2017 Falstaff Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
Pale ruby in colour, with wild herbs, sappy wood and strawberry on the nose. The palate follows, with finely etched red fruit and cherry blossom at the core. There is a strong herbal note throughout, highlighted by bright acidity and crunchy tannins. This is complex and spicy but quite extreme in character. (TP)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard comes from a cooler site near Sebastopol and 20-year-old vines. It’s one of the standouts here and offers a beautiful perfume of black cherries, black raspberries, pine forest floor, and savory spices. With medium-bodied richness, a layered, pure texture, plenty of tannins, and outstanding length, it’s another effort from Kutch that will need 2-3 years of bottle age to hit prime time. 350 cases.
The 2017 Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard is another rich, dense wine in this lineup from Kutch. The Falstaff is the wildest and most savory of these Pinots. Game, tobacco, crushed leaves and smoke all add to the wine's earthy, feral personality. Here, too, the 100% whole clusters are beautifully woven into the wine's fabric. I would give the 2017 at least a few years in bottle to allow some of the tannin heft to soften. There is plenty of suppleness in the fruit waiting to emerge.
Bright mid crimson. Meaty and rewarding on the nose. Lots of fruit and charm. Very light tannins and augurs well for the future. Dry but not drying finish with focused fruit. Great judgement. Super-appetising. Long and perfumed. (JR)