1999 Daniel Gehrs Pinot Noir

[dananne]

Santa Maria Valley -- Lake Marie

This one was fantastic -- Anne and I both would rank it in our top 5 wines we've had in the past year or so. Decanted 30 minutes to warm up from cellar temp and because of some sediment.

Clear ruby color, and a very aromatic nose of cherry, strawberry, and bacon fat. Very silky feel, and the flavors are very complex, with the fruit mingling with the aforementioned bacon fat, some tobacco, and piney elements. There are some dusty tannins present and good acidity. The finish is exceptionally long. 13.5% alc. We paid about $30 for it locally, but I've picked up other vintages for less. I posted a TN a while back praising the '98, which had been my wife's favorite PN, but I think this one topped it. A very nice wine.

[winoweenie]

Thanks for the note DAnne. Will definately look for this next trip to calif. WW

[wondersofwine]

Checked their website and distribution seems to be very limited outside California. Where did you find it dan and did you note the name of the distributor?

[dananne]

I picked the '99 Gehrs up at a shop called Minks in Marietta, GA. The '98 Gehrs I found at Sherlocks Wine and Spirits at their Kennesaw, GA location (they didn't have it at their other two Atlanta locations). I fished the bottle out of the trash bin (I should really take the trash out more often), but unfortunately there is no distributor mentioned nor a sticker. It does have a number, though - 800-275-8138. Hope that helps! When I head back up to the shop this weekend to pick some more up I'll get the distributor name and let you know.

Dan

[dananne]

Hi, Wonders --

I picked up the last bottle of the '99 at Minks, and I asked them about distribution: In GA, it's Prestige Wines, Ltd. (770) 955-2876. I'm sure that it's the '00 that's moving right now, but there may still be some '99 clogging up the pipeline somewhere. If I'm able to track anything else down, I'll let you know.

[dananne]

Anne and I popped the last of the '99s of this one over the weekend to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. Perhaps our expectations were too big based upon the bottle we had in Jan., but this one was a bit of a letdown. The bacon fat element, which had been in the background and lent complexity in the other bottle, seemed to be too pronounced this time, to the point where it tasted a bit out-of-whack. Maybe bottle variation, maybe the extra 6 months age, maybe because the bottle was the last of the lot in the wine shop where I picked it up in the odds-and-ends bin. Oh, well. The earlier 99 was fantastic, the '98 was stellar, and I've got a '00 in the cellar to pop soon.