WTN: 2004 Hug Cellars Pinot Noir Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard

• 2004 Hug Cellars Pinot Noir Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (12/22/2007)
  Hedonistic (Auggie's self-professed winemaking style) vs. Rancho Ontiveras (a vineyard I associate with slightly more restrained wines). A very interesting match, probably much more interesting than A v P: R. I'm not sure which side wins, but I do know that this is a very good bottle of wine. Excellent balance with a crescendo like mouthfeel; significant acids for the vintage and flavor that is the essence of tart cherry (a sine qua non for PN in my book). Add in some serious spice on the palate (sorry for all the parenthetical detours, but where does all that white pepper come from?) and you have a palpable hit for the '04 vintage. One that makes me think that '04 may require a serious reassessment a few years down the road.
  
  Opened, but not decanted, an hour before dinner. Served at cellar temperature with complimentary foods. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I have no more of the '04 ROs, which I enjoyed a lot...your description is very good. The '05 Hug RO is also rocking, and I just received a few weeks back the '06 RO, which I haven't tried yet.

Hug makes some very very nice wines at reasonable prices for the quality, and they are good people to boot. I think the quality has been increasing year by year and how they stay under the radar of CA Pinot drinkers who enjoy Arcadian or Kosta Browne or Swan is beyond me.

I agree that RO fruit tends to be on the elegant side...and I do think Augie's wines let that show thru.

I'm planning to pick up some of the '06 Hug ROs, unfortunately no RO fruit for anyone in '07.

I've buried some of the '03 Hug Bassetti Syrah that I'm looking forward to trying. You're right about the prices, although the '06 Rancho Ontiveras is creeping up.

I think the RO bottling is the most expensive of the Hugs, but still at or below what many CA Pinots of this quality retail for....and too bad that no one will have it next time around....a really terrific vineyard....

If you haven't tried the entry level Paso Pinot (though the fruit comes from closer to Cambria), it is pretty amazing for mid $20s....

The Viognier, a new bottling for them, is also excellent.

I have some of the '03 Bassetti too...and '02!! I think they are going to do less Syrah in the future and focus in on Pinot....and some whites....