TN: 2006 Windy Oaks Diane's Block PN

WINE TALK
1

Phillip,

I find that cinnamon spice and strawberry characteristic to be what Windy Oaks is all about. They were named in that lighter Pinot thread earlier this week and while that may be true there is loads of flavor in these wines. Thanks for the note.

2

Lighter doesn’t need to mean lack of flavor. Very tasty wines. [dance.gif]

3

Rob, hopefully you didn’t take my post as a knock on Windy Oaks because I’m a huge fan.

4

Me too. Thanks for the check in here. I liked my first bottle of the '06 Diane’s back in August, but time is needed.

5

Oh no, not at all and even if it was, that would be your opinion which is entirely fine with me. I’ve just heard that comment before that lighter styled wines can lack flavor and depth and while I am sure there are lots of examples of that, WO certainly isn’t one of them,

6

Philip-
Wow, I had the 2007 Diane’s at the winery and again last week, and had I taken notes on it they would have looked strikingly similar to yours on the 2006. First off, I cannot emphasize enough how much a little air time opens this wine up. It really didn’t show its stuff until about 1 1/2 hrs after opening (no decant, poured a couple of glasses). Then, the striking spice elements start leaping out at you. Plenty of sumptuous berry fruit in there as well; overall a pretty and enjoyable wine. I think cinnamon is an apt descriptor as well, although it is very much a nuance, not a flaw or overt thing. For such a young WO wine, I felt it showed remarkably well after 2 hrs or so. The nose really kept bringing me back; the empty glass even had the same aromas hanging around for >30 min! I’m not smart enough to know how to attribute those singular “spice” elements; I surmise it must have something to do with Jim’s fine-tuned application of oak, which I know he is fanatical about. All in all, I’m glad I opened this one; it was much more integrated in its youth than other WO bottlings, but can definitely lay around for a good while. Also, I had read some rather lukewarm posts on the Diane’s recently (which comes from a property miles away from the main estate)…these did not jibe with my past experiences with the wine, so it was good to confirm that it remains a solid pinot.