Latest Scores from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
2008 Estate Pinot noir: 91 Points - Josh Raynolds
Light red. Complex bouquet displays scents of dried red fruits, underbrush, rose and smoked meat. Light-bodied, sweet strawberry and cherry flavors pick up a refreshingly bitter medicinal quality with air, along with a touch of licorice. Taut but sweet on the finish, leaving behind floral pastille and cherry notes. This benefits significantly from an hour or so of aeration and is balanced for a graceful evolution in bottle.
2008 Sunnyside Single Vineyard Pinot noir: 91 (+?) -Josh Raynolds
Vivid red. Spicy red and dark berries, cherry pit and a hint of anise on the nose. Pliant raspberry and black cherry flavors provide very good palate coverage without any rough edges. Suave, supple and expansive, with very good finishing clarity and gentle spicy cling. This wine became intriguingly floral with aeration and is worth decanting if you plan on opening one any time soon.
2007 Winemaker's Reserve Pinot noir: 90 - Josh Raynolds
Medium red. Complex bouquet displays scents of dried red berries, cherry, spicecake and underbrush. Very pinot in aroma and flavor, offering silky raspberry and cherry flavors underscored by juicy acidity and a hint of singed orange. Approachable now, and smooth, seamless and impressively persistent on the finish.
2008 Crannell Single Vineyard Pinot noir: 89 (+?) - Josh Raynolds
Limpid red. Zesty aromas of redcurrant and wild strawberry are complicated by suggestions of blood orange and star anise. Light, focused, pure red fruit and gingerbread flavors gain flesh and depth in the mid-palate. Slightly tart on the finish, which repeats the redcurrant note. Nicely precise but in need of some bottle age to flesh out.
2008 Willamette Valley Pinot noir: 89 - Josh Raynolds
Light, bright red. Redcurrant, strawberry and spicecake on the nose, with a subtle floral quality adding complexity. Light-bodied, juicy red fruit flavors are a bit tart initially but gain sweetness with air and pick up a note of black raspberry. Very fresh wine with good finishing clarity and zesty cut. I'll bet that this will be even better in a couple of years after the fruit smooths out, but it drinks well already.