I generally pay scant attention to the results of the Sonoma Harvest Fair wine competition. Entries are limited to wines produced in Sonoma County, so the competition’s focus is too regional and therefore a bit narrow to get me very excited about the winners.
But I took notice of an email earlier this week from the PR folks for Willowbrook Cellars. I’d just tasted three delicious Pinot Noirs from Willowbrook and was very impressed. So I wasn’t surprised to learn all three had taken gold medals at the Harvest Fair.
It doesn’t always work out that exceptional wines receive the recognition they deserve. Such young wines are often erratic, expressing themselves poignantly one moment then going “dumb” the next.
This could have been particularly true of the Willowbrook Pinots, for much of their charm came down to the expressive aromas wafting from the glass. In my own tastings I gave the Willowbrook 2005 Kastania Vineyard (Sonoma Coast) Pinot Noir high marks for its hedonistic nose.
I could imagine the judges awarding it a gold medal on its nose alone. I scored it a whopping 94 points, but largely because the wine also delivered on the palate. It’s got it all: beautiful structure, layers of fruit, silky tannins, complexity and loads of spice. A show-stopper if ever there was, but also the most expensive (I didn’t know the prices of the wines when I tasted them, honest) of the three at $48.
I enjoyed the 2005 Morelli Lane ($42) from Willowbrook almost as much (93 points) and the difference was simply the nose on the Kastania. That’s not to imply the Morelli Lane didn’t smell great, too, but if someone put a gun to my head and made me choose I’d choose the Kastania.
The Estate ($34, 90 points) would have been a standout if I had tasted it solo, but it appeared shy next to its showier stablemates. Nevertheless, it’s delish and the “value” wine of the three. I should note that both the Morelli Lane and the Estate are Russian River Valley Pinots.
Anyway, moral of the story is these are three great Pinots and Willowbrook is a wonderful discovery for me personally. And perhaps I should pay more attention to the Harvest Fair in the future!
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