2015 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard Mount Harlan
Pale color for a California pinot, this offers cherry, cactus pear, hops and vanilla in a very pleasant package, though lighter-bodied and more reticent than is my impression of the Calera style.
2008 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Équinoxe Willamette Valley
Dark red fruit with black plum and blackberry, sandalwood, bergamot and star anise introduced a taut, medium-plus bodied wine that exemplifies the best of what comes out of Oregon these days. Drinking it was like dancing thru a forest with a stick of incense, all spice and mystery. A complex laser-like sweetness on the finish completed the seduction. Foo on the 2019 drink-by'date shown on CT, this wine is in the peak zone but I'd bet on it's ability to entertain for years to come. Drink or hold.
1995 Buena Vista Pinot Noir Carneros Grand Reserve
A gem for a 25 year old California pinot. Burnished garnet-red color, this offered warm notes of cherry pie, worn leather, cedar and truffles. Exquisite to drink and held up well over two hours. Very little sediment.
2007 Copain Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills
Sweet, kirsch-y nose with youthful black raspberry fruit. A touch of almost-iodine, the curse of over-ripe California pinots IMO, vaporized just before becoming a problem. Awkwardly, it wasn't at all ripe on the palate; it lacked the sweetness that would match the nose and a short finish of abrupt tannins about which a jolt of caraway seed provided the only pleasantry. Comparing this to the delightful bottle we enjoyed 15 months ago, and knowing how well Copains typically age, I'd wager HOLD for now.