2011 La Cote Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
I reviewed all of the 2011s last year, but was able to retaste them again this year as well. They showed beautifully and had barely budged since I last tasted them. They were in line with the prior reviews, with the Bloom’s Field showing some upside. A collaboration between Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman, Domaine de la Cote focuses on Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills. Their estate vineyard is located as far west as you can go in the appellation and is southeast-facing, which gives it some shelter in this windswept AVA. The wines are made in focused, elegant style, and shine for their purity and precision. The 2012s, while still in barrel, have a touch more texture and richness, with no loss of purity. This is a rock-solid estate. www.domainedelacote.com
Critic scores
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Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The personality of this remote, high-altitude site comes through loud and clear in the 2011 Pinot Noir La Côte. Rich and textured on the palate, this deep, resonant wine boasts tremendous balance and layers of expansive fruit. Sweet floral and spice notes resonate on the finish. Today, the 2012 is a bit tightly wound, but it is nevertheless exquisite and loaded with potential.
Silex subsoil. Dense and much more concentrated than the Bloom's Field bottling although still dry rather than sweet. Lots of tannin and ambition here. Is this the Chambertin of Sta Rita Hills? Lots of structure. Very clean and fresh. (JR)
See my note on the Estate Pinot for the background to this new domaine and new wines from Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman in the far west of the Sta Rita Hills. Just four barrels of this wine from a 9-acre plot but using fruit only from the middle of the slope, yielding 1 ton/acre. 100% whole bunch, malo in barrel, just 15% new oak. 22 months in barrel. Racked only once before bottling. Made in exactly the same way as the Estate wine. Delicate but insistent stemmy perfume, beautifully elegant and ethereal, clearly demonstrating the possibility of an intense wine that is light as a feather. The fruit tastes like tiny sweet ripe cherries, wild cherries. Tannins are dry and refined but the whole impression is fluid. Breathtakingly delicious and captivating. (JH)