The 2009 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard wafts from the glass with dried flowers, spices and sweet red fruit. There is a fragile, forward quality to the Allen that suggests the wine is best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
I tasted a dizzying array of Pinot Noirs from Williams Selyem and winemaker Bob Cabral. Yields were down in 2009 because of bunch-stem necrosis, a condition that can occur because of weather/humidity extremes or mineral imbalances. Otherwise, it was a pretty regular vintage with an even set and a harvest that took place beginning in early September.
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