New! Pinot Report Reviews

Issue 53 - 9/01/08

SMART BUY!
Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Sonoma County Red Label 2006
Medium ruby color; bright, spicy strawberry and cherry aromas with some sweet oak; ripe, bright strawberry and cherry aromas with just enough earthiness and sweet oak; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Bright and flavorful Pinot with great balance that's perfect just about anything on the table.
1,286 cases made $28 Score: 93

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Savoy Vineyard 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex, earthy red cherry aromas; ripe, deep, complex dusty red cherry, forest floor and spice flavors, silky texture, sweet oak; great structure and balance; long finish. Complex, deep and with amazing texture, this Pinot is simple a delight to drink and a natural match for grilled meats.
323 cases made $46 Score: 96

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Clos Pepe Vineyard 2006
Deep ruby color; closed in, but aromas of spice, earth and black fruit are emerging with air; deep, dense and complex, with great plum, black cherry and earthy flavors; moderate tannin and oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Big, deep style of Pinot that's expected from this vineyard—this is a wine to lay down in your cellar and think about the dinner five years from now when you'll serve it.
91 cases made $50 Score: 95

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Chalone Brosseau 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; deep. complex, earthy, feral aromas; deep, complex, earthy, stewed red cherry flavors with feral, smoky notes, good structure and balance; long finish. Earthy and complex, this Pinot really opens up with some complex, feral qualities with some air. Great with grilled meats.
214 cases made $42 Score: 95

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills La Encantada Vineyard 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex plum and black cherry with some bacon and earthy notes; rich, ripe, complex flavors of plum, black cherry and bacon; some tannin and toasty oak; good structure and balance; long finish. A very complex Pinot that looks and feels bigger than it is—I actually think that with some air, this is an elegant Pinot.
300 cases made $46 Score: 95

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict Vineyard 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; bit tight and closed but lots of dark cherry underneath; rich, ripe, deep and closed in; dark cherry and plum flavors with earthy, smoky notes; great structure and balance; long finish. Big, rich and complex, this Pinot needs time in the glass to open up. Once that happens, it's great with big roasted meat dishes. Yum!
291 cases made $48 Score: 95

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Griffin's Lair 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; deep, dark cherry and forest floor aromas; deep, ripe, but closed in, with dark cherry, forest floor and sweet oak; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. This is a Pinot that is pretty tight right now. It's deep and complex and needs patience in the cellar. An hour or two in the glass really starts to open this Pinot up.
273 cases made $45 Score: 94

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast La Brisa 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; deep, concentrated, complex dark cherry and forest floor aromas; rich, ripe, complex and deep dark cherry flavor with forest floor and sweet oak notes; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, complex Pinot with layers of flavor. Really encapsulates cool climate coastal Pinot.
968 cases made $30 Score: 94

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Peregrine 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; rich, smoky, meaty dark cherry aromas; ripe, deep, rich dark cherry and plum flavors, smoky, meaty notes; sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Rich and smoky Pinot with a lot of depth—I have a feeling we're just scratching the surface of what's inside this wine. Be patient.
845 cases made $34 Score: 93

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Blue Jay 2006
Medium ruby color; deep, earthy dusty red cherry aromas; complex notes; ripe, rich, deep and complex, dusty red cherry and earthy notes; sweet oak, silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, yet bright, this Pinot is yet another in what's becoming a long line of crowd-pleasing Blue Jay bottlings.
989 cases made $32 Score: 93

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Hein Family Vineyard 2006
Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex cherry and earthy aromas; rich, ripe, lots of deep cherry and cola flavors, spicy, earthy notes; sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Ripe, complex and still a bit tight, this wine needs air to open up in the glass.
190 cases made $46 Score: 92

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Mendocino County Alder Springs Vineyard 2006
Medium ruby color; spicy, complex dusty cherry aromas with some sweet oak; ripe, dustry cherry flavors with some herbal and earthy notes, sweet oak; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex Pinot with great potential—needs air, though is more approachable than past vintages of Alder Springs at this stage.
187 cases made $45 Score: 92

Roessler Cellars
Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch 2006
Medium ruby color; ripe red cherry and cola aromas; rich, spicy cola and red cherry flavors, silky texture, some tannin and sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. A rich and ripe Pinot that really represents Russian River Valley well.
175 cases made $38 Score: 92

Full Review