2011 Wind Gap Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

(made with 50% whole clusters; 75% of the wine was raised in concrete eggs and the rest in neutral French oak; 12.8% alcohol and 3.37 pH): Bright ruby-red. Vibrant black raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by Asian spices and candied flowers. Offers sweet dark berry and bitter cherry flavors enlivened by white pepper and allspice. The long, supple finish features fine-grained tannins and a late candied lavender kick.

A bit of a stylistic departure, the 2011 Pinot Noir Gaps Crown Vineyard comes across as rich, deep and sensual next to the rest of the range. Dark red cherries, flowers, mint, spices and licorice all flesh out in an expressive, generous Pinot Noir that captures the very best qualities of the year. In 2011, 75% of the wine was aged in concrete eggs, an unusual approach with Pinot that yielded stark, naked expression of fruit that is remarkable for its purity. The 50% whole clusters are nicely integrated throughout. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. This is another exciting, captivating set of wines from Wind Gap and Pax Mahle. Readers who have not yet discovered Wind Gap owe it to themselves to do so. These are some of the most gorgeous, nuanced wines being made in California today. Mahle continues to experiment with concrete and larger casks, both of which seem ideally suited to a minimalist approach that seeks to draw out the maximum expression of each of these sites. The Wind Gap wines achieve that elusive balance of depth without excess heaviness. Once again, I was deeply impressed with the range I tasted and can't recommend these wines highly enough. Tel. (707) 887-9100