2 Kutch and a Vilmart Walk Into a Bar.....TNs...!

I couldn’t resist the humor. We finished the Vilmart last night, and I retasted both the Kutch Pinot Noirs just now. I continue to dig Vilmart, as it walks the line for me between rich and powerful. For Jamie’s wines, I continue to find these wines to be outstanding. The caveat though is that I just don’t take to the Signal Ridge. When I put the 'Dougie up against the Signal Ridge, the end result is really quite different. My notes tell the story, thanks for reading.

• 2012 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (3/24/2019)
  During a meal last night with about 10 people, I figured for dessert it would be cool to change it up, ditch the heavy red we usually do and instead do some Vilmart. I chilled this down and then we let it rip, finishing the bottle in about 45 mins. Not everyone at the table was into Champagne so I enjoyed a good solid glass plus of the wine. Disgorged August 2017, 80% Chard, 20% PN, and I believe the dosage on this wine is usually around 7 g/l (bottle doesn’t show it). This mixed in lemon and lime nicely, and while this does have a tick of dosage in it, higher in my range than I like, again as with Vilmart is the presence of the acidity to energize the wine, and in this bottle a good finishing structure that seemed chalky. Drank very well again, and with the structure and acid, these should keep aging well.
• 2015 Kutch Pinot Noir Signal Ridge Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino Ridge (3/24/2019)
  My final bottle from the cellar. I’ve not been thrilled by the previous bottles so I figured I would give the final one a go and see what happened. Opened yesterday, retasting from the open bottle at room temp of 68f. This is better than the previous bottles, and while some of the stems still add something herbal to the red fruit that seems to clash for me, my sense is that this wine is integrating with age. The palate has rounded out nicely, with a good anchor of structure inside the core of the wine. Raspberry, cherry, the herbal note and it’s all wound together with a good thread of acidity. In sum, this wine seems to diverge away from the more deft touch that Jamie seems to create through his wines, which is in part why I pause with this wine but I do think it is improving.
• 2016 Kutch Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (3/24/2019)
  Opened yesterday over dinner, and at the time I found this to be one of the top 2 wines of the 10 or so we have on the table. Aromatically it was lovely and the balance was dialed in. So, saved about a glass in the bottle overnight, tasting today at room temp of 68f. While this is warmer than I usually care for, I believe it’s hard to hide flaws at a temp like this for Pinot Noir. Today’s glass has the same floral/rose petal note. Dark cherry, juicy raspberry and as with the past few bottles of 16 McDougall, this is approachable and drinking terrific. I drank this side by side with the Kutch '15 Signal Ridge and this 'Dougie is simply superior to that wine. Figured I would chill this down another 3-4 degrees, and then retry, as it performed well at the warmer temp. At the cooler temp, the red fruit becomes more lively, the juicy quality also gets better energy. For a wine like Pinot Noir, for me, temperature really matters and what happens to this wine when it is cooler is that it becomes more powerful, the raspberry quality adding a zing. Jamie really makes a portfolio of cool stuff, for me with the ABVs in the 12% range, which helps because I simply cannot do the higher ABV wines any more without some side effects. FWIW, this is listed at 12.0%. Delicious 'Dougie.

Posted from CellarTracker

McDougall and Falstaff seem to suit Jamie better than Signal Ridge.

TN: 2016 Kutch McDougall PN

A Winebid bottle, and my first pinot from Kutch.

PnP then followed over a few hours in a Zalto burg. Upon opening, this wine was dark and savory to the point of being a little gothic. You have notes of dried oregano, porcini mushrooms, soy, and cinnamon stick. The palate is dark and brooding, with little fruit to speak of. Savory mushroom seems the dominant note to me. As it airs and as it warms, you pick up on small, firm berries and the wine flattens out a bit. It’s really pretty and fresh, but as dark as they come in this low alcohol style. I couldn’t liken it to a particular village in Burgundy, but there is also no way for me to guess this is a California wine. It almost has a little WA “rocks” thing going on. 92 pts

Hey wait a minute, you’re not supposed to dredge up old posts. You’ll get banned!

That dark quality of McDougall is always there for me, too. As far as village comparison, don’t do that either, or you may get banned for that, too.