Pinot Noir

Golden West Vineyard, Quincy, WA (Ancient Lakes) “The Promise” Pinot Noir 2020 (Charles Smith): Retail $20, Sale $15: Winemaker notes:  Is this really a new world Pinot Noir?? Mineral notes dominate at first, followed by subtlety, refinement and purity. Black cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, hibiscus, and wet soil flatter the senses until we take a sip and then there is an overdrive of complexity. Crushed rose petals, tarragon, turmeric, spice box, worn leather and crushed rock.

 92 Points, James Suckling: “Aromas of fresh strawberries, crushed herbs and violets. Medium-bodied with nice freshness and transparency. Silky tannins. Earnest and charming stuff. Drink now.”

Nielson by Byron Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2016 @ $46 BOGO: Jeb Dunnuck: The 2016 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills offers more obvious oak (even though it spent less time in oak) as well as notes of black raspberries, toasted spice, new leather, and dried earth. It's a rich, nicely concentrated Pinot Noir that shows the more savory, mineral side to this appellation.

Second Growth Pinot Noir 2019 Chehalem Mountains (just north of Dundee Hills), Willamette Valley, OR @ $27: Wine Enthusiast: Focused and forceful, this strikes hard with steely berry and beet flavors. It's tight and loaded with further highlights of bramble and thistle, textured and even a bit bristly. All in all, it makes for a muscular, compact and lightly spicy wine.

Jean Philippe Marchand 2019 Vieilles Vignes (Old Vine) Aloxe-Corton “Sous Chaillots” @ $28: Cote-d’Or, just north of Beaune. Winemaker notes: Dark ruby in color, aromatic and spicy, it develops a certain aromatic richness. Red fruits, black berries, flowers, honey, toasted almonds evolving towards leather, spices and scents of undergrowth are specific notes of this wine. Exposed at the top of hillsides on chalky soils, the vineyard gives a wine that takes time to reach maturity. (This is a Burgogne generic, below Villages, Premier Crus and Grand Crus.)

Hess “Allomi” Napa Valley Pinor Noir 2019 @$25, retail $40: Wine Enthusiast: With a complexity of firm tannin and salty oak, this full-bodied wine exudes jammy red fruit, perfumed gingerbread and notes of cola and black tea. It is concentrated and undeniably rich. Winemaker notes: Bright and engaging, full of red fruit aromas woven together with notes of cinnamon and sandalwood. Beautifully structured and lush, the palate is loaded with complex layers of cherries, spice and savory notes that surround silky tannins persisting throughout a long finish.