2003 Arcadian Rio Vista Vineyard (SRH) 14.5% Alc.
Well I new this would be infanticide but I had to try it to decide if I should grab more. At $65 it walks the line in price for Cali pinot…for me (Although I do get my sweet Grand Cru member discount). I poured a small glass and decanted the rest. Bam … the glass hit me with a wild and expressive nose. It might have fooled me as being a syrah with the first sniff. Then the wild brambly and sweet fruit hit. This is very young and clumsy. The fruit hits you all over the place. Raspberry, cherry and a touch of “hot tamale” (the candy that is). I decided to pack up half of the bottle for the next night. On the first night all the fruit hit like it was unsweetened. On the second night the sweetness was there. I think I have only tried one other wine from the Rio Vista Vineyard (Flying Goat I think) so not much to go on but this wine just seemed packed. A lot going on…just clumsy right now. I will not open another bottle for 3 or 4 years. I am assuming this is 100% whole cluster. There is certainly a slight green note running through. Tons of fruit. It won’t be a problem. This is why I am buying less and less Burgundy. The consistency of the top producers in Cali and Oregon is astounding. I need to start re-thinking my Cali price boundary. Way to go. 90 pts.
Cheers,
Jason