BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

structured, but a delicious Pinot for drinking
now. —S.H.
87
Firefly Night 2008 Pinot Noir
(Santa Lucia Highlands); $40. A
bit too heavy and direct, offering strong, upfront
flavors of red and black berries, stone fruits,
cola and currants, liberally spiced and oaked.
The mouthfeel is full and weighty, lacking
some elegance, but it is totally dry. Could be a
sleeper. —S.H.
87
MacMurray Ranch 2008 Pinot Noir
(Russian River Valley); $35. Give
this fresh young Pinot a year to mellow. Right
now, it’s jammy in raspberries and cherries, with a
citric sharpness. Needs brief time to knit together
and become seamless. —S.H.
87
Orogeny 2008 Pinot Noir (Green
Valley); $40. A little sharp in acidity
and jammy, with cherry, wintergreen and cola flavors.
Nice and dry, with a rich coat of sweet
smoky oak, but that sharpness persists through
the finish. —S.H.
87
Perbacco Cellars 2007 Dionysus
Pinot Noir (Arroyo Grande Valley);
$55. This is the winery’s low production barrel
selection reserve. It shows big, zingy acidity and
spicy, jammy flavors of raspberries and cherries,
and is totally dry. The alcohol is refreshingly low.
Tastes a bit direct now. Give it until early 2011 to
calm down. —S.H.
87
Riverbench 2008 Pinot Noir (Santa
Maria Valley); $28. From the dark
color, plummy aroma and heavy mouthfeel, you
know this is a big, ponderous Pinot Noir. Nothing
light or silky about it. Packs a punch with red
berry, mushroom, red currant and smoked meat
flavors, with the tannic pack of a Syrah, and finishes
very dry. Aging is a gamble. —S.H.
86
Acacia 2008 Winery Lake Vineyard
Pinot Noir (Carneros); $55. The oak
sticks out and the underlying cherry and raspberry
fruit is rather simple and jammy in this single-vineyard
wine. It has positive features, such as
a dry silkiness and a nice mushroomy character.
But it turns disappointingly thin on the finish. Too
bad for a vineyard that used to be among the best
in Carneros. —S.H.
86
Castle Rock 2008 Pinot Noir
(Carneros); $14. This dry, silky Pinot
Noir is a good introduction to the variety,
for those who want to learn more about it without
paying a premium price. It shows proper
cherry, raspberry and cola flavors, with a spicy
finish. —S.H.
86
Chime 2009 Pinot Noir (California);
$11. A great buy in a useful Pinot
Noir that is not without appeal. It’s bone dry, tart
and elegant, with a light, silky mouthfeel framing
cherry and cola flavors. One of the best Pinots at
this price range. Best Buy. —S.H.
86
Mirassou 2008 Pinot Noir (California);
$12. For the price, you get a very
nice expression of California Pinot Noir.
The wine is dry, silky and spicy, and surprisingly
rich, with flavors of raspberry and cherry pie filling.
—S.H.
85
Beaulieu Vineyard 2008 Pinot Noir
(Carneros); $17. A little tough and
gritty in the mouth, and lacking in the opulence
you want in a Pinot Noir. But it’s dry and crisp,
and shows some decent cherry, red currant and
cola flavors. —S.H.
85
Perbacco Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir
(Arroyo Grande Valley); $30. Pretty
fierce in acidity, but flavorful enough, with plenty
of raspberry and cherry jam, accented with cola
and spices. Drink now, after decanting. —S.H.
84
Rutz 2008 Sonoma Cuvée Pinot
Noir (Sonoma County); $20. Nice
and dry, with a silky texture and pleasant cherry,
cola and rhubarb flavors. But there’s an unpleasant
cut of acidity that slices through the palate,
leaving behind a green, stalky aftertaste. —S.H.
83
Arrow Creek 2009 Pinot Noir (California);
$18. Dry, sharp and acidic, a
lean Pinot Noir. It shows some decent varietal
personality in the silky mouthfeel and suggestions
of cherries, pomegranates and cola. —S.H.
83
Castle Rock 2009 California Cuvée
Pinot Noir (California); $11. Raw in
acids, with jammy raspberry and cherry flavors.
Defines the simple, high-production style of
Pinot Noir in California. 50,000 cases. —S.H.
82
Beaulieu Vineyard 2009 Coastal
Estates Pinot Noir (California); $8.
Dry, sharp and lean. Shows modest cherry and
cedar flavors and a nice silky texture, but it’s
pretty thin. —S.H.
SYRAH
94
MacRostie 2006 Wildcat Mountain
Vineyard Syrah (Sonoma Coast);
$34. Here’s a vintage-driven wine that needs the
right conditions to succeed, which 2006 provided
with its long, cool hangtime. The fruit has ripened
to perfection, offering deep flavor notes of blackberries
and raspberries. But there are also exotic
and delicious notes of bacon, mocha and cola
with a blast of black pepper throughout. The
wine is full-bodied and dense in tannins, impressive
from start to finish. Great now, and should
age for 4–6 years. Editors’ Choice. —S.H.
92
Falcone 2008 Syrah (Paso Robles);
$25. Earns a high score for sheer richness
and decadance. Huge in blackberry, blueberry,
cassis, dark chocolate, bacon, pepper and
oak flavors, wrapped into big, velvety tannins.
Impresses for its size, but is totally dry, and
retains balance and elegance. Now–2015. Editors’
Choice. —S.H.
91
Bonterra 2007 Syrah (Mendocino
County); $16. A worthy followup to
the wonderful 2006. Shows equal concentration
of blackberry, blueberry and licorice flavors, with
a bacon and pepper savoriness that tantalizes.
The structure is fine and firm, the finish dry and
spicy. Drink now for sheer deliciousness. Editors’
Choice. —S.H.
91
Bradford Mountain 2007 Grist
Vineyard Syrah (Dry Creek Valley);
$23. Marked by big, ripe, juicy blackberry,
raspberry and currant fruit, this single-vineyard
Syrah is saved from simplicity by two things.
There are complex notes of bacon, sautéed
mushrooms, black pepper and smoky oak, and
the tannins are wonderfully rich and ripe. Really
delicious. Probably best soon, though, before the
fruit fades. —S.H.
90
Bugay 2007 Estate Syrah (Sonoma
County); $45. A deeply colored, rich,
vibrant Syrah, ready to drink now. It’s gritty in
tannins and bone dry, but offers a wealth of ripe,
jammy blackberries, cherries, bacon, peppery
spices and smoky sandalwood. —S.H.
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