2017 Alpine Hillside Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
This bottling is only made in the best years, and the 2017 Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside Vineyard was entirely destemmed. It has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and very pretty, singularly perfumed nose of rose petal, hoisin, grilled meats and dried tangerine peel with saline, wild blackberries and oodles of red berry fruits—raspberries, cherries, cranberries and rhubarb—plus earthy accents of tea leaves, tree bark and dried leaves. The light to medium-bodied palate gives up layer after layer of savory fruits and earthy nuances, with a firm frame and juicy acidity, finishing very long and layered. This will benefit from another couple years in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
There is a lovely sense of freshness to the restrained purple fruit aromas, and in particular plum, that are liberally laced with floral, spice and a whiff of exotic tea. There is very good richness to the rounded, suave and seductive textured medium weight plus flavors that possess excellent levels of dry extract, all wrapped in a dusty, powerful and serious finale. This is one of those wines that will easily age for 10+ years but also be accessible young thanks to the abundant dry extract. Lovely stuff and I particularly like the balance.
The 2017 Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside is gorgeous. Dark, rich and inviting, the 2017 has a lot to offer. Succulent dark cherry, plum, coffee, licorice, spice, menthol scorched earth give the 2017 its distinctly dark, brooding character to match its broad, ample feel. The imposing tannins need time to soften. Otherwise, the 2017 is very nicely done. The 2017 was done with fully destemmed fruit.
I always find the Hillside releases to be similar to the base release yet always with more density and depth. Some years the differences are easy to spot, some years, not so much. In 2017, the differences between the base cuvée and the Hillside are easy to spot. The 2017 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard Hillside is a clear step up over the base cuvée and, I'd wager, one of the Pinot Noirs of the vintage. Sporting a deeper ruby color (it's deeper colored than the base release), it displays awesome notes of spiced black cherries, mulberries, sassafras, sagebrush, mint, and forest floor. Deep, medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and with both power and elegance, it's a brilliant effort from the Santa Cruz Mountain that offers just about everything you could want from Pinot Noir. It has some upfront appeal yet is going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise of 15+ years in cool cellars.