2020 Pinot Noir

A brooding somber and relatively deeply pitched nose grudgingly reveals its aromas of various dark berries that display a top note of herbal tea. There is both excellent intensity and delineation to the solidly concentrated flavors... Read More

A distinctly cool and exuberantly fresh nose features reticent wonderfully spiced notes of various dark berries along with forest floor nuances that include humus and earth. The intensity of the imposingly broad-shouldered and... Read More

A brooding and reticent nose features liqueur-like aromas of poached plum cassis and cool earth. The delicious intense and overtly stony middle weight plus flavors flashed focused power on the firm compact and tightly wound finale.... Read More

The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Cardeuse opens in the glass with scents of peonies violets plums wild berries dark chocolate and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied lively and perfumed it's bright and fine-boned... Read More

Notions of sweet strawberries plums red berries and spices preface the 2020 Mercurey Le Châpitre a medium-bodied lively and refined wine with a bright core of fruit powdery tannins and a long mouthwateringly mineral finish. Checking... Read More

Ripe aromas of warm earth and poached plum introduce sleek vibrant and delineated medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent density and a lovely texture while displaying a refreshing salinity on the firm serious and built-to-age... Read More

Rich full purple a heady but attractive nose holding up well. Still mostly in the raspberry register but there is a firm structure and some freshness to the finish. 20% whole bunch is helping. Good long finish. An early malolactic... Read More

An overtly floral-suffused nose blends both ripe red and dark cherry aromas with those of anise and an interesting hint of orange peel. The rich but lilting medium-bodied flavors coat the palate with sappy dry extract that buffers... Read More

Here too moderate reduction renders the nose difficult to assess. The relatively delicate and refined middle weight flavors possess no lack of punch that carries over to the youthfully austere complex and sneaky long finish that... Read More

A fresh, ripe and subtly complex nose combines notes of just crushed red currant and plum that is laced with discreet earth wisps. The rich, delicious and attractively vibrant middle weight flavors conclude in a mildly austere... Read More

Ripe but nicely cool and restrained aromas of red currant plum and earth are trimmed in wood and menthol nuances. There is both good vibrancy and focused power to the attractively textured medium-bodied flavors where the moderate... Read More

Real powerful black purple. Brutally concentrated nose. Much firmer tannins black fruit a little less acidity built more around the tannic structure. Powerful stuff but not unbalanced.

Ripe but markedly fresher aromas of poached plum black cherry coulis warm earth and pretty floral nuances lead to intense vibrant and very concentrated larger-scaled flavors that deliver excellent length on the ever-so-slightly... Read More

This is the first wine to exhibit any appreciable reduction and it's enough to overshadow the underlying fruit at present. More interesting are the intense and super-sleek broad-shouldered flavors that exhibit excellent precision... Read More

This too is very firmly reduced. The more refined and slightly denser flavors possess a more sophisticated texture with notably better depth and persistence on the balanced if chalky and slightly austere finale. In contrast to... Read More

Some time ago Vincent Dureuil began replanting his holdings in Mercurey with higher-quality massal selections of Pinot Noir and with the 2020 Mercurey those new plantings are beginning to bear fruit. The result as I remarked to... Read More

Very generous wood fights somewhat with the distinctly earthy aromas of ripe dark currant sauvage and anise. The rich mouthcoating and relatively fine middleweight flavors display very fine length on the balanced finale. For my... Read More

The 2020 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is a blend of declassified barrels from Ferren's single-vineyard program (specifically the Frei Road and Volpert vineyards). Matured for 18 months in 20% new French oak it has detailed scents... Read More

This plot forms the upper part of the island separated by two small roads. The change between terres blanches and terres rouges happens right in the middle of the vineyard. Replanted late 1990s with good pinot plants. Pretty mid... Read More

A cooler and wonderfully pure nose reflects notes of ripe red berries humus and a gamy nuance. There is excellent underlying tension to the chiseled and intensely mineral-suffused flavors that are tautly muscular and quite powerful... Read More