These were both opened the second half of December:
2012 Foley Estates Two Sisters Lindsay's Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County), CA. Soil: Kimmeridgian, limestone and clay; clones 667 and 777; 14.3% abv. Opened for a Christmas party on Dec. 18th, recorked and refrigerated while I was out-of-town, and consumed Dec. 26th and 27th. Held up well for over a week! Yes, this is a bold wine and may strike some as too ripe and extracted. However, I find it delicious! (and so do many others as it has been selling like hotcakes at a Raleigh wine shop.) The nose envelopes dark cherries and berries and an attractive light spiciness, close to nutmeg but not quite that strong a scent. Dark fruit and that delicate spice linger on a satisfyingly long finish. I had this with broiled strip steak but I think it would pair really well with duck breast in a blackberry or cherry sauce. I recently purchased three bottles of the 2013 vintage which is also selling well but haven't opened any yet. This should be a crowd pleaser and I intend to include one of the vintages in a dinner with wine and a movie fundraiser at my church in February before the Lenten season starts.
2012 LaRue Wines Pinot Noir Emmaline Ann Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA. 12.4% abv. I've liked past wines from winemaker Katy Wilson but this one seems to surpass them in more rounded flavor, silky texture and a balanced elegance. The vineyard, at an elevation of 800 feet, has Goldridge sandy loam soils and the grapes are Dijon clonal selections planted fifteen or more years ago. The site is tempered by morning and afternoon fog. The low alcohol percentage in this wine should appeal to those drinkers "in pursuit of balance." I was getting cherry compote or cherry sauce on the nose (website description mentions cranberries and strawberries describing the 2014 vintage from Emmaline Ann Vineyard.) While not tart, the 2012 vintage is also not over-ripe, but refined and deeply satisfying. It possesses a lengthy finish. It lost its freshness on the third day open. I had this with broiled strip steak, crimini mushrooms, and steak sauce one evening and with ground beef tacos another evening.