En Route, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Les Pommiers Pinot Noir 2023 ($60)

This is a lovely, complex Pinot Noir from a premium Russian River Valley venue that is surprisingly priced more reasonably than lesser wines from the region. It is slightly gamey on the nose and on the palate in the varietal style with dark Bing cherry flavors, and is smooth and almost creamy in texture and taste with mild tannins and a long, haunting finish. In the cellar, it profited from two weeks of skin contact and received a modest oak treatment — standard with many California Pinots — of about 10 months in oak, 30% of it new.
94 Roger Morris