2016 Big Basin Coastview Vineyard Pinot Noir [JD95][WE93][W&S92] WINE

“The 2016 Coastview Vineyard Pinot Noir is one of the more delicate wines, with pretty red fruits, smoked earth, spring flowers, and spice aromas and flavors. Like all of Bradley’s wines, it has juicy acidity and terrific purity, is medium-bodied, elegant and lively. It also has a vibrant, poised style that’s going to age beautifully. It’s one of my favorites in the lineup but needs 3-4 years of bottle age. This saw 88% whole clusters and spent 18 months in 42% new French oak.” 

“Grown at about 2,200 feet above the Salinas Valley with views of the Monterey Bay, this bottling, which saw 88% whole-cluster fermentation, shows crushed hibiscus, spicy cinnamon, anise and red plum on the pungent nose. Crisp pomegranate and raspberry flavors meet with sumac and aromatic mints on the palate.” 

“From a vineyard not far from Pinnacles National Park, this reflects the site’s coolness with its savor. It leads with scents of smoke and peat, the red-fruit flavors tart and crunchy, with a candied-ginger edge. Age, then serve with grilled octopus.”  

Winemaker Notes: 

“The aromatics literally leap out the glass and fill your olfactory passages with a complex melange of wild berry, black cherry and pomegranate fruits, crushed flowers and granite. One has to spend a bit of time with it in the attempt to unwind these aromatics. On the palate, the wine is silky with beautiful body and intense, tightly wound fruit which is supported by vibrant acidity and a long finish that allows it to unfold gracefully. The fruit echoes the nose with pomegranate, black cherry and wild berry with hints of baking spice on the finish. A decant is strongly recommended on this wine in the short term and we expect it to handsomely reward extended cellar aging (who knows, maybe 20 years would be a beautiful thing for this wine).”