May 2007 Wine Tasting Notes:
2005 Koehler Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills.
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This wine is a medium depth, smoky garnet color with purple tones. The nose offers medium intensity aromas of moist earth and heather at first. Lighter cherry and cola blossom shortly thereafter. These are embellished by notes of rose hips, and smoky game. The palate is medium intensity cherry-dominant with light rosehips and warm, brown spices backing. Satiny tannins juxtaposed with lively acids and well-restrained alcohol make for a light-bodied wine with a juicy, sleek mouthfeel. A medium length finish is bright with cherry and some rosehip notes. |
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Cumulative Score: 90 breakdown 13.8% Alcohol $45.00 Retail (from winery); 486 cases produced |
Earthy and nuanced, this measured and composed Pinot Noir showcases vineyard, winemaker and AVA simultaneously. Offering nice breadth, it strikes a balance with fruit, spice and earthy tones. Should pair well with Salmon en Croute and light meat dishes and sauces for the next 5 to 7 years. |
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More reviews of Koehler Wines More on the Santa Ynez Valley AVA More on the Sta. Rita Hills AVA |
Harvested from La Encantada Vineyard on a late September night at 24.5° Brix, this Pinot Noir was cold-soaked for three days and then fermented in open top fermenters with twice-daily punchdowns. Aged for 10 months in 100% new French Oak barrels.
Pinot Noir, the noble Burgundian grape, is often described as "difficult" to grow but the wine is beautiful and complex when circumstances are favorable. It is one of the oldest grape varieties to be vinified. The tiny (~60 square miles) Côte d'Or in Burgundy, France has been the benchmark for Pinot Noir for centuries. Nonetheless, it is planted worldwide. It is often described as delicate and light bodied and having a soft texture. The aromas and flavors are the most distinct and identifiable and most complex of all varieties. Common fruit aromas are: cherry, raspberry, ripe tomato and strawberry. It can express floral notes or rose or violet. Spice is a big element of Pinot Noir: cardamom, caraway, cinnamon, cola, clove, nutmeg, pepper, rosemary and sassafras. Most California Pinot Noirs made today (with some exceptions) rarely have the make up to last past a decade but with age they can show tobacco and smoke characteristics. (read more)
The 100-acre La Encantada Vineyard, part of Richard and Thekla’s Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards is in the southwest corner of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Planted in 2000, this north-facing vineyard enjoys a very cool climate – one of the coolest in the AVA - owing to its westerly location (and attendant proximity to the ocean). Its high elevation (the vineyard sits on a ridge at the foot of the Santa Rosa Hills) also exposes it to the marine winds which sweep in over the valley in the afternoon. Planted on combination soils consisting of: clay, loam, shale and sand, the vineyard is farmed organically as is the El Jabalí Vineyard at the eastern end of the Rita Hills AVA. The vineyard is planted to 96 acres of Pinot Noir (clones 4, 5, 114, 115, 667, 777 and SWAN), 1.9 acres of Pinot Blanc and 1.5 acres of Pinot Gris.
The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The vintage is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but generally lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage.
Koehler Winery, in the Santa Ynez Valley appellation, evolved from a 1997 purchase of a property with vines up to 30 years old. At that time, all fruit grown was being sold to other producers. The vision of Kory and Peter Koehler, owners, was to make premium wines at affordable prices. 67 acres (of the 100 acre estate) are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Viognier. Most of the vines on the property are approaching 30 year in age.
The Koehler line up of wines produced prior to 2005 is solid with a number of stars. Beginning with the 2005 vintage, Koehler is releasing wines made by their new winemaker, Chris Stanton. Under Stanton's oversight, the winery will be making all estate wines, focusing on Rhône varietals with a total annual production approaching 10,000 cases. What distinguishes Chris the most, stylistically, is his traditionalist, old-world approach to wine making. Reading over the tech sheets, one will notice that he tends to pick his grapes earlier than many of his Santa Ynez Valley colleagues do. This results in livelier, more acidic and scintillating wines which, to those used to the style currently in vogue in California, may seem less opulent but are ultimately more interesting and more age-worthy than wines made from ultra-ripe fruit. Additionally, these wines tend to be more balanced and lower in alcohol.
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5 points |
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Nose |
3 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
3 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
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