WTN: New Calif PinotNoirs...long/boring

We tasted last night (11/15/06) Some New PinotNoirs:
1. DavidBruce SonomaCoast PinotNoir (14.8%; http://www.DavidBruceWinery.com) 2004: Med.color;
attractive bit earthy some sour cherry/PN light Burg/toasty/oak some spicy nose; soft
fairly lush sour cherry/PN/earthy/mushroomy light toasty/oak flavor; med.long earthy/
mushroomy/bit funky sour cherry/PN some taosty/oak bit spicy finish w/ light tannins;
a pleasant rather blocky/chunky earthy kind of Pinot for drinking now; seems more inland
than extreme SonomaCoast. $32.00
_____________________
2. Babcock PinotNoir Ocean'sGhost SantaRitaHills EstateVnyd (14%; OptimumQuodPossum) 2005:
Med.color; deep ripe spicy/black cherry/PN some toasty/oak rather attractive nose; soft/
lush/attractive black cherry/spicy/PN slight peppery some toasty/charred/oak flavor; med.
short soft/ripe black cherry/PN/spicy finish w/ light tannins; a very attractive nose but
lacks structure and palate impact. Rather pricey at $55.00
_____________________
3. eno the Gifted One PinotNoir FairviewRoadRanch/SantaLuciaHighlands (15.5%;
http://www.EnoWines.com) 2004: Dark color; lovely bright/spicy/cherry/PN slight herbal attractive
pencilly/oak perfumed/bright/vibrant nose; tart very vibrant/bright/spicy strong cherry/
floral light herbal slight pencilly/cedary/oak flavor; very long tart bright/cherry/PN/
floral/violets light pencilly/cedary/oak finish w/ some tannins; needs yr or two; a lovely
bright/vibrant cherry/floral aromatic Pinot. Very fair price at $35.00
_____________________
4. Lioco Chalone PinotNoir MichaudVnyd/MontereyCnty (14.5%; ph Balance: 3.59, TA:6.2 g/l,
RS: 0.35 g/l; Brix: 25.1; http://www.LiocoWine.com) 2005: Dark color; rather earthy/dusty/
mushroomy some stewed/plummy nose; soft plummy/earthy/PN rather dusty/mushroomy flavor;
med.long bit tannic earthy/dusty stewed plums/PN finish w/ some tannins; needs some age
but doubtful potential; another blocky/clunky Pinot that lacks fruit and brightness.
Pretty overpriced at $45.00
_____________________
5. CarnerosCreekWnry PinotNoir CarnerosReserve (14.5%; http://www.CarnerosCreekWinery.com) 2003: Med.
dark color; low key/subtle black cherry/plummy/PN some earthy rather Burgundian/toasty/oak/
smokey nose; soft light/low-key/subtle plummy/black cherry/PN some toasty/smokey/Burg/oak
finish w/ light tannins; a pleasant earthy/Burgundian Pinot. Fairly priced at $22.00
_____________________
6. BergstromWnry CumberlandReserve PinotNoir WillametteVlly (13.5%; http://www.BergstromWines.com;
2600 cs) 2005: Dark color; strong black cherry cola/PN bit appley/green rather toasty/oak
attractive nose; tart/lean/thin black cherry cola/Nehi/PN some toasty/charred/oak flavor;
med.short thin/lean black cherry cola/PN rather toasty/charred/oak finish w/ some tannins;
quite attractive cherry cola nose but doesn't deliver on the palate; rather thin & lean;
way overpriced at $52.00
_____________________
7. Capiaux Pinot Noir FreestoneHillVnyd/RussianRvrVlly (14.3%; 153 cs) 2004: Dark color;
lovely black cherry/PN/ruhbarb very perfumed/fragrant/spicy lovely/complex nose; tart bit
tannic/hard very floral/aromatic bright/black cherry/PN light toasty/oak spicy flavor; very
long/lingering bright/spicy/black cherry/PN light toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; needs
several yrs; a fairly big Pinot w/ lovely aromatics $44.50
_____________________
8. Capiaux Pinot Noir PisoniVnyd/SantaLuciaHighlands (14.8%; 295 cs) 2004: Very dark/black color;
deep bit closed some herbal/black cherry cola/PN some toasty/charred/oak nose; soft/lush/ripe
light herbal rather black cherry cola/DrPepper/PN some toasty/oak bit tannic flavor; long
ripe black cherry cola light herbal soft some toasty/oak bit tannic finish; soft/ripe and
a bit Siduri-like in profile. $52.50
_____________________
9. Melville SantaRitaHills PinotNoir Estate (15.4%) 2005: Med.dark color; some dusty/walnutty
spicy some black cherry/PN bit green/appley rather toasty/oak nose; tart rather dusty/walnutty
black cherry/PN almost OR-like slight alcoholic flavor; med.long bit alcoholic bit dusty/walnutty
spicy/black cherry/PN finish w/ light tannins; very nice Pinot but almost OR in style. $32.00
_____________________
10. Melville SantaRitaHills PinotNoir Estate Jackson Clone 9 (15.3%) 2005: Med.color; slight
