When I stopped by Westgate Wine last Saturday they were hosting a paid tasting ($15 which includes a piece of stemware) of four Pinot Noirs. They also had a free tasting of about three whites and three reds. I did the Pinot Noir tasting and also requested a pour of the Riesling from the free tasting.
I liked all four Pinots. My favorites were #1 and #3.
1. 2012 Foley Estates Pinot Noir Two Sisters Lindsay's Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, CA.
Limestone soil base; cooler climate than Russian River Valley. The wine was viscous and close to a raspberry color. Chrish says this vintage is richer than the 2010 but the 2010 is quite aromatic now. This had some savory elements along with ripe red fruit and yet exhibited an elegance and finesse that lifted the wine. Selling for $29.99--I bought two bottles.
2. 2013 Bergstrom "Shea" Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Oregon. Pleasant but almost muted tasting after the first wine, it also appeared paler in color but is a year younger. I found a bit of cranberry in the taste along with bing cherries. Others at the table liked it better than I did. I wrote down 91 or 92 points for the first wine and 88 or 89 for this one.
3. 2012 Kesner Pinot Noir Vadim's Watch, Sonoma Coast, CA. Initially the nose struck me as uninviting and I was prepared to not like this as well as the first two. The palate, however, was more than inviting, and this was my favorite of the four wines but also the most pricy at about $70 a bottle. The wine was darker in color than #2 and show viscosity. There was an elegance to the texture and fruit notes. The wine is made by the Kistler winemaker, Jason Kesner, and Chrish says he is pulling back and showing restraint in how he vinifies his own line of wines. Kesner had been growing and selling his grapes and helpling other wineries before starting his own brand. His Chardonnay has held a place of honor on the wine list at French Laundry Restaurant. If you have a chance to try this wine, don't pass it up. I gave it 93 points.
4. 2012 Reuling Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA. This was priced at about $60 a bottle. It shows dark fruit and was pleasing if not as elegant as #3. I see from the web that Allen Meadows gave the previous vintage of this wine 90 points and spoke of it as a "power Pinot in a style that is not over the top." I think the same could be said about the 2012 vintage.
I then asked to try one of the wines from the free tasting;
2014 Julien Schaal Riesling Rosacker Grand Cru, Alsace, France. This had a nice nose matched by a very nice palate impression. I bought two bottles at $29.99, the same price as the Lindsay's Vineyard Pinot Noir. It was closing time and I still had to pay for my purchases so I didn't take the time to record any notes on the Riesling. I will probably open a bottle in spring 2016 and report on it then. I think it is likely to be a QPR wine in my estimation as the quality seemed high for the price.