Sonoma "Coastlands Vineyard" 2002, Cobb

Having recently relocated to New York it was inevitable that the Burgoblog tasting notes would need to diversify from pure Côte d'Or plus Chablis to include US vineyards. It will be interesting to see how these monstrous, fruit-laden, sugar-coated wines stand up to a palate trained on the mineral and elegant wines of Burgundy these last 20 years. When buying Californian pinot noir the first thing I do is to look at the back label to find out what the alcoholic percentage is. Anything above 14% is out of the question. Hailing from the cooler Sonoma Coast region this pinot comes in at an acceptable 13.5% and is a glossy, refined, berry-packed offering from the modest Cobb vineyard. Red currant, blackberry, cedar, redwood, pine on the nose. Gentle and fragrant. Evolved notes of leather. There are thick berry fruits on the palate, tastes riper than the nose, cherries, restrained. Definitely fruit-driven but not super-sized. An elegant and enjoyable wine. Another big thank you to one of California's leading wine tasters, Dr Lee of the Vintners Group, for sharing this velvety wine. Scores 25 / 30 for a Sonoma pinot.