2009 Wind Gap Gap’s Crown and Griffin’s Lair Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

12.5% alc., 314 cases, $29. From Pax Mahle Wines. Hand-numbered bottles. · Shy scent of black cherries with generous oakdriven aromas of spice, smoke and mocha java. Dark-fruited with plenty of smoky oak, coffee and tar in the background. Somewhat better when re-tasted later in the day with some reduced oak influence but the fruit in this wine still plays second-fiddle to the oak. May show better oak integration with a year or two in the cellar. Decent. Reviewed March 2, 2011

Winery: Wind Gap Wines
From article: Mining for Good Under-$30 Pinot: Inflation Tamers