2006 Amalie Robert Amalie’s Cuvée Pinot Noir
Absolutely delicious. Fully mature at ten years old but not yet fading. Wonderfully complex with notes of red cherry, cranberry, earth, pepper and vanilla. Medium in body, this wine is soft and smooth but with just enough structure to keep it well in balance. A beautiful example of why Oregon Pinot Noir has such a great reputation.
Excellent +
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2011 The Hilt Pinot Noir The Vanguard
The Hilt is a Santa Barbara County winery created by the people from the highly successful Jonata Winery. They do two Pinots: The Old Guard from older vines and The Vanguard from younger vines. Fruit for this cuvee was sourced from three of the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara County: Solomon Hills, Sanford and Benedict and Bien Nacido. Dark red with little fade at the rim. Very fragrant nose that gives up black cherries, raspberries and brown spices. After some swirling hints of vanilla and cream soda poke through. Definitely a bigger wine, with full body, it retains balance and does not fall into that “Syrah lovers Pinot” style that some from the Central Coast can. Power and elegance combined in the right proportions. The finish is long and spicy with just a bit of tannin. Can drink now or hold for another 5+ years.
Excellent – $64 tax-in at BC Liquor stores. This is particularly good value for the quality. The 2012 release is out and sells for $99
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2007 Walter Hansel “The South Slope Vineyard” Pinot Noir
A terrific example of a top Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Beautifully balanced with dark red fruits, specifically cherries and currants, combined with black pepper and earth and just enough vanilla to give it a little creaminess. Tons of complexity and expressiveness to this wine, a very smooth mouth feel and a surprisingly long finish for a Pinot Noir. Elegant and structured, this showed everything we love about this variety.
Excellent +
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2007 Brewer-Clifton Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir
Brewer-Clifton is one of our favourite Pinot Noirs out of the central coast of California and it did not disappoint. Big and fruity with lots of cherry and blackberry counterbalanced superbly with notes of earth and baking spices and black pepper on the finish. Medium + in body, it was smooth, intense and complex. Perfectly in balance right now, drink it if you have it!
Excellent
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Iron Horse Vineyards is the love and labour of Californians Audrey and Barry Sterling. In 1976 they drove along the one lane road just outside of the town of Occidental in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, through the fog and misty rain to find this beautiful vineyard, which they bought, pretty much on the spot. The location is beautiful, often shrouded by the fog that gets held by its rolling hills, and is very remote. Almost 30 years later to the day, we drove along that same road, in similar weather conditions to find their beautiful property and taste their exquisite wines.
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