(15.5% alcohol; from Vosne-Romanee clones) Good deep red-ruby. Knockout nose combines crushed blackberry, black raspberry, licorice and violet. Sappy, densely packed and powerful, with hugely rich, near-confectionery flavors of black fruits, wild strawberry and chocolate. There are complicating soil tones here but this is essentially a wonderfully sweet, creamy California fruit bomb of a pinot. Finishes with superb purity of fruit, fine sweet tannins, and firm balancing acidity.

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The 2005 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard, another wine made from the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, and named after the superb viticultural manager Ulises Valdez, has a deep ruby/purple-tinged color and an exceptional nose of sweet raspberry, pomegranate, and currants intermixed with some spring flowers, underbrush, and forest floor notes. The wine has dazzling stuffing, expansive texture, sensational purity, and well-integrated acidity and tannin.

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Smooth and richly flavored, with a mix of savory dark berry, blackberry, herb, mineral and sage flavors that are fairly explosive on the palate, yet somehow this remains elegant, balanced and very stylish. Ends with a long, lingering finish.

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