2006 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Zenith - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (1/7/2009)
Alright, it is about time we saw some SI from this land that previously was O’Connor Vineyard. The wine is showing ripe brambly fruit along with oak. More SRH like than Oregon. A bit of alcohol on the nose but overall in enjoyed the rustic aromatics. The palate seemed to really change as the night went on. At first the was a combination of pomegranate, cherry liqueur and rustic scorched earth. With time it became more red fruit focused and added nice citrus peel. Tasty and approachable. (89 pts.)
2005 Nicolas Potel Pommard Les Vignots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard (1/2/2009)
Drank with the 06 SI Momtazi and served blind. Nice contrast but pretty easy to pick um so I can’t really say it was blind. As expected, this is more fruited and feminine than the Momtazi Both wines were a bit hollow in the mid-palate but it worked. This had lots of fruit, middle acid nice tannin. More flashy at the start but then starts to clamp down and go more hollow. (90 pts.)
2006 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (1/2/2009)
A toasty dark fruited wine with lots of spice. Lots of oak and earth present at the moment. The aromatics are brooding and powerful. Like being in a forest. The palate is surprisingly bright. I think that is because of citrus elements. Slightly glycerol. Tannic. Finish is clipped and showing some heat. On the second day the finish was much longer and the wine showed more viscous. Earth, chocolate but still a bit of heat. I found the wine interesting. (90 pts.)