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What We Say 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
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Mission Codename: A Fortunate Meeting
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Secure a unique Pinot made from great fruit with a great winemaker.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Pali Wine Company
Wine Subject: 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Winemaker: Brian Loring
Backgrounder:
Our operatives are familiar with Inman’s Olivet Grange Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Originally planted in 2000, this eight acre vineyard is tended with care and sustainable farming practices. Inman’s vineyard is truly representative of the region’s Terroir and is known for growing some of California’s best Pinot Noir. The coller climate and morning fog results in a longer growing season. The fruit for this Pinot Noir was picked late in the ripening cycle making the resulting wine deep and concentrated.
The winemaker, Brian Loring, is obsessed (and that’s a good thing) with making Pinot Noir. His philosophy is that the fruit is everything, saying “What happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine – I can’t make it better – I can only screw it up! That’s why I’m extremely picky when choosing vineyards to buy grapes from.” We are sure that you’ll agree that the fruit for today’s wine is worthy.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – This wine is clear and deep burgundy in color with garnet and ruby-red hues. Pinkish along the edges and when swirled leaves alternating slow and fast legs along the side of the glass.
Smell – Medium in intensity, with herbal and earthy notes over ripe and tart red fruit and specifically rich and concentrated red cherries and strawberries. Hints of sweet oak and exotic spice add to the complex nose of this wine.
Feel – An initially tangy attack, this medium-bodied and well structured wine is well balanced with good acidity and medium tannins that soften as it evolves in the glass.
Taste -Classic Pinot flavors of bright ripe red cherry, layered over complex notes of earth and mushroom, hints of spicy horseradish, fresh herbs and pepper as a touch of floral violet will cause you enjoy exploring this delicious wine as you enjoy sip after sip.
Finish – Long and lingering rich and ripe fruit flavors and aromas supported by its tannic structure and good acidity.
Conclusion – Pali Wine Company has been able to secure some exceptional fruit in their quest to produce exceptional single vineyard Pinot. Add to that, a winemaker with tremendous passion for his craft and the result are wines of distinction and quality. Today’s selection from Pali Wine Co is the first of several of the wines that we tasted. All impressed us and we are hoping to be able to feature more of these delicious wines in the future.
Mission Report:
Intel reports had been flooding into the W.I.N.E. (Wine Internet Nexus Engine) server about upstart winery Pali Wine Company and their alleged rendezvous with famed Pinot winemaker Brian Loring. After our investigation, we can confirm that over some great red meat and plenty of wine, Mr. Loring had been convinced to help create a series of single vineyard Pinot Noir.
Knowing Mr. Loring’s feelings that fruit drives the wine, the folks at Pali had their work cut out for them. Acquire fruit from some of the best vineyards in California and Oregon. It is in this spirit that we bring you the first of several exceptional wines that our tasting panel reviewed from Pali Wine Co. All are truly representative of their respective vineyards and have exceptional production quality.
Produced at their state-of-the-art and ultra-modern facility in Lompoc (next door to Loring Wine Co.) and the first new production facility in the area the resulting product is of exceptional quality. In addition, all of Pali’s wines are sealed using the Stelvin screw tops to ensure they arrive at your door in the same condition as they went into the bottle.
We are sure you’ll enjoy today’s selection from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley and specifically with fruit from Inman’s Olivet Grange Vineyard. Be sure to keep your eyes out for some of the other delicious Pali wines (and maybe even a Loring wine) we will be featuring in the future.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of Inman’s Olivet Grange Vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Pali Wine Company
Awards & Accolades:
94 Points – Pinot Report – Medium ruby color; deep, spicy red cherry aromas; rich and ripe red cherry flavors with delicate spice and sweet oak notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Elegant and bright red cherry flavor makes this a delicious Pinot to drink by itself. Serve with food if you must. 660 cases made.
90 Points – Wine Enthusiast – Shows the firm acidity, elegant silkiness and richness of the southern part of Russian River Valley, where the grapes were grown. The cherry, cola, pomegranate, rhubarb, herb-mint tea and peppercorn flavors are complex, and finish with a tannic scour. – S.H. (8/1/2008)
About This Wine:
Perfect Russian River signature of bright red fruit. The wine SCREAMS Russian River. Nice balance of acid and a touch of sweet tannin. Great, soft mouthfeel with lingering finish. Very similar to the 2005 release but with a touch bigger mid-palate.
About The Vineyard:
Inman Olivet Vineyard is located in Sonoma County California’s Russian River Valley. It is owned and operated by Kathleen and Simon Inman and was first planted in July 2000, with 7.2 acres of Pinot Noir as well as some Pinot Gris.
The free draining soils are loam and sandy loam with gravel underlay which is typical of the Russian River Valley’s Santa Rosa plain. All vineyard practices at Inman Olivet are designed to preserve the health of the soil and to produce the best quality grapes possible. The Inman’s are committed to protecting the environment by using sustainable farming practices. They elect not to sterilize the soil because of their belief in maintaining the natural soil ecology. Although not a certified organic vineyard, the Inmans use only organically certified products.
About The Winery:
Pali Wine Company is owned by a group of friends and coworkers. We are: Tim and Judy Perr, Scott and Janice Knight, John and Julie Plaa, Charlie and Kim Lenz, Dee Dee and Troy Mays, Diane Karis, Terri Cohen, Rob Berg, Dean and Pearl Ferdico, Ines Piquet, Addy Anggelico and Don Hill, Elissia and Don Villanueva, and Julie Russell.
Pali is the culmination of a love for great wine, great people and great times. Our company was founded by dedicated folks with something in common – a determined desire for excellence and a love of the good life without any pretense or stuffiness. Luckily, while we love the good life, we don’t insist upon the glamorous life. Winemaking is rewarding, invigorating, creative and many other things, however, winemaking is not glamorous!
About The Winemaker:
Brian Loring was our first and only choice to be Pali’s winemaker. We all enjoy his style of wine and love his success story. But, we had no idea whether he would work with us.
We first met Brian at Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse in Los Angeles. He brought five bottles of his 2003 releases, yum. After introductions, backgrounds and some fairly animated conversation, Brian said he liked us and hoped we did well but that he was not interested in being our winemaker – he simply did not have the time or space. We kept talking and pouring and pouring and talking and slowly his mind began to change. By the time the dessert wine was finished, Brian had signed on.
