2006 WesMar Pinot Noir

There are some wines that are just so refreshing and delicious that you never get sick of drinking them, and these two Pinot Noirs from WesMar fall into that category for me. I find that sometimes even though wines are well made and a good example of their varietal, after the first glass or two it's possible to not really want to drink more. This is definitely not the case here.

The WesMar name is a combination of the two owners, wife and husband Denise Mary Selyem and Kirk Wesley Hubbard. Denise is the daugher of Ed Selyem, and the couple worked at Williams Selyem until it was sold in 1997. In March of 2000, WesMar winery was started in an old apple processing warehouse in Sebastopol, CA. These wines are made with a focus on balance and aren't your super-extracted, candied alcoholic cocktails that have become all too common in California but instead showcase soaring aromatics and a refreshing flavor profile with snappy acids that make them great for the dinner table.

Aside from being well priced and very good, Denise and Kirk have some of the best customer service I've encountered. I originally planned to let these wines sleep for a while longer, but I received an email with a generous offer to mailing list members --- In part due to these economic times, WesMar was offering a number of free bottles depending on the size of your order. If you ordered a six pack, you'd receive one free bottle of their "sur lees" Pinot Noir. Order a case, and you'd receive three free bottles. That's the first I've heard of any winery with such and offer, and I was impressed. Now all I needed to do was open a few bottles of what I already had to determine if I'd like to order more.

Tasting Notes:

2006 WesMar Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir:
Translucent but not overly light strawberry color in the glass. The nose on this wine is very expressive with aromas of pure strawberry fruit, some interesting minty accents, and secondary notes of freshly tilled damp soil. On the palate are bright red fruit flavors, bordering on the lighter bodied side with fairly high acidity and a crisp, refreshing medium length finish that includes just a little tannin. The mouthfeel on this wine is all just silky bright fruit. This is definitely a wine I could not get sick of drinking, just so pure and refreshing... Showing well and this should have a nice long life ahead of it

Price: $35
Score: 91

2006 WesMar Russian River Valley Pinot Noir:
A little darker than the Sonoma Coast, showing a ruby colored robe, this wine seems a little closed right now. The nose is not giving much up but a little sneak preview of the potential with aromas reminiscent of brown sugar mixed with molasses, some spices that make me think of Christmas, and darker red fruits such as raspberry. While not as showy as the Sonoma, I can only hope the nose comes alive with time, and if it does I could get lost in those scents for hours. On the palate there is more weight, showing a medium bodied wine with great mouth coating texture and flavors of red fruits and spice that lead into a long finish.

Price: $35
Score: 90
Continued...

2006 Lynmar Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

The wily charms of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir have wooed me many times in the past, but the most recent and glaring example would have to be this particular bottle from Lynmar Estate. This was a spur of the moment purchase from Whole Foods of all places, who has a suprisingly good, albeit small selection of wines. Normally I wouldn't drink a bottle so young (who am I kidding,) but after stumbling upon this in the store felt it was my duty to save it from the un-temperature controlled confines of Whole Foods, and pop it open with a nice dinner. On this particular night I was looking for something rich and generous that would provide instant gratification after a long day. Something that comes wrapped in the package of a Russian River Pinot Noir. Yet again, Lynmar did not let me down.

I challenge anyone to dispute that Lynmar is highly overlooked as a serious Pinot Noir producer by many, because when compared with some of the highly touted "cultish" Pinot Noirs from the same region their wines definitely hold their own, and in fact prevail against many. Founded in 1990 by Lynn Fritz, Lynmar produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with fruit sourced from the Russian River appellation. Their Quail Hill Vineyard has some of the oldest Pinot vines in the Russian River. Hugh Chapelle is the winemaker here, and has worked with Napa and Sonoma fruit for over a decade, at various wineries including Flowers and Madrona Vineyards. It probably also doesn't that they have Paul Hobbs as a part of their winemaking team. Paul has been consulting winemaker for a number of vintages now.

To be honest, I can't recall a Pinot from the Russian River that I have disliked. I'm sure if I thought hard enough I might be able to name one, but they seem to be far and few between. While I was thinking of that, my girlfriend's nose finally came away from the glass, and the first thing out of her mouth was "this is why I love Pinot." I can't think of a better endorsement than that.

Tasting Notes:
This wine is sort of a "middle of the road" Pinot... Not too light, and not to extracted, while holding a striking shade of red-violet in the glass. Perfectly ripe, but not overdone pure fruit aromas leap out the glass- cherry, raspberry, citrus, a little clove and a touch of mint making an attractive and fruit forward nose. Full bodied on the palate with much of the same cherry, raspberry, and spice flavors. Beautifully balanced with good acidity, well integrated tannins and a half minute finish, this might become a little bit more interesting in a year or two, but I don't see any reason why you should avoid drinking it now.

Price: $40

Score: 87-90

Specifics:
14.4% alcohol
14 Months in French Oak
Cases Produced: 3,196

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2004 Scherrer Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

It's been a while since I've drank a Pinot Noir and for the life of me I don't know why it's been so long! Diversity is one of the things I love about wine. It's all fermented grape juice but the contrast between a Cabernet and a Pinot Noir can be so great at times it will make you shake your head in wonder. A few weeks back after tasting Napa Cab after Napa Cab I was DYING for something different so at dinner I ordered a plate of Fettucine and a bottle of a Sangiovese dominated Tuscan blend, something I would not normally do with so much fine dining in wine country. At this particular moment, if I had a glass of Cult Napa Cab in one hand, and the Tuscan in the other, I would have enjoyed the Tuscan by ten fold. Switching up what you drink now and then can be so beneficial to the experience and is something I try to do often. But now I'll probably be drinking nothing but Pinot for the next two weeks.

Scherrer Winery is located in Sebastopol and has been pumping out quality juice since 1991. It is owned by Fred Scherrer, a UC Davis graduate who is also the winemaker. Scherrer offers up bottlings from about 6 different varietals which are Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Vin Gris (Rose). While I don't know a whole lot about the other varietals, I've heard numerous good things about the Pinot. And they weren't wrong. With 800 cases produced, the grapes in this particular bottle are sourced from the Russian River Valley, grown in the sandy Goldridge soils, and said to highlight the regions distinctive 'orange peel' aromas. This wine is a winner at the $35 dollar price point. It's not cheap but it's not outlandish either for a very good bottle of wine. I drank a glass then drank a few more with a nice block of Bes P'tit Basque that had me feeling sad when they both ran out. The earthy, subtle flavors complemented each other nicely.

Tasting Notes:
On the nose, this wine has a great bouquet, beginnning with cinnamon, clove, orange peel and oddly enough, apples. After some time these aromas morph into delicious red fruit heavy on the cherry and strawberry. A wonderful translucent ruby red in the glass, the wine opens up with mouth watering acidity, strawberry and dark cherry moving into a lengthly finish. Well balanced and a fine wine to enjoy young.

Score: 89

Price: $35

Alcohol: 14.5 Continued...