Fort Ross, Fort Ross Vineyard Pinotage, Fort Ross-Seaview

A good solid red but not much tannin. Good fruit flavors. Would buy more.

Dark fruits, not too acidic.

Clear, deep garnet color. light intensity nose showing dried cranberry, prune, savory, tobacco, smoke, sandalwood. Medium- body with medium+ tannin, fresh fruit flavors: blackberry, black currant, fig, prune, vanilla. Very good wine (unflitered/unfined). Drink now.

Very good Pinotage, on par with South African comparables. Black cherry, scorched earth, herbs in a medium-bodied red. Nice balance and wonderful finish.

Fruit-forward with dark berries, plum and a bit of earth/funk. Sweet but smooth with light acid and fine tannins. Drinking well now, I don't see it improving with age but it will be a while before the fruit fades.

Had at a picnic! Brought by friends. Very dark, almost opaque color. Modest nose of red fruit. Taste is red fruit with a touch of acid, a bit of earth, and a touch of funk. Shows its cooler heritage. Not particularly big or complex but an altogether enjoyable wine. It is certainly drinkable now but I would suspect it will continue to improve for another year or tso, maybe three.

Enjoyed this with dinner at the Starlight Wine Bar and Restaurant (Sebastopol, CA). It was a nicely balanced representative of the varietal, with good body and a pleasing palate. It went marvelously well with the duck gumbo we had for dinner.

funk, earth, tannin, wood, garrigue and also some dark fruit. More interesting than enjoyable.

Notes after 4 hours open. Very dark blackish purple with slow, heavy legs. Profound nose starts with a snappy citrus bite and quickly moves to charred wood, cured meat, roses, and potpourri. Very big bodied and a bit hot for my taste but it is undoubtedly Pinotage, just missing a little of the usual South Africa funkiness. Tannins are still almost painfully firm and some time sideways will help. Kudos to the estate for doing such a nice job with …

West of West Wine Festival; 8/4/2012-8/5/2012 (Occidental Center for the Arts, Occidental, California) : Medium ruby color; brett, tart berry nose; brett, dried berry, garrigue palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points

Tasted at the Pasadena Family Winemaker's trade tasting. Dark ruby toward opaque. Reticent nose shows its youth, but with a few minutes in the glass some really elegant dark fruits, minerals and mixed floral notes emerge. Citrus, wildflowers. The medium+ bodied palate is very precise, painfully young. Dark berries, bitter dark chocolate, a streak of vanilla, generous acids and fine-grained, perfectly chiseled tannins. The complexity is there, in spades, this just needs 2-3 years on its side before it's really …

Very early for this wine. Good fruit, but very tight at this point. Will wait a couple of years on the next bottle.