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It’s official. California is exciting place for Pinot Noir, and there is now now shortage of elegant, detailed, supple, world class Pinot Noir here, if you look in the right places. The In Pursuit of Balance tasting held in San Francisco in March 2014 showcased the top Pinot Noirs from California, and from the many wines I tried, I’ve selected 10 that I think will surprise many who haven’t yet discovered the ‘new’ California. I must add a caveat: this is a personal selection, and to a degree it is a little arbitrary, because there were just so many good wines it is hard to separate them. And I didn’t manage to try all the wines on show.<\/p>\n
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Cobb Coastlands Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 Sonoma Coast, California Littorai Platt Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012 Sonoma Coast, California LaRue Rice-Spivak Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 Sonoma Coast, California Tyler Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir 2011 Santa Rita Hills, California Domaine de la C\u00f4te ‘La C\u00f4te’ Pinot Noir 2011 Santa Rita Hills, Calfornia Hirsch Reserve Estate Pinot Noir 2011 Sonoma Coast, California Kutch Falstaff Pinot Noir 2012 Sonoma Coast, California Ceritas Hellenthal Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012 Central Coast, California Chanin La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012 Santa Rita Hills, California Copain Wentzel Pinot Noir 2011 Anderson Valley, California
\n<\/strong>Made by Ross Cobb, who is also winemaker at Hirsch (since 2010). Pale cherry red colour. Fresh, floral, bright red cherry fruit nose with some fine, slightly edgy herby\/spicy notes. The palate has freshness and finesse, with some fine herbal notes under the pure, silky, sweet cherry fruit. Profound wine. 96\/100<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Pale in colour. Fresh aromatic sweet red cherry fruit leads to a silky, fresh, sappy palate that just about defines the term ‘elegant’ as it relates to Pinot. So beautiful, pure and refined. Stunning. 96\/100
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\n<\/strong>This is the first time I’ve tried the wines of Katy Wilson, and I was impressed. This is supple and sweet with some spicy notes under the fresh, silky, ripe cherry fruit. There’s real detail and complexity here: a generous wine but one that’s still really elegant. 95\/100<\/p>\n![\"OLYMPUS](\"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/P3101012-001.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong>From the original 1971 plantings, Justin Willett has produced a beautifully poised Pinot. Fresh, fine, floral, sappy nose. The palate is precise and pure with expressive red fruits and a lovely mineral dimension. Sophisticated and fine. 95\/100
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\n<\/strong>The packaging here is making a nod at DRC. It’s a bit like playing football wearing a Brazil shirt. This has a fine, expressive nose with spice and herbs complementing the floral fruit. The palate is tight and structured with some edginess, and a grippy finish. But this complements rather than takes away from the fine, pure fruit, and haunting minerality. Just beautiful. 95\/100<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Fine, fresh and pure, this is an elegant expression of Pinot, showing red cherry fruit and minerals. It shows purity and detail, with an expressive personality, and lovely freshness. 95\/100<\/p>\n![\"OLYMPUS](\"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/P3101023-001.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong>Jamie Kutch’s Pinots are quite structured and intense, yet they don’t lack elegance: wines for the long haul. This is from a very cool site, it’s 100% whole cluster and 25% new oak. Sweet, lively, aromatic cherry and plum nose. The palate is fresh, pure and concentrated, with lovely bright fruit, boldness, and good structure. 94\/100<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>From a vineyard planted in 1980, just east of Hirsch, dry farmed with Calera clone on own roots. This is pure and taut, with nice raspberry and cherry fruit. It’s fresh, precise and detailed, and has the structure to age nicely. 94\/100<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Gavin Chanin’s wines have the prettiest labels in the state, but fortunately what’s inside the bottle is pretty, too. This is from a vineyard with similar soils to the famous Sanford & Benedict vineyard, and was first planted in 1997. With 40% whole cluster, this Pinot has some edges. It shows supple, fine, pure cherry and red fruits with some grippiness and nice detail. Fine. 94\/100<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Wells Guthrie makes some of the leanest, freshest, bravest Pinots you can find, and I really like them. This has a fresh, floral, aromatic nose. The palate shows precise, vivid, focused cherry fruit. It’s youthful and primary, with nice grippy structure, and I reckon it’s one for the long haul. 94\/100<\/p>\n