Community Tasting Notes (average 86.9 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 8 notes) - hiding notes with no text

Rating for United States-California: 90 (slightly better than average year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: unpredictable<br/>

Domestic Pinot Noir. Oregon, Russian River, Central Coast, Sonoma – I'm not a big fan of any of it. Many are candied with obtuse alcohol and too many added enzymes, acids or other (Oregon is largely an exception). Sense of place is rare - subtlety even rarer (instead of emailing me a diatribe defending California terroir, send me the wines and I’ll make a judgment for myself – I always keep my eyes wide open). What I do enjoy is value and that’s what we have today. Kid-glove coddled Napa/Carneros (i.e. cooler) Pinot Noir at an entry-level tariff for the genre... ...it also happens to come from one of the more lauded Pinot Noir vintages of the last twenty: 1997. If you are one of the thousands that have sent in emails and left voice messages for me over the last few years begging for a well-priced domestic Pinot Noir yum-ball to serve at a dinner party (I'm talking about something everyone will ask for multiple glasses of but still retains a soul)...today’s your day. We’ve never carried Kent Rasmussen wines as you can pretty much find them everywhere but his 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir is different. It’s low-moderate in alcohol for the genre (13.5%) and there’s an obvious care and determination that went into its upbringing. It has texture, a delicious persona and a lasting kiss of sweet fruit on the palate that does not seem artificial or contrived. Is it the answer to the holy grail of domestic terroir? Absolutely not (that’s not the style of the wine despite its best intentions) but there’s a whole lot of effort here for {$22+} and Kent should be rewarded for not following the trend to push a varietal that has no business being nudged too far: From Kent Rasmussen: “Harvesting the 2007 Estate Pinot Noir was our first experience with night harvesting. It was an absolute joy; the fruit came in icy cold early in the morning. Having the fruit so cold allowed us to crush directly into the fermentation tanks without any refrigeration or pumping. 2007 was also our first year of trying to go back in time and make the Pinot more like we did in the late 1980s. I have long felt that our wines were stunning in those days, full of fruit and structure and classic Carneros earthiness. In recent years, while the wines were still great, they had moved towards a more classic California jamminess that isn't what I like in a Pinot Noir. Trying to remember what we did and how we did it in 1987 was not easy, looking back at the old records helped a little, but it was a bit hit-or-miss. I picked the grapes at a much lower sugar level, used a much more natural fermentation temperature profile and an old yeast strain that I haven't used in years. The results are spectacular. I think that the 2007 is one of the most complex and long lived Pinot Noirs that I have ever made. I hope you agree and enjoy this wine also - and if you want a truly fantastic (and a bit odd) food pairing experience, try it with cracked crab and artichokes. Trust me!” Also, keep in mind, this wine requires a number of hours of air to show itself – if you just crack and pour, your impression will not match your enjoyment 4-6 hours down the road (make a “note to self” when preparing for a dinner party etc – I also like it slightly cool). In addition, I think your best dance with its charms comes over an entire evening, not in a quick few sips – a very good sign for Pinot Noir. Community link: http://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&szSearch=rasmussen+carneros+2007 (one of the wine mags gave this a 92 or 93, I have no way to cut and paste reviews this morning – someone can find it and let everyone know - I only have the community link above but I believe the price speaks for itself without a lot of scrambling research). FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 36/person until we run out. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this tariff. This parcel is directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance: 2007 Kent Rasmussen Pinot Noir Carneros (Napa) - {$22.80} (compare at {$25-40}; this is not an entry-level example, this is Kent’s top Pinot Noir from the “KRW” series) To order: [email protected] This parcel is set to arrive shortly – it is not a long-term pre-arrival (please check OARS for local pick-up in late Oct). It will ship during the late Fall shipping season (holiday dinners anyone?). Drink 2011-2013+.