24 YEAR OLD CAL PINOT

[Jerry D Mead]

Who says California Pinot doesn't age. Opened my only remaining bottle of 1975 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard "Reserve" Pinot Noir, decanted it (not as much sludge as expect)...and what a treat. I was fearful it might be tired, or worse over the hill altogether, as my storage is (and always has been) pretty much room temp (70F). This amazing wine had not even begun to brown at the edge...still had fruit and the two years in FRench oak were also evident. It even continued to open up during the hour-plus it was still in the glass as we played with it(and four other, younger reds on the table). Mostly cherry and plum, but a little spice, and lots of earthy, even smoky complexity. The large tannins the wine once had have all been resolved, but there's still plenty of both fruit and acidity left behind. The Reserve was very limited, but I believe there is still some of the "regular" (same fruit, but a year less oak aging)on the wine list at Bern's in Tampa. Oh! The yield in 1975 was less than 1/2 ton to the acre, hand-picked by amateurs. SCMV winemaker Ken Burnap is an old friend and was in town for dinner, thus my dusting off the special bottle.

[Ray Krause]

the 75
The 75 Burnap and the 66 Chalone are indelible upon my mind. Thanks fo the taste memory jog. Any more of either out there?/RK

[Bucko]

The 71 Hanzell drank in 1991 - incredible....

Bucko

[Jerry D Mead]

And don't forget the 1975 Hoffman Mountain Ranch (another legend...I have one bottle left)and the 1977 SCMV Pinot (I have two or three somewhere) which beat its stablemate 75 and the entire DRC collection (I don't have any!) somewhere around 1980...

[Jerry D Mead]

And don't forget the 1975 Hoffman Mountain Ranch (another legend...I have one bottle left)and the 1977 SCMV Pinot (I have two or three somewhere) which beat its stablemate 75 and the entire DRC collection (I don't have any!) somewhere around 1980...