2008 Lynmar Quail Hill Vineyard/RRV Pinot Noir (91 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, July 7, 2012

VINTAGE

2008

WINERY/PRODUCER

Lynmar Estate

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Pinot Noir

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

Quail Hill Vineyard

REGION/A.V.A.

Russian River Valley

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.8%

PRICE PAID

$54.00

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

Received from the winery’s wine club in September 2010.

BOUQUET

This wine exhibits a classic Lynmar/RRV bouquet of red and black fruits, herbaceous herbs (was that redundant??), and black pepper, along with suggestions of oak and earth.

TASTING NOTES

As usual, this is a fantastic, delicious, well-balanced Lynmar Pinot, exhibiting gorgeous ripe fruit, spices, and beautiful balance.

The first element to stand-up and demand attention are red and black fruits like black cherries, raspberries, plums, and blackberries.  Following closely behind the red and black fruit is a significant amount of black pepper and other herbs like rosemary.  The wine is beautifully well-balanced, with a bit of sweet oak (which contributes a kiss of vanilla), true terrior (this is a wine made from estate-grown and –bottled fruit, from one of the best parcels of land from the RRV, in my humble opinion/experience), and a perfect blend of fruit, spice, alcohol, oak, and earth.

The tannins are smooth, soft, supple, and elegant, with just a touch of acidity to add zing and zip to the flavor profile.  The finish is smooth and lingering; after taking a bite of a well-paired protein (see below), this wine will linger for a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes.  This wine is so good, it simply won’t go away; the fruit and spices stick around for quite a while until you’re ready for another bite and/or sip!

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with a spiced pork loin from CostCo, along with oven-roasted potatoes and broccoli; it was a very nice pairing.  This is such a rich, dark, spicy Pinot that I believe this wine would have paired better with a grilled steak or curried lamb shanks.  Definitely do NOT pair this wine with salmon (one of my favorite Pinot pairings); the substantial structure, fruit, spice, and oak/earth would overwhelm a delicate, flaky, oily salmon steak/filet.  Stick with red meat for this wonderful Pinot, like any other quality Zin, Syrah, Merlot, and/or Cab.

AGING POTENTIAL

This bottle was cellared for almost two years, and based on it’s structure/acidity, this wine will probably continue to age beautifully for another 10 to 20 years.  If you happen to have one (or a hundred?) of these bottles in your cellar, do yourself a favor and let it/them continue to evolve and age gracefully for another 2 or 3 years, minimum.  You won’t regret it.

SCORE

91

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.lynmarwinery.com/