2003 Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir

Full red-ruby color. Knockout, superripe nose combines raspberry, blueberry, mocha and underbrush. Wonderfully sweet, fat and fine-grained; conveys the impression of volume without excess weight that characterizes so many of Helen Turley's wines, white as well as red. Offers outstanding palate coverage and finishes with mouth-staining persistence. For suavity and class, this pinot is in a league ahead of just about anything else being made today in California.

I was somewhat surprised to see that the 2003 Estate Pinot Noir merited the same score that it has received every time I have tasted it. Although I have never been able to award it a perfect score, it is as close to perfect as one will find. A terrific success in a vintage that rarely produced Pinot Noir of this quality except at selected micro-climates on the Sonoma coast. A majestic bouquet of black currants, smoky barbecue meat, blueberries and black raspberries soars from the glass of this dark plum/purple-colored wine. Full-bodied and stunningly rich with 14.5-14.7% natural alcohol, it possesses a layer of concentration as well as a multileveled complexity that builds incrementally across the palate. Jun 2014, www.robertparker.com