2 Pinot Noirs--both new to me

[wondersofwine]

I'm already in love with the Eric Ross Occidental Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel. Here's some info from the Eric Ross Winery website: "In 1994 two award-winning photographers from San Francisco's competing newspapers, Eric Luse and John Ross Storey became committed to producing wines with big personalities and heartfelt passions...Today they produce some of the finest wines in California." Their wine notes are from the 2002 Saralee Pinot Noir (I had the 2001) but they say the mouth has a nice complexity with silky smooth tannins and a soft long finish (I would agree with that on the 2001). Also "Low yields and a long cool growing season produced grapes with great complexity and finesse."
They produce two different Old Vine Zins, another Pinot Noir called "Poulet d'Or" (Golden Hen), a Carignane with Lodi grapes, an old vine Zinfandel Port and a Russian River Valley Chardonnay from Weeks Vineyard (which claims acidity in the finish and perfect to accompany any type of shell fish or light pasta or chicken dish.) I would like to give the Chard a try although it is given French oak treatment. Several of the wine notes comment on subtle French oak or sweet toasty French oak or a note of French oak. However, the Zin and the Pinot Noir I have sampled have not been buried in logs.