Tasted a couple of weeks ago, just now getting around to writing about it...

WOW!!!

I had been going through SERIOUS high-quality Pinot deprivation and I was about ready to burst. This was a spur-of-the-moment purchase; I saw it as I was picking up some Champagne from my new favorite wine store (San Francisco Wine Trading Company) and knew I had to have it, and drink it that night. This was tasted after a 2003 Muller-Catoir Riesling Haardter Herrenletten Spatlese and I thought it would probably be a let down after such a good wine. Nope, it was even better. Black raspberries, blackberries, black cherries, hypothetical dark red strawberries, and violets all soar from the glass, along with a slight hint of toasty French oak. On the palate this is hedonistic and intellectual -- it remminded me of the deep forest and the amount of complexity was staggering for someone who had been in a bit of a wine lull, and deffinitely a Pinot lull for a long time. The wine remained only medium bodied but had great intensity and then a nice long finish. This is a complete tier above Soter's only-slightly-less-expensive Etude Pinot. IMO, this is among the best, if not the very best, Pinot you can find on store shelves for under $50. 93.5

a

I tasted the 1999 with James Cahill from the winery 21 months ago and rated it 87-90 feeling it was 3-5 years away from ready. I'm not surprised the 2002 was so good.

Tony also makes a champagne with that juice that needs a couple of years to settle down and then is what I consider the american version of Billicart-Salmon Brut Rose Non-Vintage.

SFWTC is off the beaten path... Say high to Gary for me. Your next splurge there should be Quintarelli.

Joe

Quote:

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Your next splurge there should be Quintarelli.

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They have my phone number and I asked them to call when the '97 Alzero and Amarone come in. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to afford them. (I did pick up a Quintarelli white wine while I was there -- good but not awesome, I'll post the tn soon).

a

Thanks for the recco...I just picked up a couple of bottles of this. TNs to come this weekend. I'm going to have both the Beacon Hill 2002 and a 2002 Etude together and compare.