Pinot in 1997--Russian River Valley

[winoweenie]

As a fan of both Swan and Dehlinger ( Who by the way got his original pinot cuttings from Big Joe ) my tastes have been tilted slightly toward Dehlinger, especially since Joes death. Since Tom Dehlinger and Ken Burnap came back from Burgandy and re-trellised and re-spaced their vineyards, I personally think their quality has gone up. The Santa Cruz Mtn. pinots of Kens age extremely well ( Had a bottle of the 75 last month and it was extrodinary ) and are quite big originally, but do reward you for a little patience. So you`re the ONE that dropped off Toms` list last year. You made someone in Shawnee happy. Also when Fred Scherrer left Tom and started his own winery there was a small time-frame, and re-learning that was experienced. I still think that Dehlinger gives lots of bang for the buck. Winoweenie