Tonight, I prepared a dinner in celebration of the arrival of Spring in these parts: roast duckling, asparagus and morels. With a meal that fairly cried out for Pinot Noir, I opened:
1999 Saintsbury "Brown Ranch" Pinot Noir (Carneros) nose: bright raspberry, pencil lead, later tea leaves and minerals palate: deep raspberry fruit, bright acidity, savory, tea leavesI served this blind to Jean who, to her credit, guessed an Oregon PN from 2000. This wine had many of the characteristics I associate with Grand Cru Burgundy from the Cotes de Nuits: bright raspberry fruit and savory secondary aromas. The acidity was high enough to lessen the association with California, even though the intensity of fruit would suggest a California origin. My earlier encounters with the Brown Ranch bottling from one of our favorite CA producers had all been in their early development, and the density and oakiness put me off. However, this bottle at age 9 has thoroughly convinced me of the quality of the Brown Ranch bottling, at least in a year like 1999. This will easily make my list of most memorable bottles of '08.
Mark Lipton