Pinot in 1997--Russian River Valley

[Randy Caparoso]

Nothing wrong with the vintage, my friend. To put it kindly, Alderbrook is simply not a major player in Russian River Valley style (broad, velvety, smoky/spicy) Pinot Noir. The big guns include the likes of Williams Selyem, Rochioli, and Dehlinger -- all very difficult to obtain, but hey, you wanted to know -- who all put out batteries of fine, intense, laudably well balanced (for Russian River, which sometimes can be coarse) wines. But even wineries like "J," De Loach (their "O.F.S.") and Iron Horse (their Green Valley appellation is but an extension of the Russian River) put out some fine and silky '97 Pinot Noirs. A real sleeper for me has been the '97 Keegan -- rich, earthy, and plump with sweet/spicy fruit.

The '98 vintage was more challenging (weather-wise), but the learning curve in this region has been so steep that the ones that I've tasted so far have also been uniformly outstanding. Good stuff. No worries. The 1998s will be just fine.

If you like the Russian River style, you should also explore the Pinot Noirs from the nearby Sonoma Coast region. Top producers working with fruit from there include Flowers, Siduri, Kistler and Whitcraft.

Then there is the more northerly and cool climate defined Anderson Valley in Mendocino. The yet-to-be-released 1998 Duckhorn "Golden Eye" will be a giant. I just tasted a pure Mendocino cuvee made by Jim Clendenen under his Ici-La/Bas label -- liquid dynamite. The '98 is Clendenen's second vintage carrying this appellation in unadulturated form (he also makes Oregon and Oregon/Mendocino Pinot Noirs under the Ici-La/Bas moniker). Although lesser known, I suspect that Mendocino Pinot Noirs will soon surpass even the Russian River in the gutsy yet velvet lined, spicy/smoky style people associate with these regions. If anything, the Russian River producers will probably steer themselves into finer, silkier styles, less oakier and volatile than before. Why? Because they can!


[This message has been edited by Randy Caparoso (edited 06-01-2000).]