Dehlinger vertical
On July 9, in Topsfield, MA(USA) I went over to a good
friend's for a pinot noir dinner. The theme, a vertical tasting of the
"estate" pinot noir from Dehlinger winery (Russian River, Sonoma, CA, USA). Prices range near $30 a
bottle, a steal for this quality level!Our gracious host poured 1996, '98, 2000, and '02 "Estate"
pinot noir. What luck to be a guest! None of the wines were under 14% alcohol but, surprisingly,
none of them showed it. Of the three youngest the '2002 was bursting with red fruit and spice and still very
young. The 00 was ripe, vigorous and ready to drink. Plummy and delicious! Of the 2 oldest, the the '98 was sweet
and plummy with licorice and cherry on the finish. Mature. The '96 was begining to fade in the beautiful way only pinot
noir can. I think the '00 was everyones favorite but the '98 came in a close second.
Just for fun, our gracious host bookended these fine wines with a lovely '98 Chassagne-Montrachet, "Grandes
Ruchotttes" (F&L Pillot), and a 98 Volnay "Les Santenots" from V. Girardin. The Ruchottes was, as always for me, the
epitome of Chassagne, rich yet full of tension. The Volnay, from a difficult vintage, still hadn't shed it's tannins. Very
different from the Dehlingers, with a beautiful Burgundian nose. Still, I found it oaky, volatile and
the finish was a bit short. Will it come around? Don't know but I'd love to try another! Thank you Tony and Celia!
6 comments:
i hate the term burgundian when referring to a taste or smell. but i know what you mean.
I do know what you mean, and in the future I will try to be more specific. "Burgundian" can mean too many things to be a good adjective and sometimes it becomes a cruch.
how would you know??
I particularly like the Pinots from Napa -- particularly the clos du val --- 1997 is best
"At the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival in May, the proverbial curtain was drawn back to reveal the valley's collective achievement in pinot noir viticulture and vinification. Undeniably, the peaceful, bucolic Anderson Valley has emerged as one of California's best regions for Pinot Noir."
--Steve Pitcher
Anderson Valley Pinots - superbly crafted, exquisitely varietal
Wine News, September 2004
I understand that locating and qualifying little known wines can be a difficult process at times. Do you have arrangements with certain producers??
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