Amazingly light completely transparent garnet with wide clear edges.  I’ve seen rosés from Paso darker than this.  Explosive smokey peat right out of the box and then settles down into blackberry, over-ripe mandarin and Red-Vines held over a flame.  It is so nice to find a delicate but full-fruited SMV PN.  Believe me, I LOVE my Riverbench’s and Byron Nielson’s but they serve a different function and finding a light, pure, full-flavoured Pinot jam-packed with varietal characteristics and holding an entire winning hand behind it’s back but not 14-9 throws a bit of wrench in the whole ‘Extraction is Everything’ argument.  This reminds me of Oregon, frankly–but without any of their celery-stalk vegetal weirdness.  In the mouth, fruit completely unaware of the thinness of the juice tries to hold the sharp spice and acid at bay.  But it is futile.  And–in a bit of a surprising and unexpected flaw–a very hot note takes over in the late palate and finish.  I can’t believe it is AL.  But it will be interesting to see where that note goes in the next couple years of bottle-time.  A fun little infant.  13-5   ♦♦