Tag: Pinot Noir

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2019 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Carneros) by Corner 103, Sonoma

Tonight’s Occasion: 2019 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Carneros) by Corner 103, Sonoma CA

Crisp notes of sweet cherries and berries out of the bottle. A gentle secondary butterscotch caramel. A damp earthy leather lingers in the back. These are all key hallmarks of a faithful Sonoma Pinot. Everything is fairly restrained overall.

Body shows good balance, slightly biased towards creamy than acidic. Cherries carry over as well as butterscotch caramel, albeit slightly more intense. Thin barely noticeable tannins provide good structure. Mouth feel is soft, light if not plush. Towards the back, the body fades to more of a cola and sweet citrus expression. Transition to finish is seamless, ending with a fairly neutral palate. No spice heat or tannic grip.

This is a clean, crisp, understated if not uncomplicated Pinot. It retains good sense of place without being overly abstract to the average palate (a tricky balance). This Pinot should appeal to a broad spectrum of palates; from beginner to intermediate and advanced. In summary, this is a faithful Sonoma Pinot for all to enjoy! I like it! Great job Lloyd and and the entire crew at Corner 103!

I recently visited their tasting room while while exploring boutique artisan wineries in Sonoma and I have so say the wines match the decor, ambiance and vibe. The warm, calm modernist setting right on the square in downtown Sonoma made for a great focused and guided tasting. If you are in the Sonoma area, I highly recommend making appointment and stopping by. If you do, don’t forget to let me know your thoughts and tag me on social media.

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2014 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) by Belle Glos

Tonight’s Occasion: 2014 Pinot Noir (Las Alturas – Santa Lucia Highlands) by Belle Glos, Monterey County, CA Intense, ruby color. Out of the bottle, nose is all terroir up front with an intense damp wood leather. This note is unwavering as subtle dark cherries peek through from behind the scene. As it breathes bright berry expression typical of this region pulls forward nicely. Hints of red vines licorice and soft buttery oak linger in the background. Beautiful nose. This wine is alive. Body is slightly creamy up front. A viscous body is framed by soft tannins in the form of dark cherry skins lending unobtrusive structure to this full bodied Pinot. Soft buttery oak lends a nice creamy mouth feel, further accentuating the fruit and softening the tannins. Towards the back, a warm spice heat emerges along with a firming of tannic structure. This marks the transition to finish characterized by a long slow tango between an intensifying spice heat and tightening tannic grip over a backdrop of subtle bitter cola. Both eventually settling for a truce. This is my first Belle Glos wine. Even at 7 years of age (long for a Pinot), it feels like it could still use more time to further integrate. I recommend decanting for at least 30 minutes. It is a well built, terroir driven wine, faithful to its origins. I’m not sure what took me so long to explore their wines but I very much look forward to exploring the rest of their lineup. Nicely done Belle Glos! Explore more Belle Glos Wines on WineSnob.
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2019 Pinot Noir (Roger’s Creek) by Sojourn, Sonoma, CA

Tonight’s Occasion: 2019 Pinot Noir (Roger’s Creek) by Sojourn Cellars, Sonoma, CA Deep ruby color appears unfiltered. Rich aromatic nose out of the bottle with a very noticeable bright red berries and ripe red cherries. A very present earthy leather takes a close secondary note reminiscent of damp forest floor. I absolutely love this about a faithful Sonoma Coast Pinot such as this one. I find this sense of place somewhat intoxicating if not raw and rich. A sweet tertiary note lingers in the background. It’s more of a melange that creates a sweet, buttery, shortcake essence. Swirling vigorously unleashes puffs of green, herbal notes so faint you’d likely miss it. I love it! Body is balanced from front to back. Subtle acidity brings great tention which slowly morphs into a gentle, warm spice heat towards the back. Suggestion of raspberry, and red cherry carry forward. Subtle, almost unnoticeable tannins provide just enough structure. A crisp, clean caramel further softens the body to create a beautiful, slightly weighted mouth feel. A hint of bitter cola ushers in a finish characterized by a slow fade of the entire ensemble leaving the palate slightly moist. I have no idea why it took me so long to explore Sojourn wines. Their Pinot Noirs embody so much of what I love about Sonoma. Even after all this, it’s still hard to put in words. I’m excited to dive deeper into another artisan winemaker off the beaten path. Nicely done! Explore more Sojourn Wines on WineSnob.
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2018 Pinot Noir (Twin Hills) by Reichwage Winery, Sonoma Coast

Tonight’s Occasion: 2018 Pinot Noir (Twin Hills) by Reichwage Winery, Sebastopol CA.

