1996 Littorai Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 90.7 points

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  3/12/2017 - coremill wrote: 89 Points

  Served double-blind. Ripe black fruit, concentrated and powerful, a hint of rubber, an earthy edge, and good acidity. Knowing the proclivities of some of the group member I guessed a 1983 Right Bank Bordeaux, which was way off. This is a big, rich, ripe wine for a Pinot, but it's not overripe, there's no overt sweetness, and the acidity is there. It's also quite interesting in that it doesn't taste like Burgundy, it is clearly it's own thing. But after 20+ years in bottle it hasn't gained much complexity: it's missing the earthy/iron/foresty/tea/mushroom/savory notes that good aged Burgundy has. Still, I quite liked this.

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  11/27/2015 - Nothung Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Still drinking well, but just starting to fade. Decanted immediately before serving. Great fruit and structure. A beautiful expression of Russian River pinot.

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  3/4/2005 - Greg W wrote: 91 Points

  Purchased on release from winery and stored at cellar temperature ever since. Color: Deep reddish brown, with bricking on the edges. Nose: Immediately upon opening, a nice "pinot" nose, with lots of spice and brown sugar notes, nicely balanced with just a little "funk." After sitting in the glass for around an hour, funk has completely faded away and the nose is going full throttle. This is the kind of nose that makes me want to just stick my nose in the glass and breathe in - beautifully perfumed fruit and spice, and very complex. On the palate, dark, dark notes - black cherries, dark chocolate, lots of spice, a touch of minerality - tannins still very present - wine is still powerful, but very refined. On the finish, a similar flavor profile - still a lot of life left - only drawback is a slight bitterness in the medium length of the finish.
  
  Overall, this is not an overly fruity wine, but still a very enjoyabler bottle of pinot at this point. This is the oldest bottle of California pinot I've tasted, and it's holding up well. The kind of wine that's fun to sip and ponder....
  
  Day 2 update: re-corked and refrigerated overnight. Still going strong after 24 hours. Lots of deep, chocolate flavors, with streak of minerality remaining. Finish has smoothed out a little since last night. Best feature of the wine is still the nose - beautifully perfumed and powerful.

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