2008 Valerie’s Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., $40. Aged 18 months in new and two-year-old French oak barrels. · Ornate aromas and flavors of dark berries, Mu Shu plum sauce, cassis, tea, brown spice, and loamy earth. Very smoothly textured with finely ground tannins and amazing persistence of perfectly ripe fruit on the finish. The wine really grows on you over time. Will benefit from 1 to 2 more years in bottle. Year in and year out, one of the best Pinot Noirs to come out of Carneros. Reviewed December 14, 2010

Winery: Valerie’s Vineyard
From article: Drinking Small Part 2