2002 Pinot Noir Rosemary's Vineyard

From a spectacular vintage across the board for Talley Vineyards, the 2002 Pinot Noir Rosemary’s Vineyard offers beautiful notes of forest floor, raspberries, black cherries, spring flowers and a meaty bouquet garni character that reminds me of northern Cote de Nuits grand crus. Sweet fruit, velvety tannin, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning purity as well as focus make this possibly my favorite of all the Rosemary’s Vineyard Pinot Noirs. It was rated 94 when I reviewed it in August, 2004, and I predicted it had a decade of life ahead of it. Certainly it will last longer than that as it has another 5-8 years of drinkability. By the way, the crop size in 2002 was only .5 tons of fruit per acre for the Rosemary’s Vineyard, which no doubt accounts for the wine’s extraordinary concentration.