Estate Pinot Noir Reviews
Medium ruby-garnet colour. This has sumptuous, spicy aromas of damson plum, black cherry, earth and underbrush. A well-endowed Pinot Noir, coating the palate with concentrated black cherry, spiced plum, and a tapestry of fine cedar-like tannins and exotic brown spices, with a pop of red liquorice. All this is underscored by a lively vein of savoury turned earth notes and elegant pine forest accents. A joy to drink. Sourced from DeLoach’s 6.87-hectare Demeter biodynamic certified vineyard, planted to eight different clones, aged 16 months in 32% new French oak. The harvested clusters were smaller than is typical, a result of the low-yielding 2015 vintage in northern California.
Medium ruby in color, the 2019 Pinot Noir Estate was made from certified organic and biodynamic grapes. It has an appealing broodiness, with notes of iron, tabacco leaf and woodsmoke over a core of rhubarb. The medium-bodied palate is a bit tarter than expected, with bright red berry character and a juicy, slightly dilute finish. Drink 2021-2024 -Erin Brooks
Medium ruby-garnet colour. This has sumptuous, spicy aromas of damson plum, black cherry, earth and underbrush. A well-endowed Pinot Noir, coating the palate with concentrated black cherry, spiced plum, and a tapestry of fine cedar tannins...
Scents of blackberry and raspberry jam highlight the aroma, yet this is snappier and livelier on the palate, turning pleasantly supple and silky, gliding along on the finish.
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Estate opens with fragrant lavender and rose petal notes over a core of crushed cranberries, pomegranate and rhubarb plus hints of forest floor and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied and packed with red fruit and earth layers, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
Tightly wound, focused on an intense core of loamy earth, dusty cedary oak and dried berry flavors, fanning out to anise and nutmeg notes. Ends with a lingering, layered finish. Drink now through 2023.
Red Tightly wound, focused on an intense core of loamy earth, dusty cedary oak and dried berry flavors, fanning out to anise and nutmeg notes. Ends with a lingering, layered finish. Drink now through 2023.—J.L.
Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2014 Pinot Noir Estate offers earth and dried herb notes to begin, giving way to a core of red and black cherries and mulberries, plus suggestions of lavender and garrigue. Full-bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, it has a great backbone of grainy tannins and refreshing acid supporting the generous red and black berry flavors, finishing long and earthy.
Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. A regal nose leads off with aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, forest floor, spice and toast. Plush and full-bodied in the mouth with accommodating tannic backbone, offering layers of black raspberry, blackberry and plum fruits accented with spice and dark chocolate. Almost too much of a good thing. Classy, with good acidity lifting the fruit load, finishing uncommonly long and generous. Best to lock this wine away for a few years.
Bedecked with a large gold fleur-de-lis on the bottle, this wine is showy in flavor too, a rich, ripe celebration of California exuberance, full bodied in cranberry, cherry, orange and blackberry fruitiness. —V.B.
The third Pinot Noir I tasted from DeLoach is the 2012 Pinot Noir Estate Olivet Bench. A dark plum/ruby hue is followed by sweet black cherry, loamy soil, earth and Asian plum sauce notes. Medium-bodied, ripe, well-balanced and pure, this is a beauty to drink over the next 5-6 years.