Del Dotto, Cinghiale Vineyard Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview

A little cloudy on opening, the wine was slightly darker than the typical burgundy. Nose of dark cherry and plum. The palate opened up in half an hour, showing plum and cherry.

2013 vintage

Coravined a quick taste. This is actually doing well for it’s age IMO. Nice long finish, warm spice with a little cherry overlay. Has probably softened a bit since 2017.

2013 vintage

Cherry bomb. Not much else. I should have drunk a while ago. Still enjoyable though. Lots of berries no real terroir though.

2013 vintage

Stretch score giving this wine a 90. We love this wine, I think it has passed its prime. On the nose and palette both are muted, time has run out. Drink now or forever hold your peace.

2013 vintage

Incredible density and core of jammy red fruits. In the glass it smells like a cellar of French oak barrels and fermenting wine... whisks me away immediately to California wine country. A crowd pleaser wine for those who prefer flamboyance and fruit over elegance and complexity.

2013 vintage

Very smooth and slightly sweet

2012 vintage

Scotty Shears Blind Pinot Parade (Shear's Grotto) : Double blind bottle #4. Most unique bouquet of the tasting. Almost lemony notes on the nose, with some graham cracker and high toned fruit. Presents on the palate much different than the nose, persistent dark cherry flavors and good integration. I liked the wine but the one knock I have is that it was a bit disjointed. Maybe going through a weird phase as I've had another vintage of this wine and …

2012 vintage

Delicious Pinot. Nice light fruit on the nose, absolutely spectacular

2012 vintage

Very interesting side by side with the 2015 Family Reserve. This is ready now and will only go downhill from here. Interestingly, I thought this had a Grenache character to it and almost a band-aid flavor on the finish. Fully mature.

2006 vintage

Drank from magnum

2006 vintage

I do not drink a lot of Pinot Noir but this is a Cab lover's Pinot. This was a fairly big wine with good depth.

2013 vintage

Henry Kamali

2012 vintage

It smells like forest floor, black pepper, soy sauce, black currant (cassis) and alcohol/hot. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle.

2013 vintage

This was not drinking like a Pinot. Big, alcoholic, lots of flavor but Syrah like, showing some baked qualities with the age. Others thought it needed more time in bottle but I think at this point it's always going to be this style.

2006 vintage

Final bottle, 3 years since last one. Peaking right now, drink 'em up. Still delicious, even more concentrated than in '09, but some of the tannins and acidity at the finish are retreating. Would love this with a juicy steak, but would overpower traditional PN dishes like salmon. Heady black-fruit and scorched-earth aromas, still explosive on palate with black currant, blackberry cobbler and wild berry flavors, leather and smoke, ultrasweet soft tannins, and a huge finish.

2006 vintage

Taste is quite different from the typical Pinot. More robust, full bodied.

2006 vintage

I really like this, but it certainly is about as far from Burgundian style pinot as you'll ever get. Still tannic (albeit softer) in its latter years, it is pinot in a syrah/cab style if there ever was one with a strong finish and a great wine with food. Really interested to know if it is just oak and alcohol or if there's something else juicing these.

2006 vintage

some sediment on first pour. light burgundy in color. Smells of fruit/cherries/licorice with some spice. Wow... big fruit taste on first taste, but not sweet. slight tannins, but overall very smooth. Not big on Pinot Noir but this is very drinkable, very enjoyable.

2006 vintage

Dark red color, nice red fruit on the nose. More typical for the varietal than some other vintages from this producer - more elegance opposed to up-front fruit.

2008 vintage

Really nice smokey Pinot.

2008 vintage

My third of four bottles. I hesitated to write on the first two because the community is so positive. No doubt this is a big wine--a big stewed wine. Nose is reluctant but what comes through is stewed dark fruits. Perfect follow through on the palate--not a positive with a modicum of acidity offsetting the cherry/blackberry cough syrup taste. This was expensive and disappointing. Cannot be analogized to burgundy at twice the price or Cal pinots of comparable price. If …

2006 vintage

Nose wat MUCH better than the palate. Very dark ruby colo to it. Nose of dark cherries, oak, mocha and blackberries. Medium - full bodied on the palate with the dark cherries predominating to go along with underlying oak and dark fruits. HUUGE for a pinot. Way too big and unejoyable. I'm sorry, but I just don't get this. Why make a Syrah out of a Pinot. It just doesn't make sense. WIfe couldn't drink it, she dumped it. Just …

2006 vintage

Bought this a few years back on a trip to Napa and a 2 hour tour through the Del Dotto caves. If you have not been to Del Dotto, it's well worth the visit if you're in Napa. It's kitchy, definitely touristy and a little cheesey, but you do get to taste a lot of wines in barrel, giving you a sense of the power of the barrel in the final blend and taste of a wine. Well worth the …

2006 vintage

What a great bottle of wine. On the bigger end of the Pinot scale, with a good nose, great velvety mouthfeel and excellent finish. One of my favorite Pinots.

2006 vintage

My last bottle. Very good to excellent, but lacked the outstanding energy, depth and balance of previous bottles (see 4/09 and 3/10 notes). Hard to believe it could be past its prime already. Maybe its just me. Lacked the "wow" factor. Full disclosure: My wife really like it. She said, "It tastes like a party."

2006 vintage

by far one of my all time favorite pinots. rich, dark, dusty with powerful but not overpowering finish. paired well with salmon w/course mustard glaze, and a dill havarti. just beautiful to enjoy on its own as well. cant wait for the new vintage...for me it was a 95

2006 vintage

Same as previous note (4-18-09). Excellent wine. Still drinking well.

2006 vintage

Awesome nose - very earthy barnyard smell. Just a great Pinot. I must admit the 2005 was better to my taste, but the 2006 is getting better with a little time.

2006 vintage

Not your typical Pinot Noir. Smooth and supple. Nice round fruit. Smooth tanins and just a touch of tabacco on the back end.

2006 vintage

Dark, brooding and complex, with layers of saddle leather, tobacco leaf, black fruit and loads of dark chocolate, and dry as a bone, this is a real departure from most PN's in both richness, style and profile. Took this along to an expensive Rancho Santa Fe restaurant to pair with duck confit, and it blew the doors off the restaruant, impressing our guests, the sommalier and ourselves equally. Closest we've come to a memorable Sine Qua Non pinot and just …

2006 vintage

Drank last night with friends from Australia. Didn't take notes. This wine is a "wow" every time. My last bottle. Wish I had more.

2006 vintage

Dinner at Godai Sushi (4 Cabs and a Pinot) (Godai Sushi, San Antonio, TX) : Popped and poured. Huge nose of cherry and a little earth. Big, bold taste of cherry, spice and a touch of earth. Medium to long finish. This is my kind of Pinot!

2006 vintage

yummy

2006 vintage

August 2008 Napa and Santa Cruz Mtn Trip; 8/9/2008-8/15/2008 : Barrel Tasting

2006 vintage

Napa-Noma, May 2008: High toned Pinot fruit nose. The palate shows darker fruit flavors. We enjoyed this coincidentally along with the winery's house made prosciutto and the pairing worked pretty well.

2006 vintage

The oak aging really adds an intensity to this wine. Very smooth with a big nose.

2006 vintage

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Del Dotto, Cinghiale Vineyard Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview

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