2016 Matt Taylor Wines Komorebi Vineyard West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

13.11% alc., pH 3.33, TA 0.84, 230 cases. This vintage provided incredible skin maturity at lower sugar levels, and the stems, despite being neon green in color, were very sweet and ripe and not green in flavor. Hand-harvested and hand-sorted (harvested before the Sonoma County fire in early October). 100% whole cluster in two tanks: one oak and the other concrete. Both tanks were a co-ferment with native yeasts of the three selections in the vineyard. The grapes were in tank 27 days which included a period of extended maceration. The free-run and press wine were kept separate and sent to 228L and 600L barrels (2.5x the size of a normal barrel and having wood staves that are over 1.5x as thick) on the lees for 18 months of aging. 3 months prior to bottling, the wine was moved to tank and received 20 ppm of sulfur. · Light garnet color in the glass. The whole cluster driven nose offers aromas of burnt tobacco, pine sap, sweet pipe smoke and dried leaf elements. Elegantly styled in a light to mid-weight fashion, the wine offers flavors of red cherry and cranberry with a botanical underpinning. Fine-grain, slightly gritty tannins are well proportioned. An arrow of acidity contributes freshness and a piquant finish. More likeable over time in the glass, gaining succulence. Even more enjoyable when tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle when the wine displayed more expressive fruit, better acid integration and overall more harmony. Score: 93. Reviewed March 22, 2020

Winery: Matt Taylor Wines
From article: Matt Taylor Wines: Great Things Take Time