walnutty rather dusty more bright cherry/PN/grapey some toasty/oak/smokey nose; softer/rounder/
lusher rather grapey/black cherry/bright cherry/PN somewhat toasty/oak flavor w/ light tannins;
med.long soft/round slight walnutty/dusty grapey/black cherry/PN toasty/oak finish w/ light
tannins; slighty rounder/smoother on the palate compared to the Estate. $35.00
_____________________
11. Melville SantaRitaHills PinotNoir Estate Dijon Clone 777 (15.3%; http://www.MelvilleWinery.com)
2005: Dark color; very strong black cherry/PN/floral/spicy/cola much more fruit some toasty/oak
lovely perfumed very slight walnutty some complex nose; tart rich/mouthfilling black cherry/cola/
perfumed/PN light toasty/oak structured floral/perfumed some tannic flavor; very long floral/black
cherry/PN/very spicy slight dusty/walnutty some toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; needs several
yrs of age; much more interesting & structured than the others; outstanding Pinot. $35.00
_____________________
12. Melville SantaRitaHills PinotNoir Estate Dijon Clone 828 (15.0%) 2005: Med.dark color; bit more
dusty/walnutty/less fruit bright/black cherry/cherry/PN some toasty/oak less floral nose; softer
rather strong black cherry/PN/cherry/slight cola bit walnutty/dusty some tannic toasty/oak flavor;
long round/soft black cherry/spicy/cherry/slight cola toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; not quite
the perfume & aromatics & intensity of the 777, but much the same structure; needs several yrs
of age yet. $35.00
_____________________
13. Sine Qua Non Covert Fingers Calif PinotNoir (AritaHillsVnyd; 14.9%) 2004: Very dark/black color;
very intense toasty/oak/pungent/smokey intense black cherry/blackberry/boysenberry/cola/PN huge
fruit complex/interesting nose; tart rich/intense/mouthfilling very spicy/black cherry/PN/very ripe/
boysenberry/peppery very strong toasty/oak/smokey/charred pretty tannic flavor; very lon tannic/hard
strong toasty/charred/oak intense spicy/black cherry/peppery/PN/boysenberry Syrah-like finish;
needs much age and should be a great one eventually; maybe the best SQN Pinot I've yet had. $81.50
____________________________________________________________________________________
And the usual but short BloodyPulpit:
1. SQN: This Pinot was a classic example of what many dismiss SantaRitaHills Pinots as being Syrah-like.
I thought it was distinctly PinotNoir; but not the ethereal/elegant/delicate style of Pinot that I
know&love from Calif. It's a huge wine that I liked a lot, even if it is Syrah in style. It has a
lot of things going on in it. No reason to believe that it won't be a great wine down the road.
However, if it said DogpatchWines PinotNoir, I suspect a lot of folks would vilify the wine for its
lack of Pinot typicity. I'm not one to worship at the altar of varietal typicity.
_____________________
2. JacksonClone: Back in the late 1800's, UC (Berkeley I presume) established an experimental vnyd
up in the Foothills near Jackson. It only lasted about 10 yrs and then was abandoned. Some 15-20
yrs ago, this abandoned vnyd was rediscovered. Apparently, UC/Davis has resurected the vnyd and
taken cuttings from it and propogated them for sale in Calif. This Jackson Clone 9 was the first
commercial wine I've yet seen from that old vnyd. It would make a good story methinks. From that
era, you wonder where they got that Pinot. Jackson is not an obvious place to grow Pinot, but
then the thinking towards Pinot may have been a bit different in that age.
_____________________
3. MelvillePinots: I've always like the Melville Pinots; fairly big and robust but definitely SRH
Pinot. They're often above 15%, but usually carry the alcohol well and do not seem overripe.
All of these Pinots had that slight walnutty character I associate w/ cold-climate Pinot and most
often find in OR Pinots.
Of these clones, I thought the Jackson to be the less interesting and only a slight step
above the regular Estate. My fave was the Clone 777 easily. It had more body & structure and much
more interesting aromatics. The Clone 828 was in between.
_____________________
4. Capaiux: A couple in our group are big fans of the Capiaux Pinots and shared these two with us.
I was pretty impressed with both of them. I particularly liked the RRV version.
Tom

