This last Fri, Greg O'Byrne hosted a vertical of Ponzi Reserve PinotNoirs, mostly one-offs from his cellar, at Bottega del Vino. The wines were:
1. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 2012
2. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 2006
3. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 2003
4. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 2002
5. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 2001
6. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 2000
7. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 1999
8. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 1996
9. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 1995
10. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 1990
11. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 1980
12. Ponzi PinotNoir Reserve 1978
The Reserve designation indicates they are all from their Estate fruit solely.
I only jotted down a few notes on each wine....no detailed tasting notes. We tasted them in pairs. Each pair was distinctly different, but any TN's wouldn't do justice to the subtle differences and all pretty much read the same.
The one thing that struck me about these wines was the consistency in style they showed. There was no hiccup in style as the winemaking transitioned from DickPonzi to his daughter, Luisa, in the early '90's. These were all pretty classic Oregon PN's, but made with an old-world sensibility. Plenty of bright OR PN/cherry/black cherry fruit, tannins well in check, nicely balanced, with a modest kiss of toasty/Fr.oak.
Of this set, the '99 and '96 were probably my favorites, showing the complexity that you expect in an aged OR PN, but still plenty of bright PN fruit.
But what really surprised me were the '80 & '78. I was expecting them to be pretty shakey. They were not. They both were starting to show a bit of that pencilly/cedary character you get in old reds. Yet they both showed a healthy degree of PN fruit to them. Morever, they did not show the drying out/bitter/astringent character of wines about to go around the bend. They were not as intense as those from the '90's, yet not at all drying out. Just quiet little ole ladies in the sunset of their years that are going to continue to fade away into the sunset and, one day, quietly wink out w/o a whimper.
Anyway, I was pretty impressed by Greg's tasting and now have a much better feeling for the Ponzi Pinots. Are they the best Oregon Pinots being made?? Well...I have had a few that were more impressive but, overall, these have to be in the top tier of the OR Pinots being produced.
Tom