2016 En Famille Pinot Noir

From a vineyard planted on Goldridge soils in 1990, the medium to deep ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir en Famille features wonderfully provocative scents of roses, lavender and cinnamon stick over a core of redcurrants and ripe raspberries with a waft of fungi. Full-bodied with a firm, very fine-grained frame, it has an electric line of freshness and red berry layers, finishing very long and very perfumed. 200 cases produced.

The 2016 Pinot Noir En Famille comes from a warmer, more southerly slope and has more red fruits as well as a sauvage, wild, complex style. Kirsch, wild cherries, underbrush and load of spice, a rounded, seamless texture, no hard edges, and a great finish all make for one incredible Pinot Noir that can be drunk today or cellared for a decade. I loved these latest releases from Luc Morlet and family, and they show a sensational mix of classic, balanced, even old-school, characters mixed with killer California fruit. As a whole, the 2014s show more elegance and complexity, with the 2015s possessing more power and richness. These are rockstar wines.

The 2016 Pinot Noir En Famille is wonderfully bright and focused. In this tasting, the En Famille is a bit more closed on the mid-palate than it usually is, but that should not be an issue over time. Persistent and sculpted from start to finish, the En Famille is shaping up to be another very pretty and expressive wine from Luc Morlet. A closing flourish of mineral-inflected overtones add brightness.