This is an odd bottle of wine. Probably most reading this have never heard of it, and the oddity will not strike you unless fairly familiar with the Paso Robles AVA. I had never heard of it until moving to the Central Coast, and for many years I bought a couple bottles every year–more out of curiosity than anything–and therefore keep a small vertical. First of all, Pinot is very rare in Paso, only a handful of people attempt it, but Marc Goldberg is a huge Burg-freak and insists his vineyard is perfect for it. So that’s what he did: He planted one grape on his property, surrounded by vast expanses of Zinfandel and Rhone varieties–NONE of which, I should add, are crafted in a particularly *Northern Rhone* style. For 40-odd years he himself made ONE WINE–another oddity in Paso wineries. He only recently handed off wine-making duties. He produces ONLY Pinot: a regular bottling and a reserve–the former of which I always liked better, something that happens quite frequently with me at pinot-producers. They are–naturally–quite ripe and *warm*, and my past reviews of them are hit & miss.
This one, however, is absolutely SINGING. Dark brownish garnet in the glass–though transparent–the nose a lovely barnyardy funk of moldy hay, mud and dirty baby diaper. A beautiful pomegranate syrup–etched with dust and briar–pulls off an intensely weedy minerality and shows no signs of heat, over-ripeness or oxidation.
It attacks the tongue sharp and bright, thin fruit splashing all sides, asphalt, latex and compost, fuzzy orange peels coasted in rich cherry over the middle, match-head and black walnut slowly forming the tea-leaf tannin still throbbing but not over-powering. The sweetness and density of the fruit carry the whole package with amazing charm, and the sharp edges still trying to grasp *polish* easily protruding from the slowly-evolving tertiary.
Absolutely fabulous: a true Burgundian entry, and I’m pretty sure the finest Windward I have ever had.
2008 WINDWARD VINEYARD Pinot Noir ‘Monopole’ Paso Robles 14.3
Stephen McConnell 