Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blending Pinot Noir from different vineyards and soils, the 2016 Liaison is classified as Deutscher Wein (L1017), officially the lowest level of German wine. It is still very closed more than two years after the harvest, although it has been only slightly (if at all) sulfured. Cherry and sloe aromas along with floral notes dominate the fresh and tangy nose that asks for a lot of aeration (think of hours or even a day rather than minutes). The palate of this unfiltered and refined red is silky/velvety textured, dense and juicy but also concentrated, firm and terribly fresh, with youthful acidity and a straightforward character. 12.5% alcohol.
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.”
