2011 Leon Beyer Pinot Noir Reserve

Also recommended, but no tasting note given. Small though yields were in 2010, Marc Beyer says they were adequate in the realm of basic bottlings. It was only when it came to the special cuvees that volume dropped off dramatically, as much due to the need for stringent lot selection and declassification of usually prime fruit sources as to overall paucity of juice. The results are especially impressive in the line-ups that are ostensibly “low end,” and with Riesling. Given the track record for vinous longevity at this address (not just of how vintages from the 1970s and 1980s developed two decades on, but also because methods have remained unusually constant) I recommend them with special urgency to those who like this house’s relatively lean and adamantly dry style and who prefer to savor their Riesling with bottle age. The restrained Beyer style has largely flattered 2011 in a series of bottlings immediately engaging when it comes to Riesling, while Gewurztraminer takes the palm in terms of profundity and potential longevity. Imported by Aveniu (A.V.) Brands, Baltimore, MD; tel. (410) 884-9463