The extra year in bottle has permitted the 1994s to begin exhibiting more character. Similar to the 1995, the 1994 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard displays a medium ruby color, followed by a tight, sour cherry and vanilla-scented nose, complete, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors, superb purity, and a long finish. Much of the wine's personality comes through at the back of the palate, suggesting that this wine still needs 1-2 years of cellaring. It will age gracefully for 10-12 years.
Heidi and Ted Lemmon are exploiting not only the Sonoma Coast, but increasingly Anderson Valley hillside vineyards with cool micro-climates. To date, their Pinot Noirs exhibit tight personalities, pure, complex fruit, and real elegance (too often this term is substituted for "dilution") married to fine flavor richness and intensity. Because the wines had been recently bottled, the 1995s tasted less expressive than their 1994 counterparts.
These wines are sold exclusively via a mailing list.
Readers should also keep an eye out for the release in a year or so of two wines being made by Ted Lemmon. The 1995 Reverie Cabernet Sauvignon (500 cases) is an opaque, rich, intensely concentrated Cabernet that appears to have outstanding potential. I have only tasted it once, but my instincts suggest it should be an outstanding wine (my barrel tasting score is 90-93). The telephone number for Reverie is (707) 942-6800. The 1995 Howell Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) possesses all the firmness, structure, power, and tannin one expects of a mountain-styled Cabernet. The wine is dense and full-bodied, but not quite as seductive and sweet as the Reverie. There are about 250 cases of this wine, which will be released in a year or more. My barrel tasting note gave it a potential scoring range of 88-91.
Tel. (707) 963-4762; Fax (707) 963-7332
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