I know nothing of American wines. The reason is found at the intersection of a Venn diagram of availability, price and opportunity. At some point, it must get addressed. It’s one of the reasons I started to read this forum.
This was bought locally based on the advice of a very trusted family member.
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2011 Arcadian Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (8/18/2020)
PnP (a little too cold), half a glass:
Ruby red with no bricking or any sign of age on the color. It’s showing long, slow legs after swirling the glass. The nose initially had a little VA but it blew off very quickly. It shows a lot of red berries, subtle sweet spices, mint and a touch of leather. The first sip is in line with the nose and brings tart red berries, spices and slight tertiary notes. It lets us know right away that it’s structured on acidity. That being said, it has nice concentration on the mid-palate and good length. The tanins are very much “enrobés” (smooth? round?).
The rest slow-oxed for 5 hours: the nose has evolved considerably.
The red berries are now very ripe and I get floral, roasted and some soil. The mouth stays very fresh, mostly on fruit but with more damp soil. It’s very good but probably too young. This wine has what it takes to keep aging . Contrary to what I was told, it does not have a “Burgundian” profile but rather a unique and authentic signature (amen!). This is really good.
If I had another, I would have given it a 5 to 10 years slumber. I need to find another.
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