2017 Jentoft Vineyard Ryan Pinot Noir

A total knock-out, the 2017 Pinot Noir Ryan Jentoft Vineyard is a wine of real depth and intensity. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, mocha, cloves, lavender and licorice give the Jentoft a real sense of brooding power. There is plenty of Russian River exuberance to match the potent tannins. Far from an easygoing supple Russian River Pinot, the 2017 needs time to soften. It is every bit as impressive today as it was last year.

Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Ryan Jentoft Vineyard has a lovely nose of dusty earth, pink peppercorn, dried lavender and garrigue with amaro, orange peel, autumn leaves and fresh tobacco accents. It's light to medium-bodied and silky with slowly blossoming flavor layers, a light framing of ripe, grainy tannins and lip-smacking acidity, finishing very long and layered with great energy.

From a Russian River Valley site planted in 2007, the 2017 Pinot Noir Jentoft Vineyard Ryan is a selection of Swan and Calera clones and sees 15 months in 45% new French oak. This brilliant wine knocks it out of the park with its complex bouquet of darker fruits, smoked earth, and spice. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly layered and multi-dimensional on the palate, it’s a complete, flawless balanced, incredibly impressive wine that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and cruise over the following decade. This lineup is stacked with terrific wines, but this is one of the standouts.