Opened 07/13/15 2006 CARR WINERY PINOT NOIR TURNER VINEYARD, SANTA RITA HILLS, Santa Barbara County, CA. 14% abv. Cork in poor shape--it crumbled as I tried to extract it. The wine is a purple-red color. It tastes mature but not tired. The wine has prominent spice notes--cinnamon and mild pepper. Fruit notes drift toward dark cherries and plum but are not candied or overripe. The wine is medium-bodied, nicely integrated and balanced. I could drink this for a full week and not tire of it.
Opened 07/16/15 2008 FOREFRONT PINOT NOIR PINE RIDGE VINEYARD, Willamette Valley, OR. 13.5% abv. Dark purple color; opaque. 2008 is generally acknowledged as an outstanding vintage for Oregon Pinot Noir. There is nothing outstanding about this wine IMHO--just average at best.
Opened 07/19/15 2006 BEDFORD ROAD ESTATE PINOT NOIR, Marlborough, New Zealand. 13% abv. Screwcap. Truthfully, I expected my two bottles of this to be over-the-hill, but it is drinking well. I will probably have the second bottle this year. Burgundy color with semi-transparency. Both the nose and palate come alive with dark cherry and possibly fading notes of oak. Attractively tart. I thought at the time I purchased these, that the Bedford Road Estate Sauvignon Blanc was even more of an achievement than the Pinot Noir.