2010 Pinot Noir

At the Grapevine tonight, we tasted 12 Pinot Noirs. These are my top three. If you’d like to see what else we tasted http://www.calgrapevine.com.

Turns out I have a thing for Anderson Valley.

Williams Selyem “Burt Williams’ Morning Dew Ranch” Anderson Valley. This was the lightest bodied of the group, falling into how pinot noir ought to feel. Medium plus intensity on the nose with red fruits: strawberry, cranberry, cherry, pomegranate, with forest floor, rose petal, violet, pine, clove. This tastes like pinot noir ought to with medium body, tannins, alcohol  and medium plus acidity. This was the lightest and most Pinot Noir of the group.

My #2 is the Williams Selyem Rochioli Riverblock Russian River Valley. While it was purple with medium plus concentration and viscosity, I loved how expressive the woodsy cedar notes were on the nose. Red plum, black berry, damp earth. Dark but not syrah dark.

#3 in the lineup is the DuMol “Aidan” Russian River Valley. Love the medium + intensity on the nose of flowers, talcum, nag champa, red and black fruit, eucalyptus and menthol. Love the earth dominance on nose, but with tart red fruit on the palate. Woody but balanced.