Raptor Ridge Meredith Mitchell Vineyard Pinot Noir, McMinnville, USA

恐龍嶺梅雷迪思米切爾園黑皮諾干紅葡萄酒

點擊次數：3125

The 2014 Pinot Noir Meredith Mitchell Vineyard, which was totally destemmed, had a rather leafy and herbaceous nose that does not quite fit with the opulent cassis and blackberry fruit that sits on top. The palate is leafy on the entry, to the point that I double-checked that there were no stems in the blend. It feels rather hard and does not deliver the purity of fruit expression I was hoping for.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Meredith Mitchell Vineyard has an intriguing bouquet of intense blackberry and raspberry fruit, undergrowth and cloves underneath with a faint touch of Spanish Padron peppers. From vines planted in 1988 and still on their own roots, entirely from the Pommard clone and trellised "California sprawl" that tend to give low yields, it was matured in 32% new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin and well-judged acidity, cohesive in the mouth with a pleasant bell pepper note counterbalancing the sweetness of the fruit, leading to a structured, saline finish. This is my pick from Raptor Ridge.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Meredith Mitchell Vineyard exhibits herbal notes bordering on green. It also reveals considerably more tannin than is typical in this forward vintage. Perhaps these issues will resolve with a few years of bottle aging but that is a gamble. Raptor Ridge was able to move into their new winery facility just in time for the 2010 harvest. In the interim, their 2009s offer a fair reflection of that vintage. www.raptorridge.com

The 2006 Pinot Noir Meredith Mitchell Vineyard is dark ruby-colored with an alluring perfume of cedar, spice box, mineral, black cherry, and black raspberry. Plump and layered on the palate, the wine has a solid structure, several years of aging potential, and incipient complexity. Give it 3-4 years in the cellar and drink it from 2012 to 2021. Raptor Ridge’s first vintage was in 1995. It owns 27 acres in the Chehalem Mountains AVA with 18 planted plus long-term contracts. The winery is currently producing 6-7000 cases annually. Tel. (503) 367-4263; www.raptorridge.com