Wine & Spirits - April 2018 - 82

YEAR'S BEST PINOT NOIRS
Our blind panels tasted 1,479 new-release US pinot noirs over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 213 as exceptional (90+)
and 38 as Best Buys. Joshua Greene reviews California wines (reviews by Luke Sykora from previous issues are noted with his initials);
Patrick J. Comiskey reviews Oregon. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA LI FO RN I A
507970

96 | Hirsch

$85

2014 Fort Ross-Seaview West Ridge Pinot
Noir ^ Harvested from the cooler seaward
blocks of the estate, West Ridge is a beauty
in 2014, distilling the delicate essence of
pinot noir and the coniferous imprint of the
far Sonoma Coast into a wine that's seamless, transparent and, as editor Josh Greene
put it, "unfettered." Maybe it's the suggestive
power of the wine's aromatic intensity, but
even the bright red color seems a bit magical,
as if glinting with inner light. Underneath its
pink-rose-petal tone, there's an earthen tug
that weaves the aromas into a complex, lasting flavor-imagine the silken yet mineral
texture of a great young Chambolle. This
should age well-or decant it now for seared
wild salmon. (W&S 10/17; 245 cases) -L.S.
450245

96 | Tessier

$45

2015 Santa Cruz Mountains Saveria Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ For the second year in a
row, this wine from Kristie Tacey, a research
scientist turned winemaker, is nothing short
of astonishing. Noted viticulturist Prudy
Foxx farms Saveria, a sandy, gently sloping
site in the bucolic, aptly named Pleasant
Valley on the coastal side of the Santa Cruz
Mountains. Maybe it's the regular influx of
fog from Monterey Bay that gives the wine
its cool, ferny scent and spacious texture. It's
lacy yet full of coastal flavor; there's a sweet
purple-flower tone saturating the wine until
it takes on the richness of fruit-glints of forest strawberry, bass notes of wild mushrooms
and cedar. The one downside: There are only
528 bottles of it. (W&S 10/17; 44 cases) -L.S.
510790

95 | Big Basin Vineyards

$55

2015 Santa Cruz Mountains Ben Lomond
Mountain Coast Grande Vineyard Pinot
Noir ^ Bradley Brown sources grapes for
this wine from Jim Beauregard's vineyard
in Bonny Doon, a site three miles from the
Pacific and 1,300 feet above it, not far from
a limestone quarry. He ferments this with
whole bunches (about 70 percent of the
fruit) and without added yeasts, creating a
pinot noir with the energy, clarity and lift of
82

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2018

a wine grown in limestone. It's easy to believe
you can smell the coastal forest, the ocean
breeze and the limestone there in the wine,
but whatever that smell actually might be,
it's pretty great. This is an exciting wine that
translates the tectonic power of the Santa
Cruz Mountains into elegance. (45 cases)
507974

95 | Hirsch

$60

2014 Fort Ross-Seaview San Andreas
Fault Pinot Noir ^ San Andreas is the wine
that represents the entire Hirsch estate, from
the ocean-influenced west ridge to the sunwarmed east ridge; in 2014, it draws from 30
of the vineyard's 61 blocks. It has an undeniable sense of place, capturing coastal breezes
and thin sedimentary ridgetop soils in the
tight weave of its tannins-the fruit caught
halfway between cherry and stone, cool and
shady, yet hinting at vibrant rays of sunshine.
You can access its complex floral spice now,
but it's still mostly structure, nowhere near
maturity. Floral, foggy and mineral, it's a
wine you'll want to taste in another decade.
(W&S 10/17; 3,464 cases) -L.S.
450177

95 | Radio-Coteau

$68

2014 Sonoma Coast Terra Neuma Pinot
Noir ^ If you're familiar with the wild, woodsy
scent of Sonoma Coast syrah, check out this
pinot noir. There's a rawness to it that's irresistibly compelling-piney, almost abrasive
tannins, a feral scent of tanned leather and
a more lifted violet scent. The fruit comes
from a biodynamically farmed site on the
cool southern edge of the Freestone-Occidental hills. In a warm year like 2014, those
vines seemed to draw energy from the cooling wind and fog of the nearby Petaluma
Gap, the fruit accumulating a dynamic pungency that transforms the wine into something completely delicious as it takes on
air. The tannins soften, the layers of flavor
become harmonious and supple. Eric Sussman's hands-off winemaking-no additions
other than sulfur-contribute to this wine's
sense of individuality; it feels more about site
than generic "pinot noir" typicity, and will
be a fascinating wine to watch over the next
decade. (W&S 8/17; 300 cases) -L.S.
450367

94 | Beckon

$45

94 | Big Basin Vineyards

$60

94 | Calera

$95

2015 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Fetzer established
Beckon with the 2012 vintage, focusing on
Central Coast pinot noir and chardonnay,
and winemaker Robert Blue hit it out of the
park with this Bien Nacido bottling. The wine
feels seamless and gauzy, its high-toned floral scent carried in a gentle and satisfying
texture that coalesces around a mushroomy,
umami-laden depth of flavor: perfect for a
simple roast chicken. Fleurie lovers, take
note. (W&S 10/17; 487 cases) -L.S.
510786
2015 Santa Cruz Mountains Alfaro Family Vineyards Pinot Noir ^ The yields were
so low in 2015 that Bradley Brown had to
cajole Richard Alfaro for enough fruit to fill
a fermenter and, eventually, four barrels,
for this wine. The vineyard is located on
the northeastern side of the Gabilan Mountains, just above Corralitos, at an elevation
of 1,000 feet. Brown was happy enough with
the ripeness of the stems that he fermented
this wine as whole bunches, and the resulting pinot noir delivers power directly out of
the tannins, dense and closed off when you
pull the cork. A day later, it's open and racy,
and it doesn't stop generating umami energy,
a compression of rose-petal, red-apple-skin
and black-mushroom flavors. If you're looking for a seductive pinot fix, look no further.
(105 cases)
508531
2014 Mt. Harlan Selleck Vineyard Pinot
Noir ^ Josh Jensen finds that his Selleck vines
produce some of his most concentrated
pinot noir. Planted in 1975 on a rocky ridge
of decomposed granite and pockets of limestone, the vineyard is 4.8 acres with exposures to the south and southwest. This 2014
is saturated with flavor, deep in its bass notes
of cherries, rich and bold. It's completely
savory, almost staunch in its formal structure, a wine of stature to age for a decade or
more. (W&S 12/17; 210 cases)

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2018