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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts:10573
 | | 08/12/2003 9:20 PM |
| Posted 8/1/03 on the WS board during VCs absence:
I recently attended a Pinot Noir tasting with newly released 2001s. The notes are short on some of these due to the sheer number of wines tasted. Included are the approximate prices and my personal rating as an avowed Pinot-hound. In all these were good examples of average to good pinot. There was a definite CA Pinot style present in these wines. Acidity was almost a surprise. I found them easy to drink as a group and a couple of them are even reasonably priced for the quality.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara 2001
$15.99; Winetex 82
Spicy nose, sour cherry and coffee notes in the middle, short finish
Chalone Pinot Noir Monterey 2001 $19.75; Winetex 86
Spicy nose with a touch of black pepper and earthy notes; Black cherry in the middle with a decent finish of the same. This is fairly concentrated and weighty for Pinot.
This is from a winery not known recently for great Pinot but our moderator mentioned that this is probably the best Pinot they have ever made. Worth a try for the price.
David Bruce Pinot Noir Sonoma 2001
$24; Winetex 85
Somewhat uninspired Pinot with a typical spicy, red cherry profile with some cocoa notes. Not a buy for me at this price.
Marimar Torres Pinot Noir Russian River Valley (Sonoma, Green Valley) 2001
$22.78; Winetex 89
Very dark ruby with a purple cast; Balanced pinot with a black spicy, black cherry nose and cocoa and earth notes. I generally like this style of Pinot and appreciate Marimar Torres’ wines for their elegant style. A buy at this price.
Seghesio Pinot Noir Keyhole Ranch 2001
$23; Winetex 86
Dark ruby color; Sweet cherry fruit, somewhat candied with a spicy but short finish. Juicy and fun Pinot for the price.
Belle Glos Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 2001
$29; WS 78; Winetex 85
An earthy nose with spices and ripe raspberries; more of the same in the middle. The fruit is very lean and turns a bit sour on the finish. There is adequate acidity which may indicate a possibility of improvement. This one is a science project – I give it a 50/50 chance of either improving or going down the drain. There is no way to tell.
The winemaker on this is John Bolta and the winery is owned by the Wagner family (Caymus).
After we tasted this wine our moderator told us that James Laube rated this wine a 78. It definitely wasn’t a 78 but was a bit weird in style. Not a buy for me.
Testarossa Palazzio Pinot Noir Monterey 2001
$30.24; Winetex 85
Spicy medium weight wine with bitter cherry and a bit of acidity. More balanced than most but a bit boring.
Etude Pinot Noir Carneros 2000
$35; Winetex 89
Started out spicy and earthy on the nose and then went into a deeply cherry middle. It had a good finish of adequate length and intensity. Seemed balanced and complex with some acidity.
Winery note – Beringer now owns this winery with Tony Soter as the winemaker
David Bruce Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, 2001
$35; Winetex 89
My notes failed me on this one. All I wrote was good.
David Bruce Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains 2001
$35; Winetex 90
My notes were back as I found a Pinot that I really liked. This one had nutmeg on the nose with black cherry and cola notes. Included a long, aromatic finish.
When tasted side-by-side with the Bruce wine above the group of 45 people were split with about 2/3 liking the Russian River Valley better than the Santa Cruz. I thought the Santa Cruz was more complex with better weight and intensity.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander 2000
$39; Winetex 87
Immediate barnyard on the nose with black cherry in the middle and spices on the finish.
Note – I really don’t care for ABC’s wines and this one was no exception. Too expensive for the quality level. I rated it based on the quality but would not buy it at this price.
Testarossa Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow 2001
$41; Winetex 89
A quality wine at a higher price. This is a rather elegant style with nice aromatics. It is a bit light in weight for this class of wine. A buy at a lower price.
Reynolds Family Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2001
14.9% Alcohol; No pro reviews that I could find; 90 points Winetex; $45
I would buy this again if I could find it.
Saintsbury Pinot Noir Reserve Carneros 2000
$45; Winetex 87
Rather uninspiring for a wine in this class. Pinot noir by the numbers.
Palate fatigue had set in so it was time to stop the regular tasting and go to the special bottles.
Special guest wines (not part of the regular tasting)
Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Gary's Vineyard 2001
$sample; WS 87; Winetex 90
This was my first taste of this wine and it did not disappoint. My notes were long gone but my impression was of a very concentrated yet elegant Pinot with excellent mouthfeel. I poured small tastings for the rest of the Pinot hounds in the room and to a one they wanted to know what it was and how they could get it. I gave them the website and the bad news that there is no more of this wine available. A great showing for this wine.
Etude Pinot Noir Heirloom 2000
$80; Winetex 90
Very different from the anything that preceded it. Not many notes but the impression of a monster Pinot with great concentration. I certainly liked this but it had to live up to the monster price.
Adrian Fog Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Savoy Vineyard 2001
$75+ ; Winetex no score
Blech is the only thing I wrote down late in the evening. This tasted like sweetened cherry juice and even looked like it – a strange light red color. It screamed “maraschino cherries” to me. Stranger still the women did not care for the wine but the men were in the other room raving about it. I chalk this one up to late in the evening.
And we all stumbled home flush with Pinot Noir | | | |
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