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The tannin is dense, enveloping the palate in a supple, well-mannered way. Combined with the intense savory flavors and the lower acidity, this wine pairs well with a nice steak or lamb, two meats not normally associated with Pinot Noir. With aeration the wine shows its fruit in the form of blackberry and plum. The tannins become so silky they nearly vanish, leaving only the impression of fullness and weight on the finish. This wine is quite young and requires short-term cellaring to completely release the aromatic complexity it showed at blending.

This is a wonderful wine for the aromatically focused wine drinker. While this wine is texturally less hedonistic than the darker Donna Jean, it is aromatically elevated and higher pitched showing strawberries and cream, rhubarb, and dried floral aromas when first opened. The wine quickly shifts divulging new aromas that appear and disappear continuously. Mission fig, plum, date, black licorice and mocha reveal the darker side of this wine. The elevated alcohol from the vintage provides a round subtle sweetness that softens the young chewy tannins and toasted marshmallow flavor that linger in the finish.

Quintessential Pinot Noir aromas of lilac, root beer, black cherry, and plum are complimented by vanilla, cedar, and maple-glazed bacon from the oak. Initially the wine’s flavors are red fruit driven and almost juicy with mouthwatering acidity. With fine dusty tannins in the mid-palate, it is texturally more similar to a full-bodied white wine than a red at first. With slight aeration the wine quickly gains weight and texture as the black current, plum, and blueberry flavors emerge. The oak responds to reveal both decadent chocolate and coffee, which support the fruit aromatically and also adds structure by increasing the wine’s texture and richness throughout the palate. Ultimately the wine is quite rich but with a restraint that allows a wide range of subtle aromatics to appear.

Aromas of honey, pear, apricot, pineapple cake, lychee nut, red delicious apple, bees wax – it’s all there in copious quantities. The residual sugar in the beginning makes the fruit flavors burst as if you’re eating the actual fruit itself, and the wine’s texture makes it easy to imagine eating a fresh, juicy peach with its fuzzy exterior grazing the surface of your tongue. The acid is equally high and begins to focus the wine at the mid-palate adding great length and ease to the finish.