Kathy Joseph’s wines, whether from California’s Central Coast or from Oregon, are always well-structured but usually generous. This one starts out that way with seduction floral and rooty aromas, but then it opens up on the palate with tart cherry flavors – very tart – and stays that way until the finish, a straight-line wine with little complexity. Love the aromas, love the taste, but not the intensity. Even after working it in the glass and re-tasting the next day, it remains tight and tangy. Silver Cloud Department: Cellar it for 10 years, then open it when you want an aged, kick-ass Pinot.
Fiddlehead Cellars, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2016
By Roger Morris