2002 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Cuvée

($28) Medium red. Blood orange and light cherry aromas, complicated by a leafy, herbal quality; this seems to be showing some development already. Sweet flavors of wild strawberry and black pepper. Finishes with a pleasant, spicy berry kick and a sense of warmth.

Author: Josh Raynolds

Issue: May/June 2005

Beautiful ruby with blue highlights. A ripe but distinctly red pinot fruit nose nuanced with subtle spice notes of anise and clove introduce round, rich, supple and ever-so-slightly sweet middle weight flavors that culminate in a dusty and slightly edgy finish. There is good vibrancy here with a mouth coating quality to the backend and the only nit is the somewhat one-dimensional character. However, if this can add complexity with more time in bottle, my score will clearly be conservative as this is really quite stylish and attractive.

Author: Allen Meadows

Issue: 4th Quarter, 2005