Light garnet with thinning edges. Tiny barnyard blows off readily, before heady Jolly Rancher flies out of the glass effortlessly, tempered against a stiff briar earth and eucalyptus wind by a tent-peg driven firmly into sweet oak. Clean and nuanced, focused on pure RRV characteristics and depth, the gorgeous spearmint, lemon-tainted fruit give edge to the ripe plum and blackberry compote served up on generous slabs of cellar floor and black pepper. Not nearly as effusive in the mouth, calmly relying on dark chewy cherry and grainy, long-lasting tannin to get its point across. And oh boy does it. This is not a subtle Pinot Noir. Untamed and wild with a bullet-proof spine of fruit, definitely something which could sit in your cellar for a decade.
2014 KENWOOD VINEYARDS Six Ridges Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Sonoma 14.5
Stephen McConnell 