
Loring Wine Company, 2007 Pinot Noir, Graham Family Vineyard, Russian River -- SidewaysWineClub.com Shopping Cart
$50.00
-- The only Loring Pinot from the Russian River, and one I can't get enough of!
Tasting Notes
Tight but vibrant, this wine will show better after an hour or so of decanting, or another 18 monhts in your cellar. Actually, as enjoyable as these wines are, this is good advice for most of the Loring pinots.
Look for a mot pleasant spice compliment to the fruit notes that remind me of blackberry jam as much as the traditional cherry-osity of pinot noir. We did say it's from Russian River though, so that makes sene. I get the feeling this wine is holding back a bit, and look forward to tasting again as it develops in the bottle. 3/5/09
"94 Points" Pinot Report
"91 Points" J. Laube, Wine Spectator
The Vineayrd
You'll find the Graham Family Vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley appellation, in a tiny sub-appellation called Green Valley. In 2001, Howard Graham hired vineyard manager Charlie Chenoweth, and planted Pinot Noir clones 667, 777, 828, Swan and Calera. This panoply of clones provides for a wide spectrum of Pinot flavors.
Years ago when the Iron Horse planted their vineyards in what was to become Green Valley, it was thought to be our stat'es coolest place where Pinot Noir would ripen. Such coolness, combined with critical soil characteristics, are two keys to great pinot, whether from Burgundy or Points farther West. And the Graham Family vineyard is equally blessed soil-wise, with a deep layer of Gold Ridge sandy loam soil, for those who monitor such things. Gold Ridge is unique in its water-retention capacity, so the vines could be dry-farmed within three years of planting.
The Winemaker
Owner Brian Loring was a raving pinot lover for decades before the wine bug finally bit so hard he sidelined a perfectly good day job to learn his craft and start his winery. Now he uses fruit from 10 of the best pinot noir vineyards on the West Coast, producing micro-quantities from each. And yes, each is bottled separately in a vineyard-designated bottling.
Brian's total production is just 7,500 cases, so rough math tells us he makes just a shade more than 500 cases per vineyard. I can't imagine the punishment one must go through, schedule-wise, when crafting this many wines. Then to only have such small quantities to sell for your efforts... I doff my cap to the Lorings!
Now I must tell you, I found Loring's prior pinot bottlings to be cross-dressing as Syrah or maybe Zinfandel from Amador county. Hot. Big. Not what I had in mind for pinot. Apparently, neither did Brian, for the Loring wines are now soft, elegant and approachable, with restrained alcohol (14%) and fruit so that some of the vineyard's characteristics show through. Much mo' bettah!
A Note On Screw Caps
After having just about enough of TCA problems from his natural corks, Brian has decided to close all of his bottles with screwcaps. Now, I have no problem with screwcaps. But they can be a surprise when someone orders a bottle of $50 wine. So I asked Brian about this, and he said
"I want people to enjoy my wine as I intended it to be when I made it. Cork taint was ruining as much as 8% of my production, and my buyers often thought that was how I WANTED my wine to taste! I simply couldn't afford to continue using them. And since I intend for my wines to be enjoyed within a 3-5 years of release, this is the perfect closure."Cheers,
Dave the Wine Merchant
SKU: LWC-PN-Graham-07
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