Talbott, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands

Drinking well - mouth feel and aroma pair well with a meal --

Dark ruby in the glass, medium bodied, wonderful bouquet of strawberry, bing cherry, violets, vanilla and baking spice, very expressive of the SLH terroir, black cherry pie on the palate with oak, forest floor, lively acidity, long finish. Very ripe but not overripe. High (14.8%) alcohol is now completely covered.

Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals bitter cherry, spicecake and raspberry on the nose. The mouth feel has soft tannins but a noticeable stemmy, stalky element that is somewhat off putting. The finish shows the red fruit and nice acidity. 14.0% abv. Purchased for $44US from the bottle list at Harvest Moon Restaurant in Ringoes, NJ at a recent seminar my firm hosted, this wine was a decent pairing for me and my 4 coworkers at dinner. The stemmy, …

Dark ruby in the glass, medium bodied, wonderful bouquet of strawberry, bing cherry, violets, vanilla and baking spice, very expressive of the SLH terroir, black cherry pie on the palate with oak, forest floor, lively acidity, long finish. Very ripe but not overripe.

After reading all of the previous tasting notes I approached this wine with caution. 1-hour decant and it had a funky cedar/pencil shaving nose that was hard to get past. The flavor is unlike most CA Pinots and more like a blend with Malbec as the base. if tasted blind I would never guess this was a pure Pinot. 2nd day it was right, the nose was correct, flavors in balance. At 14.8% the high alcohol took a point away …

I really want to love this one, my sons name is Logan born in 2012 and I bought a case hoping to enjoy these on many birthdays in the next 10 to 15 years however I notice some of the comments that another reviewer did. It seems to be over ripe, then watered back and acidified. A tasty beverage but lacking some of the prettiness and class that pinot can have. I did grab them for under $20 and it …

Dark ruby in the glass, medium bodied, wonderful bouquet of strawberry, bing cherry, violets, vanilla and baking spice, very expressive of the SLH terroir, black cherry pie on the palate with oak, forest floor, lively acidity, long finish. Very ripe but not overripe.

This deep ruby wine offers black raspberry, clove and cocoa aromas. Medium-bodied and freshly acidic, it shows good intensity and purity of fruit. Wild berries, cocoa, rhubarb and earth-laced plum flavors work nicely together and are supported by light sweet tannins. The alcohol (listed as 14.0%) is well-integrated and the flavors hold nicely in the middle. Closing smooth and with medium length, this is a well-crafted Pinot at a very attractive price. Drink now-2018.

Tasted/bought this at Morro Bay Wine Seller. This tastes (to me) more like an Eastern PN, specifically Ohio's Grand River Valley AVA, or the Niagara Escarpment. (I'll defer to roybivens' description of it as Bordeaux-like - I'm still working on building up my experience with that region.) Just a different flavor profile from most of the CA or OR Pinot Noirs I'm most familiar with. Definitely getting the tartness, the ripeness, and the tomato-leafy flavor.

Even more stewy tomato leaf fruit from Talbott.

Rasinated and acidified.

Dark ruby in the glass, medium bodied, wonderful bouquet of strawberry, bing cherry, violets, vanilla and baking spice, very expressive of the SLH terroir, black cherry pie on the palate with oak, forest floor, lively acidity, long finish. Very ripe but not overripe. It's just a bit too hot right now, at 14.8%, but it should all come together in six months or a year. Amazing QPR at $18.

An old world style with an earthy nose and sort of full body that oddly reminded me of a Bordeaux. Interesting bottle. I would have it again but would need to be in the mood for this. Not a typical California pinot at all. Score [50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 7] = 89. Tasted at Cedar Green Wine and Cheese in Cleveland, OH.