Russian River Valley

These wines are taking forever to come around.  Just now starting to show something.  This is going to be a beautiful wine.  Its outstanding now, but not nearly at peak and needs a lot of air.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, minerals, black pepper and slight black olives.  On the palate, this is cooler climate in style.  Black raspberries, slight black olives, earthiness and a mineral streak.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  

Inky purple in color.  The nose is very nice with black cherry fruit.  Some bramble.  A bit if spice.  On the palate, this has a lovely, juicy texture.  Black raspberry and black cherry fruit.  Some depth although this is young and its packed tight.  It does unwind in the glass.  Nice finish.  This is really enjoyable now and should store well for a decade or more.  

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has cigars, cherries and a eucalyptus note.  On the palate, cherries and spice.  No tannins but drinking young.  Some depth.  Nice finish.  A bit of a different take on a RRV Pinot, more elegant and "French" than many.  Very nice showing.  

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has cherries, slightly sour and sandalwood.  On the palate, sour cherries with slight root beer note.  This is a big wine and ageing pretty slowly.  There is still a ton of fruit and the alcohol is in check, so I suspect this will continue to develop.  It will be interesting to see how much complexity it gains.  Like many wines that lean far to one style, if you didn't like this young, you probably won't like it old (and visa-versa).  There is some slight heat on the finish but that settled down with some air.  

This has really improved in the last 6 months.  This has some oak on it which may be a question for some, but if you like this style, it is impressive.  Deep golden in color.  The nose has vanilla and lemon cream.  Slight fesh lumber.  On the palate, there is a lovely oily texture.  Very lemony with a bit of sawdust as well as vanilla.  Very nice acidity.  Worked just find with some cheeses.  Still on the young side and plenty of fruit to hold up as the oak integrates.  It is delicious right now.  

This is such a tremendous value.  Around $30.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with raspberries, dark cherries, spice, bramble and char.  On the palate, what a great texture.  Juicy and full.  Lots of fruit, mostly raspberries, blackberries but also some sandalwood notes.  Great balance.  DELICIOUS.   Long finish.  I think these will age for a decade if only I could keep my hands off of them.  

This is a blend of a lot of different grapes led by Zinfndel.  It is quite ripe and has some enjoyment factor.  Purple in color.  The nose is a bit puney with some raspberries and dark cherries.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet/prune with some red fruit.  Nice texture.  A fun wine.  

Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice; earthy with cherries.  On the palate, this is bigger in style with cherries and slight sour cherries.  Nice texture.  Plenty of depth.  Should improve with some short term cellaring.  Very nice.  

Ruby in color.  The nose has cherries/cherry juice.  On the palate, this is a bit one dimenstional.  More feminine in nature.  Cherries.  Actually, in the world of Pinot Noir and especially from RRV, this is a pretty good value.  It lacks the depth of some but also the price tag.  Great for parties.