Clear ruby color. Slightly shy nose greets with a flutter of red cherries, raspberries and subtle cola. As it breathes a damp, driftwood emerges in the background. Swirling intensifies the nose ever so slightly. Cherries turn slightly sweet with the emergence of caramel notes. Ahhhhh that quintessential Sonoma Dirt makes an appearance along with a touch of red vines licorice.

Body is light, bright. In line with the nose, greets with a slightly crisp attack which quickly hands off to a slightly viscous body of crisp caramel, damp wood leather and bitter cola. Great soft mouth feel. Thin but firm tannins provides crisp structure from front to back. Body is bone dry. Fruit carries forward in mere suggestions of raspberry. Hints of mushroom linger in the back, so faint you’d likely miss it. After a long expression, body quickly vanishes, leaving a dry palate with cola, mushroom leather, crisp lingering tannic grip an mild spice warmth.

Everything is a mere suggestion. This wine is very subtle and nuanced in its expression. It was made in the vineyard and obsessed over in the cellar. Pinot Noir doesn’t lie. It is unforgiving. In a sense a rite of passage for a winemaker. This one is squarely for the advanced palate. More traditional Burgundian style while preserving its sense of place. It reads like an exercise in core principles. What a great, well made wine! Just beautiful…

Explore more of Max Reichwage’s wines here.

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2018 Pinot Noir (O’Brien) by Willamette Valley Vineyards, Oregon

Tonight’s Occasion: 2018 Pinot Noir (O’Brien, Eola-Amity Hills) by Willamette Valley Vineyards, Oregon Intense ruby color. Slightly restrained nose with crisp, slightly sweet cherries, raspberries, and a touch of pomegranate. There’s a certain faint bitter essence in the distant background. This is typical of the region and its terroir at large. I love it when a wine shows good sense of place. In this case a subtle mineral leather. Swirling vigorously adds a little more raspberry and leather. Classic. Slightly crisp greeting on the body with cherries and refined caramel reminiscent of neutral oak. A very mild sweet citrus adds great mouth feel not unlike Meyer Lemon. Crisp tannins provide unobtrusive structure. This slowly morphs into a mild spice heat as it transitions to finish. A prickly spice tingle takes over the lips as raspberries, cherries and cola quietly debate who exists the stage last. I love what these folks are doing with their wines. Their tastings are more of an education on the region and it’s wines. Execution is clean, crisp and highly terroir driven. I have a soft spot for Pinot from this region and Willamette Valley Vineyards channels that very nicely in all their wines. Read more Willamette Valley Vineyards on WineSnob.
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2019 Pinot Noir (Pomarium) by Peay Vineyards

Tonight’s Occasion: 2019 Pinot Noir (Pomarium) by Peay Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, CA

A burst of Rose petals hits the nose. Oh my! Beautiful floral aromas. Soft sweet cherry cola. Faint leather and red vines licorice lingers in the background. Bright, translucent ruby color.

Silky smooth body shows good balance with a touch of acid on the attack. Dark cherry skins lay down a paper thin structure over which a light, thin, soft almost silky body of cola, subtle blackberries and crisp (neutral) oak. This act quickly vanishes leaving the palate dry, crisp, and slightly grippy with a faint spice tingle. As it opens up, the cola intensifies. This wine is dry but this does not become evident until the finish.

A gift from my little boy. I have never heard of this winemaker before. I think they’ve done a great job with this wine. I like it and will have to pay them a visit. Nicely done Peay!

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2014 Pinot Noir (3BBL) by Roger Roessler Wines

Tonight’s Occasion: 2014 Pinot Noir (3BBL) by Roger Roessler Wines, Sonoma CA.

Clear ruby color. Gentle, plush, aromatic nose. Earthy notes take center stage with wet wood, damp forest floor, a touch of that all too familiar Sonoma Dirt and Mushroom. As it breathes, slightly ripened cherries creep forward. Swirling vigorously intensifies, fruit and floral notes. A sweet cola makes an appearance. Beautiful!

Body is nicely balanced, greeting with a gentle touch of acidity which is quickly replaced with a smooth, silky, slightly viscous body. Paper thin layers of crisp tannin are laid down beneath layers of thin wisps of cherry cola, faint crisp caramel and viscous leathery essence. Transition to finish is characterized by the emergence of a gentle but firm spice towards the back. Body vanishes, leaving behind slightly bitter cola as crisp, clean tannins assert themselves amidst a gentle warmth.

