2014 Ritchie Vineyard Pinot Noir

The 2014 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard is bright, focused and nuanced throughout, with plenty of supporting acidity to balance the intensity of the fruit. Sweet dark cherry, lavender and cloves are all pushed forward. This is an especially linear, energetic Ritchie Pinot with everything in the right place. The Ritchie is also the most structured of these Pinots, although there is plenty of the richness that Mark Aubert coaxes from his vineyard sites.

I tasted the four cuvées of Pinot Noir in 2014. These wines are aged in about 70% new oak, often see some whole clusters, but rarely more than 15-20%, and are given a cold pre-fermentation maceration of 5-7 days. The clonal material varies according to the source. The 2014 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard, which has 15-20% whole clusters and comes from the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, reveals loads of Asian spice, sassafras, pomegranate, black and red currants, some underbrush and forest floor. It is deep, dense, rich and just gorgeous. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

I tasted the four cuvees of Pinot Noir in 2014. These wines are aged in about 70% new oak, often see some whole clusters, but rarely more than 15-20%, and are given a cold pre-fermentation maceration of 5-7 days. The clonal material varies according to the source. The 2014 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard, which has 15-20% whole clusters and comes from the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, reveals loads of Asian spice, sassafras, pomegranate, black and red currants, some underbrush and forest floor. It is deep, dense, rich and just gorgeous. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. Dec 2015, www.robertparker.com