2007 Derby Wine Estates Derbyshire Vineyard San Simeon San Luis Obispo County Reserve Pinot Noir

15.3% alc., pH 3.65, 249 cases, $42. Clones 115, 667, 777. Aged 34 months in 80% new and 20% neutral French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered. · Deeply colored. The fruit-filled nose offers aromas of plums, black currants, and blackberry jam with toasty and smoky oak in the background. A blocky wine with plenty of sweet dark fruit but too much oak-derived notes of mocha, brown sugar, and toasted brioche. As much as I liked the 2008 regular bottling from this producer, this full-throttle wine displays many traits that I disdain in Pinot Noir: over ripeness, high alcohol, generous extraction, and too much oak. Decent. Reviewed January 27, 2011

Winery: Derby Wine Estates
From article: More Sips of California Pinot Noir