This 3BBL is a blend of this vintner’s top Pinot from that vintage. Each vintage unique in its own expression. This vintage is a beautiful representation of the greater Sonoma region. It preserves this identity very well in an all around classy expression. If you haven’t explored Roger Roessler wines, I highly recommend them. They make for a great study, a compendium of Pinot Noir from up and down the Pacific Coast. I have been following their wines for well over a decade now.

Explore more Roger Roessler Wines on WineSnob.

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2016 Pinot Noir by Reichwage Winery, Sonoma Coast

Tonight’s Occasion: 2016 Pinot Noir by Reichwage Winery, Sebastopol CA.

Big bold intense color for a Pinot. Nose is shy out of the bottle. You can definitely pick up hints of that all too familiar Sonoma dirt. Nose develops a little more weight, berries and ripe cherries as it opens up. Damp woody dirt and red vines licorice move forward. Nose is very subtle and gentle.

Body is not as big as the color suggests but very much in line with the nose. Subtle, gentle, smooth expression. Ripe cherries greet the palate with a hint of acidity more in the form of a sweet citrus that is quickly smothered by a full, plush, soft mouth feel. Transition to finish is seamless leaving the palate slightly dry under an enduring spice warmth.

This Pinot is showing nicely right now. It is clean, well executed. It feels like a classic Pinot Noir, subtle, nuanced, smooth and balanced. It channels the terroir very subtly, gracefully retaining it’s sense of place. Now I’m curious to see how the 2018 vintage is showing now. That should be an interesting vintage right about now. Stay tuned!

Nicely done Max Reichwage 🍷😁👌🏽

You can read more from my exploring of Max Reichwage’s wines here.

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2016 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) by Dierberg * StarLane

Tonight’s occasion: 2016 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) by Dierberg * StarLane, Santa Barbara County, CA. Deep intense color. Nose is a little shy out of the bottle with notes of raspberry, blackberry, a touch of cherry cola, licorice and damp wood leather with an underlying herbal suggestion almost eucalyptus like. It’s very faint and hard to discern. Swirling vigorously unlocks a burst of berries and cherry cola, over and over and over again… Ugghhh. Body is light, crisp, balanced from front to back. This wine eases onto the palate, very gently, with mere suggestions of faint dark cherry and plum skins. Not too ripe, not too tart, just right, a mere tannic suggestion. There is a masterfully integrated crisp neutral oak you would easily miss. This all combines to form a supple, creamy underlayment. It has a nicely integrated mouth feel. A warm, firm but restrained spice emerges and persists over the palate. Transition to finish is seamless as the melange of whispers and suggestions slowly fade away leaving the palate slightly moist, under a gentle crisp tannic grip and gentle, warm spice tingle. The 2014 vintage is one of my all-time favorite Pinot Noirs. This 2016 vintage falls right in line. It is an absolutely gorgeous wine sure to keep the focused, advanced palate engaged even entranced. A very sophisticated, nuanced expression, the Dierberg SMV Pinot holds a special place in my heart and Cellar. I don’t think I will ever be able to get enough of it. This is what you get when wine comes first before everything else. I have to go now… Read more about my first visit to Dierberg * StarLane here. Explore more Dierberg Star Lane on WineSnob.
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2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir by Dawn’s Dream Winery

Tonight’s occasion: 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir (Clone 236, Santa Lucia Highlands) by Dawn’s Dream Winery, Carmel by the Sea, California.

Make sure you chill it the day before. When you open it, pour the first glass. Let it sit a few minutes while you take and post a photo and tag me. 🍷📸😁👌🏽Now take a sniff without swirling it.

A subtle cantaloupe melon. Unmistakable. Almost creamy and nectar like. Now swirl vigorously. White cranberries, passion fruit and a slightly mineral leather. The more you swirl, the more it’s Pinot underpinnings reveal themselves. Ahhhh I love it!

A slightly weighted, viscous body greets the palate. It is fairly balanced up front but moderate acidity eventually rolls over the palate with notes of citrus and white cherries. As this fades it transitions seamlessly to a subtle peppery spice which ushers in an otherwise gentle finish. Faint tannins provide a paper thin structure upon which this subtle expression lies.

This is a refreshing Rosé, especially for those who like their wines (red or white) with a little body to them. Its SLH Pinot Noir expression certainly shines through. To Dawn and the entire crew, nicely done!

Explore more Dawn’s Dream wines on WineSnob.