2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/7/2011)
I find Siduri’s wine to be all over the map. I don’t find a house style, rather, I think their wines tend to probably represent the vineyard. Some are way too huge for me, yet others are in my wheelhouse. This was the later. Ruby in color. The nose is great. Lots of funky, earthy barnyard. Also some cherries. On the palate, perhaps a step down but still quite nice. More clean and sour cherries. Nice texture. Doesn’t seem to be as much complexity as the nose has, but still delicious. I liked this wine at a tasting on release and bought it, and it has stayed very similar. (91 pts.)
Loren,
I’m not sure I’d agree that Adam’s wines are “all over the map”. I find them rather consistent in style myself. The Siduri Pinots and the Novy Syrahs all, to me, seem to
have a consistent style style that speaks of Adam’s winemaking. And, as you point out, they tend to represent the vnyd source (which is, of course, the HolyGrail for Pinot…
so they asy, anyway). And they usually reflect the characteristics of each vintage I’ve noted. True…some of his Pinots are over 15%, but I’ve never lumped Adam’s
Pinots in the over-the-top style of Pinots that some winemakers embrace.
If there’s any inconsistency, it would be in his whites…which range from fat & porky, to sleek and svelte.
I think Adam definitely has a style but it’s not in your face. The one characteristic that’s consistent throughout his line up seems to be the “Siduri funk” as we like to call it. All of the pinots possess the barnyard characteristic, at least in the first glass or so. I’m not implying that this is a bad thing at all either. I tend to enjoy it.
You guys probably drink more of them than i do. The first ones I tasted all seemed too large scale for my tastes. I avoided them. Then after finding a few that I liked, a mutual friend told me, that you need to taste thru the entire lineup as some are indeed large and fruit concentrated and others more funky (which I like). Since then, I don’t buy many (I have maybe 6 bottles), but I do notice what to me seems a wider divergencein style than most Pinot producers. Perhaps I need to taste thru more of them. I tend to like the Hirsch and Wilamette bottlings though it seems.
I did a Siduri dinner a couple months back tasting through SVDs of both Oregon and Cal. The only thing in common I could tell was they were not big. Different vineyards within Chehalem were quite distinct. The Arbre Vert was a personal favorite.
Nice observation Tom. I was lurking old Gang of Pour write-ups today and found a link to your notes. It was very entertaining reading notes on wines consumed in the 90’s.
Loren,
I guess I could buy that. Adam sources Pinot grapes all the way from StaRitaHills up to Oregon, and all points in-between.
Whereas most Pinot producers tend to focus on one or two growing areas.
Adam’s Caragassachi Pinot and his AbreVert Pinots are distinctly different Pinots. Yet I still find that Siduri signature in both of them.
Tom