Bucher Vineyards has been a designated vineyard for Williams Selyem since 1999. A quick search for Selyem’s Bucher Pinot reveals that bottles are selling for between $100 and $250. If you can actually find any for sale!. Today, we’ve got a brilliant 2014 Bucher Pinot directly from the grower themselves. This wine will blow you away.

The Bucher Vineyard is located about 1.5 miles north of the Williams Selyem winemaking facility on Westside Road, in Healdsburg, California. The vineyard is comprised of 38 acres of sustainably-farmed grapes, 36 acres of Pinot Noir on 14 distinct blocks and 2 acres of Chardonnay. Today’s Pinot was made from the vineyard’s finest grapes from select vineyard blocks.

This Pinot Noir has a rich and deep garnet hue, shifting to crimson at the meniscus. It is quite dark, indicative of a heavier-than-average Pinot Noir. From the first sniff, you’ll find deep and complex earthen aromas, reminiscent of time spent on the farm, with hay, leather, cocoa, and fig. This is a very immersive wine, on the nose and on the palate. Speaking of the palate, after you take a sip, the intrigue continues with enchanting, layered and nuanced flavors including tree-fresh fig, toffee, rhubarb, anise, and plum. This Pinot indeed is very full-bodied, exceptionally so, yet with the nice soft tannins usually found in the varietal. The result is a rich, textured experience that supports the amazing flavor profile of this complex wine. Pinot can usually be paired with anything, but this is a very special wine. Try something different like offering it at the first course paired with a potato-leek soup drizzled with truffle oil.

This wine is divine!

.

91 points ~ Pinotfile, 12-25-16

4 Stars ~ Wines of the Week, The Press Democrat, 8-10-16

“The Pinot Noir for Easter Dinner” - Sonoma Magazine, 3-17

“The red wine to enjoy at a backyard barbeque” - Sonoma Magazine, 8-16