2009 Scallop Shelf Estate Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
2009 was a warmer vintage and “quite aromatic on release,” Andy Peay recalls. The 2009 Estate Pinot Noir Scallop Shelf is expressive, complex and in a beautiful spot for drinking. It has a pale garnet color and soaring aromas of dried berry fruit and orange peel, tea and tobacco leaves, leather and saline. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated and complex with both fruit and tertiary character. While its tannins have softened, it offers bright acidity, and it has a long, earth-laced finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Pinot Noir Scallop Shelf takes on woodsy spice, and mineral depth, with notes of porcini and umami richness. This continues to the palate, where this medium-bodied red delivers ripe strawberry fruit, wild herbs, and sea spray. It’s still floral, and nothing is desiccated. Peay was founded by brothers Andy and Nick Peay in the remote coastal region of Annapolis, where they found a unique break in the coastal range that cools and moderates the temperatures. They initially planted the first 30 acres in 1998, followed by another 17 acres in 2001, and six acres in 2007. 2001 was their first vintage, producing varietal wines dedicated to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Viognier from volcanic and nutrient-poor marine soils of silty loam with low clay content. Winemaker Vanessa Wong had previously been at Chateau Lafite-Rothschild in Bordeaux, Domaine Jean Gros in Burgundy, and with Peter Michael prior to joining Peay in 2000. The estate has been certified organic for the past eight years. Peay was one of the original five wineries who joined forces to create what is now the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association. At Peay, the whites all undergo native fermentations and are unfined and unfiltered. The reds do not follow a recipe regarding oak and stem inclusion, but the philosophy is to highlight the purity and intrinsic character of the wines and not obscure it. Named after the natural features of the property, they are highly expressive and singular wines that reflect their cool climate and mountainous terrain origins with distinctive notes of sous bois and age-worthy structure.
Remarkably young. Strawberry blossom with touches of conifer, and a saline crunch throughout, opens into touches of almond and faint cherry. Wants air and time in bottle. Ultra-lean, fine-boned, so focused – almost strict – with an ultra-long finish. The Scallop Shelf is the more floral, delicate of the Peay Pinots. (ECB)
Bright red. Explosively perfumed aromas of candied red fruits, potpourri, blood orange and Asian spices, with a smoky overtone. Incisive raspberry, cherry and rose pastille flavors show an alluring sweetness buffered by zesty mineral and spice notes. Silky, focused pinot with excellent back-end cut and finishing power.
About the producer
Peay Vineyards is a small, family-owned estate winery on the rugged West Sonoma Coast in California, crafting elegant, site-driven Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, and other varietals from organically farmed grapes grown just miles from the Pacific Ocean.