2011 Riverbench Pinot Noir Mesa
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
(33% new French oak): Ruby-red. Dark berries and cherry compote on the deeply scented, smoky nose. Fleshy and open-knit, offering sweet black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and a touch of back-end warmth. Closes smooth and smoky, with good length and slow-building tannins. This pinot carries a relatively high pH of 3.82.
Critic scores
Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
More backwards and reserved, with earthy underbrush, forest floor and darker berry fruit, the 2011 Pinot Noir Mesa, which was aged 11 months in 33% new French oak, is medium-bodied, pure and supple on the palate, with solid mid-palate depth. It could benefit from short-term cellaring and should have upwards of a decade or total longevity. Drink 2014-2021. Tel. (805) 937-8340; www.riverbench.com