SpearHead, Saddle Block Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley

Spoiled? Port like.

So I opened this bottle thinking, Hey, Saddle Block...sounds rugged, sounds confident, sounds like a wine that could bench-press me while whispering affirmations. Instead, what I got was a Pino that feels like it apologizes before it even pours. Like, “Sorry… I’m doing my best… please don’t send me back to the shelf.” The nose? Imagine a shy strawberry trying to make eye contact but losing the courage halfway through & pretending to check its phone. The palate? It starts …

Medium deep purple, looks like a young CDR - beautiful, slightly smokey black cherry nose, definitely on the deep dark side for PN. Same on the palate. Blind, I'm not sure if I would even identify this as PN, tastes a bit more like a Syrah or a Blaufrankish. Not that it's bad, it is really quite nice, but it rates low on Pinosity, which is atypical for Spearhead.

Very dark and ripe, beyond expectations for Pinot.

Very dark. Black fruit and oak. Lots of ripe black fruit in the palate. Short on acid but not on alcohol.

3 clones, picked in late Oct most years. Dark purple. This nose is more open and developed than Coyote showing spice, nuanced dark fruit and a little oak imprint. Saline, dark red fruit, more tannin holds this together. Very good.