I guess I'm just too old to change in some areas. I don't want Pinot Noir to remind me of Syrah anymore than I would want Petite Sirah to remind me of Pinot Noir. Don't get me started on the high alcohol levels.
It's really sad when winemakers tell me they don't like their own wines but that's what sells.

We tasted last night (11/15/06) Some New PinotNoirs:
1. DavidBruce SonomaCoast PinotNoir (14.8%; http://www.DavidBruceWinery.com) 2004: Med.color;
attractive bit earthy some sour cherry/PN light Burg/toasty/oak some spicy nose; soft
fairly lush sour cherry/PN/earthy/mushroomy light toasty/oak flavor; med.long earthy/
mushroomy/bit funky sour cherry/PN some taosty/oak bit spicy finish w/ light tannins;
a pleasant rather blocky/chunky earthy kind of Pinot for drinking now; seems more inland
than extreme SonomaCoast. $32.00
_____________________

Hey Tom,
I've got some David Bruce Central Coast Pinot, ( I think it's '03 or '04), would you know what I should expect from this stuff, eh?

Aaron,
I wouldn't expect it to be a whole lot different than this SonomaCoast. Probably a bit on the soft & soupy side and not a lot of aromatics. Not sure where that fruit is sourced from, but would expect mostly Monterey and SanBenito Cnty.
I was expecting a lot from this SonomaCoast as it's his first SonomaCoast Pinot I've seen. But, from the aromatics, I would guess it comes from SangiamocoVnyd or some such inland area, not the extreme SonomaCoast.
Tom

Regarding Jackson Clones- I learned from a UC Davis course on Pinot Noir clones, that the clone was "rediscovered" by Dr. Austin Goheen in 1974 in the revived University of California's Field Station. Greg LaFollette shared his experience working with the clone saying, it can have pronounced shatter. Tannins can be hard. Can provide great structure. Very site variable; can get pretty weird. Often good color, high extract but unpredictable." Tom, was your description of the walnuty from tannins?

According to UC Davis' Foundation Plant Services, there are other derivations of the clone:
FPS 06 Jackson #2 (registered in 1974)
FPS 16 Jackson B- Clone 1 (registered in 1974)
FPS 29- occasionally labeled Pinot Saint George or Pinot Franc
FPS 106- taken from a tissue culture of FP29; expected to be released in 2005

I've never worked with the Jackson clone but applaud Melville for their commitment to planting, comparing, and sharing their experience with the various Pinot clones.

Cheers,
Sasha

[Jenise]

Sasha, welcome to the forum, and a question for you. What is "pronounced shatter"?

but I'll take a stab.
"pronounced shatter" refers to have a high degree of shatter within a bunch. Shatter being berries that formed after polyination, but who never, for some reason, go on to become lovable/juicy grapes. You can see a shatter-prone bunch of grapes and ther'll be these little BBs of grapes spread amongst the fully mature ones.
I think.
Tom (winging it once again)

We tasted last night (11/15/06) Some New PinotNoirs:

9. Melville SantaRitaHills PinotNoir Estate (15.4%) 2005: Med.dark color; some dusty/walnutty
spicy some black cherry/PN bit green/appley rather toasty/oak nose; tart rather dusty/walnutty
black cherry/PN almost OR-like slight alcoholic flavor; med.long bit alcoholic bit dusty/walnutty
spicy/black cherry/PN finish w/ light tannins; very nice Pinot but almost OR in style. $32.00
____________________________________________________________________________________
And the usual but short BloodyPulpit:

3. MelvillePinots: I've always like the Melville Pinots; fairly big and robust but definitely SRH
Pinot. They're often above 15%, but usually carry the alcohol well and do not seem overripe.
All of these Pinots had that slight walnutty character I associate w/ cold-climate Pinot and most
often find in OR Pinots.

I opened a bottle of this Pinot over the weekend and have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised in one respect. I expected this alcohol monster to also be fat and jammy. As pointed out above, it did not come across as overripe, but somewhat more like an Oregon Pinot Noir. I will take issue, however, with its ability to carry that whopping 15.4% alcohol. It had a definite alcoholic hit on the nose, and the primary feature of the finish was a tingling tongue. I expected this, and was disappointed by it. Definitely not my style of Pinot Noir.

-- Clark

[David M. Bueker]

Hey Sasha - good to have you over here!

6. BergstromWnry CumberlandReserve PinotNoir WillametteVlly (13.5%; http://www.BergstromWines.com;
2600 cs) 2005: Dark color; strong black cherry cola/PN bit appley/green rather toasty/oak
attractive nose; tart/lean/thin black cherry cola/Nehi/PN some toasty/charred/oak flavor;
med.short thin/lean black cherry cola/PN rather toasty/charred/oak finish w/ some tannins;
quite attractive cherry cola nose but doesn't deliver on the palate; rather thin & lean;
way overpriced at $52.00

Tom, I've gotta repectfully disagree that the Bergstrom wines are thin and lean. The Josh Bergstrom style leans heavily on the muscular/gutsy side of Oregon Pinot. I suppose that in the company of the CA pinots it might have been on the reserved side of things, but maybe you got a bad bottle? Strange indeed, because the 2005 is especially tannic, so much so that it is difficult to drink right now (the 2006 Cumberland Reserve is considerably less aggressive.) Give it another chance! Thanks for the notes.