Grenache-funkiness comes on strong initially and gradually blows of into a never-ending waft of wonderful spices, nutmeg, Garam Masala, wet leather and light chocolate. Clear, bright, ruby with thin, clear edges. A bit of AL. I definitely recommend giving this thing some air. Vigorously decant, perhaps. It is not the initial repertoire is *bad*, it is purely selling this bottle short–and your enjoyment–by not letting it breathe a bit. The early tightness and funk blossoms into a most amazing set of nuances with a little patience. Destructively dark-fruited, vanilla, stemmy, and enveloping in the mouth, sharp acidity takes hold and carries out the finish. The chocolate re-appears in the near-finish. It is really quite distinctive. The tannin takes a firm grip but I feel they are lighter than the acidity on this one. It really isn’t so much *drying* on the finish as it is just *sharp*. I’m wondering where Starr Ranch is and hence/why the “Central Coast” appell and not SBco. Oh well, while almost-typically a larger-classified appellation can generally indicate a lowering of quality which can be tasted, they are very specific about the source of fruit and it does not detract from ANYTHING going on in this wine. And for the PP, you are hard-pressed to find a better-drinking SY at this age. I really, really like it and it follows fast in the footsteps of the one other Pinot I have had from this producer.
2010 LA FENETRE Red Wine Bien Nacido Starr Ranch GR/SY 14.3
Stephen McConnell 