2016 Big Basin Old Corral Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

13.2% alc., 205 cases, $65. Release March 2019. Inaugural vintage from Estate vines in three blocks budded over from Syrah to Pinot Noir in 2015. Harvest Brix about 22.6º (Mt Eden clone) and 23.0º (Swan selection). 100% whole cluster, native yeast, aged 18 months in French oak barrels, 25% new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. · Moderately light ruby red color in the glass. Persistent aromatic joy featuring scents of cherry, ripe cranberry, spice, fertile earth and old wood. Light to mid weight in style, offering flavors of red fruits , baking spices and tobacco. A woodiness pervades the flavor and aromatic profile. Forward and pleasing and somewhat delicate, with riveting acidity and a finish resonant with crystalline cherry. Score: 91. Reviewed October 12, 2018

Winery: Big Basin Vineyards
From article: Oregon’s Big Table Farm and California’s Big Basin Committed to Whole Cluster