1996 Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Only 275 cases were made of this wine. While I consumed many bottles from my wine cellar, the 1996 was last tasted professionally in January, 2007, when it was showing better than my initial review of 95 points. Currently, it exhibits a dense, dark plum color as well as an exceptionally majestic bouquet of sweet plums, cherries, forest floor and red and black currants. With sweet, beautifully integrated tannins, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful, exuberant fruit and gorgeous deepness, this fully mature 1996 displays little evidence of falling apart. This complex beauty should drink well for 5-10 more years. In my initial review, I remember writing that this type of Pinot Noir suggests that in 30 to 50 years, the Sonoma coast -may be one of the world-s most fashionable spots for this varietal.- It appears I was correct in my prediction, except for the tming, as it is already an incredibly hot spot.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Full red-ruby color. Superripe, sappy aromas of crystallized black raspberry, black cherry, smoke and spices. Great intensity of flavor; in its restrained sweetness, this is a downright uncompromising wine that may come as a shock to those used to more candied pinot fruit. Very concentrated and very smooth. Finishes with superb, slow-building flavor and ripe, perfectly managed tannins. Became increasingly perfumed in the glass, but this is a wine, like a great Burgundy, that requires some work on the part of the taster. The high quality of this pinot is clear to see today, but for those lucky enough to latch onto a bottle or two of this stuff, I'd hold off for at least a couple of years. I know my score will have Burgundy bulls seeing red, but this wine should have little trouble holding its own against topnotch grand crus from the Cote de Nuits. May ultimately merit an even higher score. This is the long-awaited first set of commercial releases from the Sonoma Coast vineyard owned and planted by Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer. Turley and Wetlaufer declined to show their 1997 wines, feeling that they were not at their best four to six months after the bottling.