Let’s start with mouth-wateringly delicious. Anderson Valley fruit, this offering from MacPhail Family Wines is slightly lighter-bodied than some others but still rich with flavors of cherry, plum, rhubarb, and cola. A touch of spice and acidity added to the supple tannin structure combine to produce an excellent food pairing Pinot Noir. Read: Interview with James MacPhail
I first met James MacPhail in February of 2011 in his small yet well designed winery located behind his home, near Healdsburg in Sonoma. Others had told me of these beautiful Pinots, but I remained skeptical of the accolades. That skepticism was blown away in about 10 minutes. Predominately a producer of single vineyard Pinot Noir, James and I sat for over two hours sampling the wines and discussing the nuances of each. More than just being a great winemaker, James is smart and fun to hang with. I became more than a fan that day…maybe a devotee.
At that time James split his time between making his own wines under the MacPhail label and working as the winemaker for Hess Collection’s single vineyard Pinot Noir label, Sequana. James told me he enjoyed the freedom Hess allowed him to create artful wines with the same attention to detail as his own. The relationship must have remained strong, since Hess acquired the MacPhail label later in the year. James continues as winemaker for both.
James’s offerings from the 2009 vintage are as strong as those of 2007. What about 2008 you ask? Well, it seems that many of his vineyards were close enough to the raging fires of that summer to absorbed the smoke flavors (smoke taint) thus producing inferior wines. James refused to bottle that year at significant cost to his small winery. That shows however, his strong commitment to quality.
The very light style Pinot from Anam Cara Cellars offers up soft flavors of cherry, blueberry, raspberry and light spice. An easy drinker with soft tannins and understated oaky influences, the result of aging in predominately older barrels.
A beautiful big-boy Pinot from Freeman Vineyards. Rich character, good structure with a full and round mouth-feel. Flavors abound with cherry, black raspberry, dark berries, rhubarb and a hint of cola. Be patient, this baby need time to open to its full potential. Decant for at least 30 minutes
This select blend from MacPhail Family Wines is a bit shy so give it a little time to open up to really see the subtle complexity shine through. A medium-bodied yet rich Pinot Noir with a rustic nose of smokey cherry, cinnamon and cola gives way to jammy flavors of blueberry, dark cherry, rhubarb, spice-box and cola. Should get even better over 2012-2014.
