2009 Botella Pinot Noir

The 2009 Pinot Noir Botella sweeps across the palate with deep, rich layers of dark fruit. Smoke, licorice, incense and leather develop in the glass. The Botella is one of the more extroverted, juicy Pinots in this lineup. The wine’s persistence, depth and overall sense of harmony are all first-rate. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. It had been a few years since I last tasted the Sea Smoke wines, so I was curious to check out these current releases. At their best, the Sea Smoke Pinots offer gorgeous textural richness, depth and personality. I have to say that Sea Smoke’s recent decision to add the words “California Grand Cru” to their labels is preposterous and blatantly self-serving, since the term means absolutely nothing. Moreover, this invented designation has the potential to be immensely deceiving to consumers who don’t know there is no classification – formal or informal – when it comes to California’s vineyards. A formal classification is a worthy objective. Perhaps it will one day be a reality. But if it does happen, it certainly won’t be up to wineries to classify their vineyards for us. Tel. (805) 737-1600; www.seasmoke.com