14.5%
Appeared almost purple and showed a very deep, clear red, when held up to direct light.
Nose was enjoyable: red berry, baking spices, a little mushroom, but also faintly alcoholic at the end. When first tasted, this Pinot showed less of its pedigree, reasonably yummy but could have been from Sta Maria: darker fruits, a strong Pinot hit, and maybe a little too sweet--a reasonably pleasant mouthful, but nothing special or complex. Over time a more dusty raspberry, and a bit of cinnamon became detectable, as well as a slight salinity and what my wife termed a trace pf "shoe leather."
B+ now, might make it to A-. if held for appropriate amount of time, which of course it was not.
I know, I know Pinot's over 13.5% alcohol may be considered declasse, including these, with some justification. But I opened this in part following up on an earlier thread that Ron started, as I have always enjoyed it under the appropriate circumstances and I was looking for a change from the jag of darker-fruited brooding wines (Barolo, Pommard) I had been on. This one, though too young and perhaps too alcoholic, really did open up nicely overtime; after about an 1 1/2 hour, it seamlessly complemented an ancho-rubbed ribeye and pasta with ramps (which are just now gracing Indiana farmer's markets). In the end, it did pretty much what I had expected and hoped. Can't ask for more than that from any wine.