2021 Pinot Noir Fraenkle Cheshier Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Pinot Noir Fraenkle Cheshier Vineyard was vinified using 18% whole clusters and matured in 25% new French oak. It's juicy, flavorful and incredibly perfumed, opening with alluring scents of cranberry and rhubarb, plus accents of conifer and moss, rooibos tea and licorice. The light-bodied palate is juicy and weightless despite its soaring red berry flavors, and its long, latent finish suggests it has more to reveal. 196 cases were made.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir Fraenkle Cheshier Vineyard is one of the most riveting Pinots I have ever tasted from Paul Hobbs. Bright, perfumed and racy, the 2021 is another stellar Pinot in this range. There's tons of nuance and energy running through the 2021. Graphite, rose petal, lavender and exotic red/purplish fruit all build into the deep, resonant finish. What a wine. Harvest was on October 2, late for the year, but not uncommon at this late-ripening site.
Lots of dried flowers, as well as fresh violets on the nose, together with blue fruit and orange peel. Full-bodied, yet weightless, with a concentrated center-palate of fruit and medium-chewy tannins. Spicy finish, with incense and floral flavors at the end. Drinkable now, but better after 2026.
About the producer
Paul Hobbs is one of California wine’s biggest names. Twice named Wine Personality of the Year by Robert Parker, he joined Robert Mondavi in 1977, worked at Opus One and Simi before setting up his eponymous winery in 1991.