2017 Porcupine Hill Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill comes from a high-density block in the Bearwallow vineyard. Pale to medium ruby, it opens with notes of crushed blueberries, woodsmoke and violets with notes of chocolate, warm dark cherries, spiced cranberry sauce and red cherry preserves. The palate is light to medium-bodied and silky with great layering of ripe fruits and spices, a frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very spicy.
Critic scores
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill, from the Anderson Valley, is up with the top releases here. Deep ruby/purple-hued with notes of black cherries, blackberries, sous bois, spice, and earth, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful purity of fruit, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It doesn't have the minerality or structure of the Santa Cruz Mountain releases, but it has a terrific sense of elegance and purity.
The 2017 Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill is built on a core of fruit from an east-facing hill that was replanted with tightly spaced rows in 2012. A wine of breadth and power, the Porcupine Hill has quite a bit of intensity to match its dark flavor profile. Black cherry, plum, spice, leather, earthiness and menthol add character. Today, the two Bearwallow Pinots are somewhat close in feel, but I imagine in time they will take more divergent paths.