Belle Pente Estate Reserve Pinot noir 07

Review:

2007 Tanzer - 91+ points - Still, with tangy red fruit flavors and an exotic floral pastille quality that gains power in the mid-palate. Silky in texture and showing an intriguing interplay of sweetness and tanginess. The finish is bright, focused and alluringly sweet. This still needs a little time to settle down but looks very promising. - Josh Raynolds

Since it's first release in 1997, our Estate Reserve Pinot has represented the "best of the best" from our vineyard, showcasing the purest, most attractive attributes that can be coaxed from our "beautiful slope" each year. It is the epitome of our winegrowing efforts, and its release - 2-1/2 years after harvest - marks the "official" end of that vintage. However, it is really just the beginning, since the lifespan of this wine (under ideal storage conditions) should be measured in decades rather than years. This 2007 version, the child of a "throwback", "pre-global warming" vintage, appears poised to stand the test of time.

For the first time, all of the vines were at least 10 years old. The 12 barrel blend includes all of the grapes from the original 1994 "Old Vine" planting, supplemented with our steep West Block planted in 1998.

This medium-bodied wine is a step up in concentration and complexity from our "regular" Belle Pente Vineyard bottling. It is a tightly wound, structured young wine, a bit restrained and reticent, but responds well to decanting and shows best after being open for a few days. A must for every Belle Pente fan's cellar! - the winery