Foxen makes some of our favorite Central Coast Pinot Noirs. We opened a bottle of their 2003 Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block Eight Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir a few night ago, and got to enjoy it close to, or at, its peak.The grapes are 100% destemmed prior to enjoying five days of cold soak. They then go through whole berry fermentation before being aged in 65% new French oak for 16 months. Finally it is bottled unfined and unfiltered.The result is a Pinot with a clear, dark, ruby red/purple color in the glass.On the nose; dark raspberry, cherry, vanilla, and earthy components.On the plate the wine shows of raspberry, cherry, and plum with a hint of spice and vanilla. It is a harmonic, balanced, and concentrated, medium to full bodied Pinot, that receives a lift from the fresh acidity and
Not the first time I have had and reviewed a Bonaccorsi Pinot Noir, and although I always think they are stellar, for some reason I am particularly enjoying the 2003 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir tonight. I decided to try all new recipes for dinner and served it with BBQ red wine flank steak, bulgur/roasted beet/mushroom/red onion pilaf, and a red wine vinegar braised carrot and leek dish. It turned out awesome! (both the food and the pairing)The 2003 Santa Maria Valley has a dark, dense, slightly cloudy, garnet color in the glass. To me indicating big, lush, savage, fruit. But I should have known better. Bonaccorsi usually leans toward the more elegant side, although the dark fruit is there. It stays true in this case as well.The nose, sure enough, displays black cherry, raspberry, bluebe
Paul Hobbs 2002 Hyde Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir has a dark dense garnet color in the glass.The nose shows vibrant dark raspberry, cherry, and vanilla.The first thing that hits you on the palate is ripe, deep, blackberry, supported by cherry, spice, and a nice vanilla/oak component. The acidity is still going strong and the tannins are smooth and well integrated. The balanced medium to long finish has beautiful, elegant, dark fruit and berries, with a trace of pencil lead at the very end.I bought this wine in a local wine store, Capitol Cellars, about 3 years ago for $60. After some research at the Internet I come to the conclusion that this wine is hard to get a hold of. I could not find a single store/website that carries it.It really drinks beautifully at this point and if you can get
I picked up a bottle of Nagy2 2005 Garey Ranch Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir at El Rancho Market in Solvang when I was in Santa Ynez Valley a couple of weeks ago. I was on the hunt for something new to try and this bottle came highly recommended by the “wine guy” that helped me in the store. El Rancho has as lot of wine from local wineries that can be hard to find in other grocery stores/wine shops. This bottle was no exception. The only other place I could find it online was at WanderingDogWinebar.com, located in Solvang, for $32.The color in the glass; a dark, dense garnet color.On the nose smoky oak, dark raspberry, blackberry and vanilla.The palate showing dark cherry, dark raspberry, blackberry and a hint of pencil lead at the very finish.This is initially a very mouth full and fr
This wine is made by winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. His only bottling from Russian River Valley. 800 cases produced.It shows a medium dark ruby color in the glass with medium dark berries, floral perfume, tea notes, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla oak on the nose. The palate shows young red fruit/berries, tart red currant, earthy spice, and a hint of black liquorice (?) and minerals at the very finish.This medium bodied wine has good acidity but slightly harsh, still green tannins that shows on the the full length of the palate. The nose unfortunately promises more fruit than the palate carries.Nice effort but, to me, not worth the $35 I paid for it. At $20 I could have seen it as a good value. The tannins and the tartness of the fruit did not quite fit my palate. It might however be the perfect match for someone else... I would love to hear your opinion if you have had it, and agree or disagree.If you are interested in giving it a try it can be found at Winerz.com for $28.80.V
I thought we would try a, to us, new winery tonight. The 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir from Kenneth Volk Vineyards seemed like a good candidate on the shelf in the grocery store.This wine is a blend from several vineyards from Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. It was aged in 60% new, 20% one year old, and 20% three to four year old French oak using barrels from several different coopers.A clear dark ruby color with a touch of purple reflects in the glass. On the nose, red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, light strawberry and traces of oak. Moving to the palate blackberry and cherry are the main components, with raspberry and oak in the background. This Pinot has good acidity and firm tannins, that together with the pronounced fruit makes for a great balanced wine with very decent complexity and a medium body.I got this at my local "natural food" market for $ 23.99 and I think that was a good price for this very nice wine. Finding it online for only $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.com
The Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is made from grapes from the Cameron and Balletto Vineyards and consists of 95% Pinot Noir and 5% Syrah.It has a beautiful, clear, garnet color in the glass, and displays big perfume on the nose upfront. With it black cherry, dark raspberry, pronounced oak with a slightly smokey quality, earth, and a hint of thyme shows nicely. Swirling it in my mouth the big, soft black cherry and dark raspberry sticks out. In the back ground again the oak and a medium spicy quality. This is a overly smooth, soft Pinot Noir with moderate plus acidity and plush tannins with a slight edge. The finish has a slightly spicy bite at the end mingling with oak and soft, lingering fruit.Overall this does not really have the true characteristics to a Pinot Noir, to me, although it is a nice, decent wine... It is more like a Syrah without the spiciness and bite a Syrah brings...I found this at my local grocery store for $24.99, which I realize was a good deal whe
We picked up this bottle today at our local wine merchant after the owner recommending it to us.I have never heard of this pinot before and trying to do some research online I found...nothing... The website given on the label is not active, I could not find any reviews or prices anywhere...I did not get the story behind the wine when purchasing it so I am not quite sure if it is a new winery or what is going on...Oh well, on to the wine. It has a very clear, not very dense, ruby red color in the glass. The nose offers red cherry, red raspberry, cranberry and a touch of oak. The cherry and cranberry follows through to the palate with medium acidity and sleek tannins. That is, tannins are definitely there, but are not to obtrusive, and on the other hand, not overly smooth either. A little thin on the fruit on the mid palate and finish for my taste, but never the less a very nice wine.This, I would say, is a really good pinot to pair with food. Very good on it's own indeed, but it will m
I am really enjoying Russian River Valley Pinor Noirs right now. One of them for the fair price of $23 is Balletto Vineyards Estate Bottled, 2004. It has a nice ruby red color with dark cherry and cranberry on the nose. Those fruit and berry notes carries through on the palate plus a hint of vanilla and quite a bit of tannins. Beeing a Gold Medal Winner at San Francisco Chronical Wine Competition you just have to try it. www.ballettovineyards.com
