Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022 - 66

Best Buys
bright red-berry flavors. It feels fully mature,
and yet it only improves with air, developing
layers of flavor and a clean red glow to the
fruit as it lasts. -J.G. §
92 | Hirsch
$38
2019 Fort Ross-Seaview The Bohan-Dillon
Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^ This is the Hirsches'
neighborhood wine, named for the road
that leads to their far corner of the coast. It
includes fruit from the Hellenthal Vineyard,
adjacent to Hirsch (only 3 percent in this vintage).
Even if the Hirsches took the best away
for their top bottlings, what's left is pretty
righteous-a transparent ruby-red color,
an equally transparent cherry flavor darkening
to black currant and morels. Vibrant
and light, with a powerful tannic spice that
adds some machismo, this is a great vintage
of Bohan-Dillon. -J.G. (3,750 cases) §
91 | Red Car
$40
2019 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
Sunny and bright, this wine has a cool fruit
tone, like lingonberries, along with lasting
red-cherry fruit-skin tannins. It's warm and
spicy in the end, where the tannins would
pick up on bay leaf and allspice in a rich fish
stew. -J.G. (600 cases) §
90 | La Crema
$25
2019 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
Light red-berry flavors of raspberries and
thimbleberries meet the woody herb scent of
rosemary, coming together in a creamy, ripe
and supple pinot noir. The gentle spice of the
tannins will add depth to roast beef. -J.G. §
90 | Thirty-Seven
$30
2019 Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
Floral, with spicy scents of the bark in a
eucalyptus grove, this wine has cool, generous
black-cherry flavors underneath. The
fruit is bold and potent, a little tanky at first,
the edges settling into a rosier note with air.
-J.G. (410 cases) §
88 | B Side
$20
2018 North Coast Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
Greg Kitchens makes this wine for the
Sebastiani family, blending fruit from three
vineyards-Beckstoffer in Napa-Carneros,
Pauli Ranch in Mendocino County and Sangiacomo
in the Petaluma Gap. It's a North
Coast pinot with spice and depth to its cranberry
and mushroom flavors, cool and gentle.
-J.G. §
88 | Balletto
66
WINE & SPIR IT S
$32
2019 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (BEST
BUY) ^ This wine's concentrated fruit has a
conifer-sap sweetness and high-toned scents
of mint. It offers Russian River ripeness even
as it follows a clean line, easy to drink on its
own. -J.G. (4,618 cases) §
that's accessible, elegant and exceptionally
balanced right out of the gate. -P.J.C. (215
cases) §
93 | Furioso
$45
2019 Yamhill-Carlton Pietro Trovato Vineyard
Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^ This is just the
second release from Giorgio Furioso's Yamhill-Carlton
property, and it's precocious to
be sure. Named for the proprietor's uncle, it's
dramatically spicy, with scents of cinnamon,
cardamom, and a whiff of tobacco, this has a
rush of red-cherry fruit bursting through the
savor, as bright as a cordial, with a cool tension
between fruit and spice elements, suggesting
a compelling cellar life. Give it time
to unveil its secrets. -P.J.C. (1,028 cases) §
88 | St. Francis
93 | J. Christopher
$22
2020 Sonoma County Pinot Noir (BEST
BUY) ^ Bright Bing-cherry red, this wine has
a simple, creamy lushness, ready to bridge
the richness of poached salmon or the smoky
grilled notes of Hamachi kama. -J.G. (1,500
cases) § H2.California
87 | Castle Rock
$12
2019 California Cuvée Pinot Noir (BEST
BUY) ^ This pinot feels lively and bright, its
cherry and cranberry-juice flavors tart
against firm, smoky tannins. Chill it slightly
and pour with canapés. -P.J.C. §
NEW YORK
88 | Hosmer
$40
2018 Eola-Amity Hills Lumière Pinot
Noir (BEST BUY) ^ This small-production wine
was drawn from two vineyards in the Eola
Hills. It smells of purple flowers, spicy and
lifted, with darker elements, anise and cocoa
powder, coming forward with air. The flavors
are dark and lean, a complex weave of spice
and plummy fruit, with suave tannins that
feel supple and taut at once. -P.J.C. (99
cases) §
93 | St. Innocent
$48
$22
2020 Cayuga Lake Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
Tart and bright, this light and lively pinot
has a mildly herbal edge to its cranberry- and
cherry-juice flavors. Chill for a plate of mortadella.
-P.J.C. (400 cases) §
88 | Thirsty Owl
$22
2020 Finger Lakes Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
This light, youthful pinot has a scent of wild
strawberries and vine-bark, with dark red
fruit that's vinous and chewy. It has the acid
structure to take on a tin of Portuguese mackerel.
-P.J.C. (720 cases) §
OREgON
93 | Cristom
$40
2019 Yamhill-Carlton District Willamette
Valley AVA Series Pinot Noir (BEST BUY) ^
This pinot from Hirschy and Abbott Claim
vineyards overdelivers in its attractive, juicy
succulence. Steve Doerner's trademark use
of whole clusters (43 percent) adds texture
to the warm velvety cherry fruit, for a wine
S PR IN g 202 2
2018 Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley
Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
(BEST BUY) ^ Mark Vlossak draws from windswept
and shallow-soiled blocks at Temperance
Hill, where the plantings date to 1984.
This bottling is slow to rouse, earthbound
and tobacco-scented. The fruit takes on a balsamic
tone after a day of air, while the turf
and cherry flavors feel balanced against each
other, the warmth of the vintage translating
to generous fruit and ripe but firm tannins.
-P.J.C. (1,021 cases) §
92 | J. Christopher
$40
2018 Dundee Hills Volcanique Pinot Noir
(BEST BUY) ^ Not a shy wine, this has a blackpepper
and leather scent adorning dark and
concentrated cherry cola flavors. The cluster
spice lends a musky savor to the tannins--a
lot going on for a lean cut of steak. -P.J.C.
(868 cases) §
https://www.stfranciswinery.com/collection/wines
Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022

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