Clos du Val, Pinot Noir, Los Carneros

This was not the same delicious Pinot we drank 2 years ago, it has lost the fruit and past it's prime .

This pinot showed more burgudian than most cali pinots do. With cranberry, sandalwood, cherry, oak and earth on the nose. Some cherry, mushroom, vanilla and oak on the palate. Very intersting bottle that should be consumed now. 87 pts.

I just posted a note suggesting this wine is heading down the hill to sad decline. This bottle suggests otherwise. Hardly profound, but quite enjoyable, albeit in the simplest of ways. Cherry, cola, and a clean, crisp finish. A bit shrill and lacking a bit of fruit, but perhaps nicely balanced with respect to the alcohol content of 13.5%. Perhaps I won't rush to polish off the last few, but this is still a short-termer and a daily occassion sort …

This bottle is either in an awkward phase or heading downhill in a hurry. Shrill and tart with notes of sour cherry and lemon zest, the wine is bracingly acidic...almost sour. The fruit I remember is nowhere to be found and the finish is quite abrupt. The winemaker claims the wine will age up to a decade. I'm not so sure, but as I have a few left from a bargain blowout, I'll make an experiment of it. Otherwise, I'd …

Simple but clean. Cherry cola and a somewhat sweet presence. This wine is in a nice place in its evolution. Uncomplicated, but well-balanced.

Very good pinot, especially at the $14.99 closeout price!