Alysian, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County) Pinot Noir 2010

This vintage of Floodgate / Rock Hill offers a core of bright red fruit, and is slightly fleshier in its youth than some of winemaker Gary Farrell’s other pinots. On the nose this wines shows considerable spice. It is fresh and crisp on the palate, with exceptional balance and dynamic tension between ripeness and structure. It finishes with excellent persistence, and a fair amount of grip. Once again Farrell demonstrates that he is a master of California pinot noir. Very enjoyable in this moment, but a solid candidate to improve with additional maturity over the next five to eight years.