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2000 Thomas Pinot Noir Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (9/25/2020)
My first experience with Thomas outside a couple tastings in which his wines didn’t show very well.
Outstanding. This bottle is in immaculate shape, and there’s no way I would guess it’s 20 years old. If your storage conditions are good, this is ready to rock but you shouldn’t feel rushed.
On the nose, this is stunningly beautiful, with the signature red cherry that tells you it’s from the Dundee Hills, along with a strong ferric note, wet clay, fresh damp herbs, and maybe some dried leaf/underbrush-type stuff. One of those quintessential “I want to smell this all night” wines for sure.
On the tongue it very much follows suit: A wine of true beauty, light but not quite as delicate as the nose might imply. Incredibly fine, resolved tannins, which were probably quite fine and dusty to begin with, lend this a suppleness that is the stuff lesser wines try hard to emulate with oak and high extraction, but which can only be had with beautiful fruit, deft winemaking, and slow age. The red fruit is still incredibly vibrant, and while this exhibits the integration, the perfume, and the complexity of age, it’s clear that the fruit is the star, with the tertiaries playing a subtle but essential supporting role.
This is also, I will say, the first wine that exhibits distinct brett that I have enjoyed. The brett came out a bit more with air, and/or I have noticed it more as I have gone through my second glass. I would probably enjoy this more without the brett, but in this bottle at least, it’s fairly integrated with the other flavors and still pretty subtle. I say this as someone who is pretty sensitive to brett and very much considers it a flaw.
Beautiful stuff. Drink.
Posted from CellarTracker
This bottle was in fantastic shape, from the cellar of Murray at Great Wine Buys in Portland. Curious about others’ experience with Brett and/or other flaws in older Thomas. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of notes on CT that mention flawed bottles.