CrossBarn by Paul Hobbs, Anderson Valley (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2012

This is a well-priced and very drinkable Pinot Noir from a California winemaker whose influence extends wide as both a producer and an importer.  This Pinot offers fairly concentrated aromas and flavors of red berries and ripe black fruit with floral accents in the nose.  The firmness of oak tannin is evident on the wine’s taste, but soft, fleshy fruit fills out the center of the wine and pushes through to a rich finish. The wine’s fleshiness and dark fruit notes speak of the origin of its grapes, in Anderson Valley.  This is a full-bodied Pinot Noir with lots of flavor and lots of presence, and a lovely balance of character to lushness.