this at the middle or bottom of the pile. My own judgement is that this was actually the best of the three wines, with excellent complexity and good balance to it. It's big, yes, but really very nice. It was also the most expensive at ~$40, so you pay for what you get. Coelho beats it in QPR terms, but if someone else is buying (and especially if I have big flavors to match with it), I'll take this one.
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6/18/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 87 Points
2011 Pinot Days: 183 Wines from 65 Producers (Fort Mason Festival Pavillon, San Francisco, California): Brett, tart red fruit nose; brett, tart red fruit palate; medium-plus finish
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