A crazy raw-and-alive wine defying norms in the grand scheme of “California Pinot”. Clear dark garnet with a ruby core. Big, ripe nose of tasty cherry, earthy oak and plenty of stemmy briar. Graphite mingles with decadent berry in a bouquet guaranteeing an acidic palate. On the surface, it is elegant and velvety, deep down it is robust and slightly rustic, and everywhere the layers of muddy loam, smoky floral and herby grunge point to Pinot.
In the mouth, considerably lighter and brighter than assumed. Clear and cold on entry, it is rather light and refreshing in density, but the middle cranks up all the delicious concentration found in the nose. Sharp and acidic start-to-finish, citrus lifts and brightens the dank strawberry stab of currant and gooseberry as ridiculous dryness and tannin brace the late-middle and finish.
This is a shrill, Burgundian-style pinot NOT playing to the SeaSmoke crowd or any of a plethora of 15-2 offerings California gets regularly cited for from SLH or RRV. It is tense and pointed in focus, stupidly infantile, and honestly: drinks like a barrel-sample. Beautiful–with an asterisk–now, this needs at LEAST another year in bottle to calm its nerves and find a manageable spot for a glass on the table. 5 would be even better. The beauty is difficult to see around the bone-crushing green blood-orange, gunpowder-tea and tight, rigid berry. It would be easy to write this wine off as *fruitless* at a casual glance, but it’s in there: shy and recluse under many folds of structure. The nose explains everything if you are willing to listen, and the mouth-feel BEGS for a few years of rest. Buy a case: drink one per year.
2019 DUSTY NABOR Pinot Noir Spear Vyd Santa Rita Hills Santa Ynez Valley Santa Barbara Co. 14.0
Stephen McConnell 