2012 Joseph Phelps Pinot Noir Pastorale Vineyard

With clean red fruit, black tea, and floral accents, the Pastorale Vineyard Pinot carries more structure and exotic notes than the Freestone Vineyard. This wine is not shy, offering vibrant palate density, and a lean muscular structure. Hold to allow it to develop and unwind in the bottle. Currently very taut.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Pastorale Vineyard is dark, juicy and explosive. Black cherries, plums, cedar, French oak, new leather and smoke open up in the glass. The style is decidedly virile and dark, with imposing fruit, big tannins and tons of body. This is one of the more powerful, explosive wines readers will taste from the Sonoma Coast. The 30% whole clusters are pretty much buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. This is an especially big, Sonoma Coast Pinot, which winemaker attributes to Calera and 777 clones.

Even deeper than the Freestone Vineyards Pinot is the 2012 Pinot Noir Pastorale Vineyard (under 14% alcohol). Its dense ruby hue is followed by a beautiful floral element. Readers will adore the black cherry, plym, clove-infused fruit and relatively full-bodied texture. This promising, high-quality, complex Pinot Noir can be consumed over the next decade or more.