California Pinot Noir - Published in October 2012

Over 100 reviews, with 47 rated 90+

October 2012 Featured Collections

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Furthermore 2009 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)

Online Exclusive

Price $50

Showing lovely silkiness, dryness and transparency, this is a Pinot to drink now or age for a while. The flavors are rich but elusive, suggesting wild summer raspberries, cola, pine needles and sautéed mushrooms splashed with balsamic, with the sweet smokiness of oak barrel aging. It’s delicate and powerful, but only 47 cases were produced. — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Sanford 2009 La Riconada Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills)

Online Exclusive

Price $60

There’s a grace and purity to this Pinot Noir that make it particularly recommendable. It’s so light and silky, it just glides like a butterfly across the palate. But it’s extraordinarily rich in wild raspberry and cherry fruit, and the white pepper and baking spices make it savory. Delicious now, but it should prosper over the next eight years, at least. — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Marimar Estate 2008 Cristina Don Miguel Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $49

The winery held this back an additional six months after their other 2008 Pinots were released, presumably to let it become integrated. Still, it’s quite tannic, with a sandpaper-like toughness. Despite the astringency, the massive wild-cherry, cola, mushroom and anise flavors come through. It’s a huge wine, feral and untamed—quite exquisite in its wildness. So… — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Walt 2010 The Corners Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley)

Price $60

This is a big Pinot Noir, with an explosive intensity of cherries and raspberries that is ripe and pure. Oak, of course, is there too, in the form of buttered, smoky toast. However, the wine isn’t a mere fruit bomb. It has interesting nuances of earthy things, like mushrooms, nettles and Provençal herbs. The silky texture is an exquisite balance of acids and… — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Davis Family 2009 Horshehoe Bend Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)

Online Exclusive

Price $45

The winery’s ’08 bottling of this Pinot was very good, but this is considerably better. It’s rich in red cherries and ripe persimmons, with complex notes of grilled beef, cola and sautéed wild mushrooms, and has a long, spicy finish. A joy to drink now, and it will develop bottle nuances over the next six years. — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Sanford 2010 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills)

Online Exclusive

Price $60

This is a fancy restaurant-style Pinot Noir. That means it’s dry, silky and rich, and has that elusive, undefinable quality of elegance that can accompany the finest Pinot-friendly foods, such as steak, lamb, grilled tuna or a wild mushroom risotto. It’s tantalizingly crisp, with complex cherry, cola and spice flavors. Drink now and through 2016. — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Sobriquet Winery 2010 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $38

While this Pinot is huge in fruit and has a big, heavyweight mouthfeel, somehow it never loses its sense of delicacy and charm. The flavors are the essence of cherries: ripe, sweet and intense. This richness is balanced by the earthiness of a wild mushroom risotto. With brilliant acidity, it’s a wonderfully rewarding wine, easily on par with the 2009, perhaps a… — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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TR Elliott 2009 Queste Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)

Online Exclusive

Price $44

This is so seductive in rich, polished raspberry and cherry flavors, you can hardly keep from drinking it now. But the acid and tannin balance on this Pinot Noir is just about perfect, giving it the potential for at least six years in a good cellar. There’s an earthy, mushroomy complexity that could make it really interesting down the road. — S.H. (10/1/2012)

2009 Cobblestone Cobblestone Vineyard Reserve

An impressive Cabernet, rich and dense in fruit and oak, with tremendous…

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