Pinot Days Tasting in San Francisco
We arrived early and tasted through only a small portion of the producers that were pouring at this event. Overall, the quality was high and the folks were pleasant.
Producers of interest:
August West
Auteur
Big Basin
Clos Saron: poured several vintages of the Home Vnyd. and it was instructive to see how the wine aged
Cornerstone Cellars
Couloir Wines: the 2011 Monument Tree Vnyd. from the Anderson Valley really stood out
Failla: so elegant as to be almost lost in a crowd; almost
MacRostie Winery: I did not expect this winery to shine, but it did
Scherrer Winery: although the prices are way up
Thomas Fogarty Winery
Windy Oaks
The star of the show however, was Ladd Cellars. This is a very small operation based in the town of Sonoma making pinot from Russian River and Anderson Valley. Two wines were just plain thrilling; the regular Anderson Valley and the single vineyard Cuvée Abigail. The Anderson Valley was lightweight, elegant, savory, spicy and beautifully structured. The Abigail was a whole notch up in depth, complexity and structure but lost none of the elegance that seems to hallmark this maker. And both of these were available for under $40; a price point very few pinot producers seem to have any use for.
If anyone has specific questions about these wineries, please ask.
Mass tastings are often an exercise in self-abuse. This one was pretty easy to deal with and although a nap would be nice now, it’s not essential.
Best, Jim