[wine] Mendocino Pinot

Mendocino Pinot Noir Jon BonnéFriday, August 15, 2008 Mendocino County has the potential to make some of California's most distinct expressions of Pinot Noir. Most Pinot can be found in the remote Anderson Valley, where cool nights and plenty of coastal fog influence have long provided a haven for Pinot amid the northern redwoods. A stable, steady 2006 growing season certainly provided an opportunity for the region to shine. This latest round of wines, though, provided further evidence that even in Anderson Valley, focus seems to be shifting to a forceful, oak-driven style of Pinot - more overt power, lots of black fruit and cola flavors dominating over aromas of earth and forest, and lighter red fruit. Alcohol levels are creeping up, too; almost every wine among our Anderson Valley selections cleared 14.5 percent. Several wines among the 42 we tasted revealed such an imbalanced oak presence that it was hard to find pleasurable fruit beneath it. That said, the quality of winemaking in our 11 recommended wines was impressive. Even if styles are shifting, Mendocino - and especially Anderson Valley - remains a terrific source for Pinot, which explains why some of California's most respected Pinot producers are increasingly looking north to find fruit there. Rating: THREE STARS 2006 Black Kite Cellars Kite's Rest Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($38) Telecom entrepreneur Donald Green and his family purchased the Kite's Rest vineyard site in the northern part of the valley in 1995, northwest of Philo toward the coast. Their Black Kite Cellars showed remarkably well in our panel. The wines are made by Jeff Gaffner, whose Saxon Brown label turns out superior Zinfandels. This blend of the various blocks, the most affordable of the bunch, is a fantastically pure expression of Anderson Valley Pinot, with toasted spice and dry pine on the nose, a bit of funky earth and then layers of buoyant cranberry and black cherry. There's clarity and acid-led definition, doubly surprising given the 14.7 percent alcohol (apparently standard for the 2006 Black Kite wines). Rating: THREE STARS 2006 Black Kite Cellars Redwoods' Edge Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($48) Redwoods' Edge is the highest (321 feet), steepest and lowest yielding of Black Kite's three blocks, providing less than 2 tons of fruit per acre. It offers up a heftier wine, with more overt oak and heat amid a mix of very ripe and leaner, more tangy bright fruit, plus berry-leaf notes, cinnamon and allspice. One taster detected sweet corn. There's impressive delicacy given its size. Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Black Kite Cellars River Turn Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($48) By contrast, River Turn is the lowest of Black Kite's parcels, planted to Pommard clone with more sand and silt in the soil. The oak is overt, but to match there is a subtle fragrance: allspice, lavender and floral hints. That's offset with dusty, dark loam notes, sappy cherry, cranberry and boysenberry. The fruit is lush and juicy, and the structure is very well managed. Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Deux Amis Donnelly Creek Vineyards Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($34) Though this Healdsburg producer mostly focuses on Zinfandel, its 114 cases of Anderson Valley Pinot, aged for 17 months in French oak for a toasty hint, provided delicate mint on the nose, plus roasted strawberry and a citrus tang. A richness to it balances out the bright cherried core. Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Foursight Wines Charles Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($46) Wine marketing pro Kristy Charles moved back home to Boonville last summer not only to become executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association, but also to help with this new vineyard founded by her parents Bill and Nancy Charles, and her fiance, Joseph Webb. Their inaugural effort is earthy and focused, very much in the Anderson Valley style, with a mix of Bing cherry, blueberry and rhubarb. It's a straightforward, promising debut, with plenty of delicate red fruit, and a savory, smoky, seaweed-like tinge for nuance. Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Handley Cellars Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($30) If anyone knows Anderson Valley well, it's Milla Handley, who continues to strike the right balance of richness and verve in her Pinot. With 29 percent new oak, the nose gives off fiery spicy and wood. Lots of rich, plummy fruit, with bright citrus pith and some wood presence emerging on the finish to bolster what's already a pretty strong structure. Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Jim Ball Vineyards Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($60) Illinois attorney Jim Ball fulfilled a longtime fascination with the North Coast when he bought the Middleridge Ranch vineyard north of Boonville in 2000. Then he founded this estate winery in Philo, hiring Pinot maestro Greg La Follette (Flowers, Tandem) as his consultant. This ambitious debut shows a full-bore black-fruit style that would feel at home in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Unabashed oak gives off sweet, warm notes of pound cake and smoke, matched by candied cherry to bring a bright note. Power and wood tannins are in full supply, though reining it in a bit would really show off the quality of the fruit. Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Londer Vineyards Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($35) The Londer family brings a powerful, heady approach to their Pinots. At 14.8 percent alcohol, this blend of four valley vineyards is by no means shy; with a dusty, smoky nose filled with tobacco and thyme, it's defined by an distinct oak presence. Leathery, sweet cherry fruit and a cinnamon tinge on the palate carry through, though a touch of alcoholic heat and a slight grain step forward at moments. Rating: THREE AND A HALF STARS 2006 MacPhail Wightman House Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($60) James MacPhail seems to bring out the best in Pinot, both from the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. One of his lighter efforts from the valley (14.1 percent), from a Boonville vineyard planted to Martini clones and yielding less than 2 tons per acre, this got nearly a week of cold soak and native yeast fermentation. It's wildly earthy, almost evoking a Bonnes Mares in its ferocity, but with plenty of sweet, deep cherry and currant to match. Savory notes of dried leaf and meat add more interest. It's intense and nearly flawless, if in short supply (192 cases). Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS 2006 Naughty Boy Vineyards Potter Valley Pinot Noir ($27) Greg Graziano works far to the east of Mendocino for this Pinot, to Potter Valley, tucked into the hills at around 1,000 feet 10 miles northeast of Ukiah. We liked the 2005 Naughty Boy for its lighter profile and savory aromas, and it delivered quite well again - at least for lovers of that rustic style. Slight hints of mint, dill, tangy soy and tamarind, and a slight impression of earthy Brett overlay its meaty red fruit. Drink now. Rating: TWO STARS 2006 Standish Wine Co. Day Ranch Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($45) Strong herbal notes of eucalyptus, hemp and Tiger Balm lead to notably ripe (almost overripe) fruit, with tart rhubarb highlights and mixed bramble berries. An unmistakable oak presence supports the fruit, though a bit of grainy tannin starts to dominate. Panelists: Jon BonnéChronicle wine editor; Paul Einbund, sommelier, Coi restaurant; Chris Tavelli, co-owner, Yield Wine Bar. For additional recommended wines, go to sfgate.com/wine. Key: Rating: FOUR STARS Extraordinary Rating: THREE STARS Excellent Rating: TWO STARS Good http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/15/WI41127OJK.DTL -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *