2010 Big Basin Pinot Noir Coastview Vineyard
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Veins of minerality cut through the fruit in the 2010 Pinot Noir Coastview Vineyard. Always fairly immediate in style, the 2010 is built on gorgeous red fruit, perfumed aromatics and crystalline acidity. There is a transparency to the 2010 that is particularly appealing. This is a terrific showing from Big Basin. The 2010 was fermented with about 12% whole clusters and spent 16 months in French oak barrels, 43% new.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Bright ruby-red. Complex, strongly scented bouquet evokes candied red and dark berry preserves, cola, incense and smoky Indian spices. Sappy, penetrating and impressively focused, showing good heft to its black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors. Aeration brings up a gentle vanilla nuance that carries through a long smoke- and spice-accented finish. This pinot's exotic character gives it surprising upfront appeal.
Layers of dark red fruit flesh out in the glass in the 2010 Pinot Noir Coastview Vineyard. There is a mid-palate pliancy in the 2010 that is very pretty. The 2010 is a bit of a softer, rounder style than some of the other Pinots in the lineup, but it shows terrific depth from start to finish. The Coastview was made with mostly de stemmed fruit.
Layers of dark red fruit flesh out in the glass in the 2010 Pinot Noir Coastview Vineyard. There is a mid-palate pliancy in the 2010 that is very pretty. The 2010 is a bit of a softer, rounder style than some of the other Pinots in the lineup, but it shows terrific depth from start to finish. The Coastview was made with mostly de-stemmed fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. I tasted a bevy of gorgeous wines with proprietor Bradley Brown this year. These new and upcoming releases are impeccable and strongly suggest Brown is one of the up and coming stars of the region. I can hardly wait to see how his wines develop in the future. Most of the 2010 Pinots were harvested during the first week of October, on the late side that year. The wines spent 16 months in French oak, between roughly 40-60% new. The 2009 Syrahs were picked during a broad window that started in early October and lasted much of the month. Brown gave his 2009 Syrahs about 27 months in French oak, from 50-86% new. I also tasted a number of wines from barrel, most of them 2010 Syrahs and Syrah-blends. Today, those wines are very promising, as the cold 2010 vintage seems to have brought out the maximum in varietal definition and nuance. Tel. (831) 621-8028