2013 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Aeolian Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Menthol and dense black cherry character. Strange – the fruit has an overripe quality, yet the alcohol is relatively low. Medicinal notes throughout. Ambitious but quite overwhelming. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Pinot Noir Aeolian, which is designed to show the vines that are influenced by the prevailing wind, has a crisp, slightly earthy bouquet with a touch of rusty piping infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, perhaps rustic compared to the more refined 2014s, but with plenty of substance on the finish.
Brilliant red. Fresh, nervy scents of red berries, orange pith and smoky minerals, with a floral element gaining power slowly. Nicely juicy and focused, offering bitter cherry and cranberry flavors that gain in depth and sweetness with air. Spreads out nicely on the spice-tinged finish, where fine-grained tannins give the wine shape.