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Winery:
Ebony Wines

$44.00 Regular

$39.60
in any 12 bottle order or Build a Case

Qty.

Review:

Succulent, intense, round, mouthcoating, juicy, fresh. And that's just the beginning. With the first sip of Chris's new Olenik Vineyard Pinot I'm taken back to Chris's Shea 2006 Pommard Pinot noir (Chris was formerly winemaker at Shea Wine Cellars and made some of their finest wines.) Just like the Shea, the 2010 Olenik is 100% Pommard.

The 2010 Olenik is supple, with black fruit and a rich, velvety texture. It introduces itself with an intense aroma of dried cherries, dusty cocoa, and blackstrap molasses, all while maintaining a sense of freshness and a hint of violets.

It fills my senses with big, round, juicy flavors - fresh and vibrant concentrated cherry fruit, cinnamon, clove, dried blueberry, and dried cranberry. I could drink this wine today, or cellar it for many years. This is a big, hearty Pinot that calls for rich foods - venison with a morel mushroom sauce, or a hearty roast beef. If you like your wine lush, round, juicy and full, with layer after layer of flavor, this is the Pinot noir for you.

If you like your wine lush, round, juicy and full, with layer after layer of flavor, this is the Pinot noir for you. - Jean

below, Ebony's Chris Mazepink with his palette of barrels, ready to blend

Here's what Chris Mazepink said about the 2010 Ebony Olenik last week:

"A few days ago, we opened a bottle of the 2010 Olenik Vineyard Pinot Noir for the first time since it was bottled. As the cork was pulled, and the wine poured, I was standing about six feet away. But it felt like I was much closer than that as the room was literally engulfed by intoxicating aromas: a medley of black fruits, brown sugar, dried black cherries and even a touch of molasses. As I brought the wine up to my nose, these aromas were confirmed and I even detected a slight kiss of orange oil in the bouquet."

"Simply put, these are some of the most compelling fragrances that I have ever found in the noble Pinot Noir grape!!!" - Chris Mazepink

2009 Vintage

Chris Mazepink has started his own winery, Ebony.

Chris's Pinot noirs are a lot like the wines he made at Shea Wine Cellars but he’s developed his own unique style.

With the single vineyard Olenik, he’s working with the vineyard’s unique soil - and makes a fascinating, distinctive Pinot from it. The wine has soft, full hints of minerals, a very intriguing nose that’s not fruit, not spice, but something a lot more interesting.

The mineral notes are not the often found slate/earth flavors. The fruit is hard to tie down - fleshy blackberry - is that possible? And there're a hint of pomegranate and plum. Long layers of undefinable spice merge with more minerals on the finish. At $45 it’s worth more.

The Olenik is one of a kind - Chris has a singular style that takes all of the round, full flavored fruit center typical of his Shea wines and goes one better. - Jean

Olenik Vineyard is a rocky site owned by winemaker Chris Mazepink with relatives. He describes it as unique, and notes that some of the most famous vineyards in the world have a high rock content.

The winery name "Ebony" was inspired by the dense, hard black wood of India and Sri Lanka. Chris saw an elephant on his parent's dining room table made from ebony and was struck with the strong, elegant, rich, smooth qualities that match what he strives to achieve with his wines.