Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Displaying a dark ruby/purple color, the 2003 Pinot Noir Weir Vineyard exhibits gamy, meaty, funky herb and fresh cow dung-like notes along with loads of complexity, medium to full body, and a ripe, rich, finish. The acidity is nicely concealed by the wine’s power and volume.
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Wine & Spirits
From a relatively young vineyard near Yorkville, this wine contrasts the region's foresty character with bright red fruit. Winemaker Bob Cabral tamed that with oak, balancing the freshness of the fruit with a softer, caramelized sweetness. The wine ends with some delicacy, suited to fish or wild fowl.
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Wine Spectator
A mix of supple black cherry and blackberry fruit supported by firm tannins and lively acidity, it offers excellent structure and length, ending with a pleasant minerally, gravelly aftertaste. Drink now through 2009.
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.”
A unique appellation placed in between the warm, Sonoma County Alexander Valley and the cooler Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, the Yorkville Highlands’ gravel soils are ideal for Bordeaux varieties and other full-bodied reds.