Flowers Sea View Ridge Sonoma Coast 2010 Pinot Noir

Flowers Sea View Ridge Sonoma Coast 2010 Pinot Noir, $58.64-$68.99, 95 points, poured a beautiful sunburst pomegranate red against a leggy clear glass wall, even as it poured with a wafting and striking strawberry aroma, but settled-down with warm earth tones and an unusual toasty black currant.
A creamy-smooth texture complimented the medium body with both substantial and supple strawberry/rhubarb, red cherry, and tart pomegranate flavors, well balanced with good acidity and fine-grained mild-plus tannin to make this an excellent dry red wine.
Finishing on a long trailing palate with a climatic cayenne spice, a hint of heartwood, and a touch of heat (14% alcohol).



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Tortoise Creek Wines 2011 Pinot Noir

Tortoise Creek Wines 2011 Pinot Noir,  $13.50-$15.00, 85 points, appears as a clear bright ruby trending pomegranate red in color with a transparent rim.
The mysterious aroma of cocoa-powder, sea breeze, and black cherry delights.
Just shy of a medium body, there's good acidity and moderate tannin.
Flavors of black cherry, plum, and a hint of petrol are blemished with an astringent aftertaste.
The finish is the redemption of this wine, with good spice and a touch of heat (13% alcohol), pleasantly lasting for some time.
I bought this wine at the Londonderry Hannaford's Supermarket.



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R. Stuart Autograph Willamette Valley 2007 Pinot Noir

R. Stuart Autograph Willamette Valley 2007 Pinot Noir, $25.49-$29.99, 91 points, is a slightly cloudy light pomegranate color with a clear rim.
Black cherry and coffee notes on the nose are good with a hint of early wet newspaper dissipating.
The moderately smooth medium body carries good acidity and mild tannin with tart pomegranate, sweet strawberry, red and black cherry flavors.
Finishes long on a trailing palate, just a hint of spice, and strawberry cordial (14% alcohol).
I've had this wine stashed in my cellar for three years, and I didn't have any confidence that the fruit and backbone of this wine would hold-up to the time and average temperature of 68 degrees, but the Autograph Pinot Noir is still very vibrant, and I think there is still some time left in it.

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Gruet Blanc De Noirs (Pinot Noir)



Gruet Blanc De Noirs (Pinot Noir), $12.23-$18.99, 88 points, is core golden trending near edge clear with explosive effervescence that persists.
When my son was about three years old he had his first taste of Ginger-ale which promptly came fizzing out his nose; something like that happened to me when I took my first whiff of this sparkling Pinot Noir (75%)! The rest of the nose was hints of tangerine and toasty vanilla with Chardonnay grape (25%) breaking on through "the other side."
A light-plus body with mouth-watering acidity and clean mineral flavors quickly won me over, but as this wine warmed, some of the initial luster tamed toward a more common-place white wine having a chalky apple with hints of watermelon and cantaloupe flavor notes that carried over into the long finish.

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Pali "Huntington" Santa Barbara County 2011 Pinot Noir

Dedicated to Fredric Koeppel,

Movie, Literary, and Wine Critic, but most of all,

 having tasteful tales tailored to the Sock Critic in each of us 8-) 

 

 



Pali "Huntington" Santa Barbara County 2011 Pinot Noir, $19.54-$22.99, 88 points, appeared more a Bordeaux purple/red than pomegranate red toward a leggy clear glass wall.
The "unusual" plum/black cherry aroma continues the less than "typical" Pinot Noir-likeness, though there was a more familiar earthiness that developed with air.
Moderately smooth on a medium body with good acidity and mild tannin.
Flavors faithfully follow the nose.
Finishes well with the trailing palate, heat (14.2% alcohol), and lively spice.





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Lemelson Vineyards Willamette Valley Thea's Selection 2010 Pinot Noir

 

Lemelson Vineyards Thea's Selection 2010 Pinot Noir, $25.49-$31.99, 91+ points, appears as a radiant ruby red/sunburst orange with a clear rim.
Floral red cherry with subtle savory, sage, and warm earth notes, makes for a lovely aroma.
A moderately smooth early palate with fair acidity and mild tannin accentuates the easy drinkability of this wine; make no mistake, a good Pinot Noir is probably the easiest Red Wine in the world to drink copious quantities before you know it, and even with the usually lower alcohol content (Thea's Selection equals 13.5%), can catch you off guard.
The flavor profile follows the aroma, but adds late palate strawberry, and the finish is the trailing palate with just a touch of spice, and though not the most complex wine, it deliciously combines enough to more than satisfy.

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Weingut Bernhard Huber Malterdinger Trocken 2009er Pinot Noir, Baden, Germany

Weingut Bernhard Huber Malterdinger Trocken 2009er Pinot Noir, Baden, Germany, $33.99-$39.99, 91 points, appears as a deep pomegranate red with a broad transparent rim.
An earthy black cherry dominates the aroma.
Medium bodied with a less than smooth texture, good acidity, mild tannin, good flavors of tart red cherry, strawberry, and a hint of green apple, are delicious.
Finishes long on a trailing palate with only a hint of the 13% alcohol.


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