Brewer-Clifton Rio Vista 2005 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
~$50US, 100% Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California.
Very clean brilliant ruby color - quite light. Wild perfumed nose, with strawberries for days…Very round and big in volume on the palate, with deep spice notes, cloves and cinnamon. Excellent purity of fruit, and over time more of the 2nd and 3rd tier aromatics came through. A bit of tomato - not a green/herbal flavor but a sweeter grape/cherry tomato along with some rosemary aromatics. I could only argue for a hint more acidity and length. Food friendly - I could imagine this working well with hard-to-pair things like pork and richer fish dishes with bigger sauces. A delicious and character-full wine which shows-off the strengths of the AVA/region well.
Anyone curious as to why people get really passionate California Pinot should try this.
[...] good contrast to the Brewer-Clifton tasted the night prior. Similarly light in color - definitely not one of those opaque and dense [...]