|
|
Wine Recommendation
Tantara Winery
2005 Pinot Noir, Brosseau Vineyard(Chalone)
Tantara Winery, founded in 1997 and based in the Santa Maria Valley, specializes in single-vineyard Pinot Noir from throughout the Central Coast. (The winery also produces some Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Blanc.) Although production is small – about 6,000 cases a year – winemakers Bill Cates and Jeff Fink produce more than a dozen wines.
This bottling from Brosseau Vineyard in the Chalone AVA, which sells for $52, accounts for 121 cases of that. The vineyard blocks that go to Tantara were planted in 1999. This is a big wine, ripe and concentrated yet still unmistakably Pinot. It displays ripe cherry and raspberry fruit, that characteristic Chalone appellation minerality and a very long finish.
The wine has plenty of zippy acidity, too, making it an excellent companion to full-flavored dishes like boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin or rack of lamb. The tannins are also fairly substantial at this point, so the wine would definitely benefit from at least six months more in the bottle. Actually, I suspect it will be at its best in about three to five years.
Reviewed January 31, 2008 by Laurie Daniel.
Other reviewed wines from Tantara Winery
 2004 Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Vineyard (Block W) (Santa Maria Valley)Dennis Schaefer 4/3/2007 |
The Wine
Winery: Tantara Winery |
The Reviewer
Laurie Daniel
Laurie Daniel, wine columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, has been reviewing wine for more than 10 years. She doesn’t use numbers, preferring to describe her recommended wines and let consumers decide for themselves. Laurie believes that bigger isn’t necessarily better; she’s partial to wines of balance, finesse and character. Her particular interests are Pinot Noir (versions that really taste like Pinot, that is) and aromatic whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. |