W.H. Smith Hellenthal Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009

  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
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W.H. Smith Hellenthal Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009 Front Label
W.H. Smith Hellenthal Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2009

Size
750ML

ABV
13.9%

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

The color of this wine is like looking at a bowl of liquid black cherries. The nose is earthy and toasty and mushroom-like, an archetypal Pinot. The mid palate structure is silky with bright cherry fruit and background notes of bramble bush. The finish is smoky and sexy - a truly special Pinot Noir.

Professional Ratings

  • 93
    A young, vigorous Pinot that should reward some time in the cellar. Right now, it’s strong in acidity and fairly tannic despite the light texture. The flavors are interesting and complex, with not just ripe red cherries as well as all kinds of wild notes of herb tea, anise, grilled mushrooms, pine needles and persimmons.

Other Vintages

2008
  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
2003
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
W.H. Smith

W.H. Smith

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W.H. Smith, California
Luck and timing led Bill and Joan Smith into the wine business: enthusiasm, perseverance, and good advice from a few talented friends facilitated their success as world-class producers. A wrong turn while trying to visit Chappellet Vineyard led Bill Smith to discover and purchase the historic ghost winery, La Jota Vineyard Co., including 40 acres on top of Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley. Two years later, in 1976, Bill and his new wife, Joan, spent their honeymoon planting the first 2 acres of vines, which would grow to 28 acres by 1978. After a few classes in home winemaking at UC Davis, a lot of experimenting, and some priceless mentoring from friend and Howell Mountain neighbor Randy Dunn, the Smith’s produced La Jota Vineyard’s first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage in 1982. With Bill making the wine and Joan responsible for sales and marketing, the couple garnered attention and accolades—including being listed as #2 on Robert Parker’s roster of "heroes" in the December 1994 issue of The Wine Advocate.
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The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.

Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.

DRSHELLEN_2009 Item# 122770

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