2011 Estate Pinot Noir

(just 10% vendange entier; from a high-density 2004 planting): Very bright dark red. High-pitched aromas of pomegranate, cranberry, spices and crushed stone. Tactile and pungent in the mouth, with the tart red berry and mineral flavors showing very good depth and density but quite tightly wound today, even a bit musclebound. This wears its 14.3% alcohol gracefully as it finishes spicy, perfumed, energetic and long, with substantial but fine-grained tannins.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Estate is a wonderfully complete wine. Dark red cherry, plum, menthol and tobacco flesh out in a bright, big, broad-shouldered Pinot endowed with superb depth and the structure to age gracefully for a number of years. The 2011 needs at least a year or two in bottle to fully come together, but it is impressive, to say the least. Today, the Estate looks like the most ageworthy of these wines.

The 2011 Pinot Noir DuMol Estate, a blend of Calera, Swan and Clone 943 that spent 15 months on its lees in 50% new French oak, is another big-time winner. Lots of wild strawberries and other berry fruits intermixed with cherry jam characteristics emerge from this medium-bodied, intense Pinot that displays the profound concentration of the top years. This is a dark, brooding, concentrated Pinot Noir to drink over the next 7-8 years. Since its founding in 1996, DuMol has been one of the superstar wineries of the entire California North Coast. They primarily focus on gorgeous Burgundian-styled Chardonnays from cool micro-climates as well as Pinot Noirs, with the added attraction of one Viognier and one or two Syrahs. They have been consistent from the beginning with winemaker Andy Smith, who has a brilliant record not only at DuMol, but at several other estates where he is the full-time winemaker, particularly the Napa Valley estate of Larkmead, just north of St. Helena. All five 2011 Chardonnays I tasted merit serious attention from consumers. Forget the difficulties of this vintage as DuMol came through with flying colors. All of the 2011 Pinot Noirs were harvested before the heavy rains fell in October, except for the Cuvee Ian, which was completely declassified. The three vintages of Syrah Eddie’s Patch I tasted come from a vineyard called Hoppe-Kelly, which is planted in red soils southeast of Healdsburg, near Chalk Hill.