Winemaker Notes
Great weight and texture on the Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir. Dense but mouth-coating, with brighter fruit flavors than the nose might suggest: blueberry, blackberry, sloe. Salinity, from significant active lime in the soil, waters the mouth, extending an already obdurate length. Whereas, with vine age, the Angel Flower is adding content to its early charm, the Earth Smoke seems to be marrying fruit succulence to its established, adamantine, soil-sponsored clout.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a very enticing and complex nose with lightly smoky red and purple cherries, freshly ground baking spices and sappy, woody, bracken-like nuances. The palate has a beautifully supple texture with juicy red and black-cherry flavors running long and fresh.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The deep sous-bois and cherry notes of the 2016 Earth Smoke Pinot Noir are nicely balanced by a sense of mentholated freshness. It's medium-bodied, silky and rich, yet lithe and lively, an intriguing juxtaposition of character studies. Savory earth and herbal notes linger on the intense but elegant finish.
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Wine Spectator
Clove and nutmeg notes mingle with black tea, juniper and black pepper details on a smooth and polished frame, leaning into cherry cobbler flavors on the finish. Drink now.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
On the central eastern coast of the South Island, Canterbury includes a collection of small and varied subregions. The region is cool and dry with low rainfall and light, infertile soils. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are well-suited here, with Pinot Gris coming in third place.