On this momentous day - the one on which I officially enter the wine trade as a career - I am opening a bottle of wine that is very special to me. I picked it up during Sonoma's barrel tasting even earlier this year, while traveling from vineyard to vineyard with two of my favorite wine aficionados, Vanessa and Brian. This Pinot Noir is a new endeavor for the owners of Bella Vineyards; in 2008 they produced the first bottles of wine from the 10 acres of property around their home, where they planned to produce small lots of high quality wine in a Burgundian style.
The wine certainly carries aromas common in Burgundian wines. While he later recanted, or at least qualified it, Anthony Hanson once wote that "Good Burgundy smells of shit." I wouldn't go so far as to say this wine smells like shit, it certainly has an air of the barnyard about it. In a good way, of course. It also smells of ripe rasperries, cola, and cinnamon.
In the mouth, I immediately remember why I bought this wine (and am wishing I had bought more). It is impeccably balanced (aside from the elevated alcohol level, which is pretty much par for the course in California wines these days). There is a hint of residual sugar, expressed as ripe black cherries, the tannins are smooth as silk, and the finish is delightfully long and juicy. There isn't much of this wine out there, but I highly recommend you seek some out!
Vintage: 2008
Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Price: $38
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