1999 Beringer Vineyards Founders Estate
California Pinot Noir
Score: 91.0
"Needs some air to open up, but then it displays dried cherry fruit, forest floor and mushrooms, with a silky smooth texture and a a long, complex, vibrant fruity finish. Absolutely remarkable for the price. Amazing."
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1998 Seven Peaks
San Luis Obispo County/Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
Score: 93.0
"A mouthful of this Pinot will send your head spinning-its one of those big, earthy wines, with fresh cherry fruit, a silky texture, and so much depth that its difficult to describe. A very controversial wine with our consumer tasting panel: some felt it was too earthy, others thought the earthiness made it that much more complex."
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1997 Byron Vineyard and Winery
Sierra Madre Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
Score: 93.0
"A great vineyard in a great year. Sierra Madre Vineyard is among a handful of vineyards in California that produce consistently fine Pinot Noir. This 1997 yields a dry wine of bright cherry fruit, cloated in damp earth and smoke, with a silky texture and a long complex finish. Even at $32 this is a bargain, as they dont come much better."
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1998 Meridian Vineyards
Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir Coastal Reserve
Score: 94.0
"An exquisite nose of deep, lush cherry pie fruit with a subtle, complex background of forest floor and vanilla, medium body and a sensuous texture, soft tannin and a long spicy finish. Great now, it will also age gracefully for a few years."
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1998 Robert Mondavi Reserve
Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Score: 95.0
"As good as Mondavis Carneros Pinot is, the Reserve is that much better. Silky smooth on the palate, it displays lush cherry fruit laced with nutmeg, cardamom, and a hint of both smoke and cocoa. Perfectly balanced, complex yet subtle, this is the finest Napa Valley Pinot Noir Ive ever had."
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1999 Amity Vineyards "Eco Wine, Organic Grapes, Sulfite Free"
Cattrall Brothers Vineyards Oregon Pinot Noir
Score: 92.0
"A scent of smoke, mushroom, fresh cherry and flowers. Nicely balanced with light tannin and smooth texture, and a long fruit and mineral finish. More angular and stylistically different from is more expensive stablemate, but no less impressive."
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1998 Amity Vineyards
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Score: 93.0
"An elegant wine displaying dried cherry, faint mushroom and forest floor notes, with the velvety texture Pinot Noir is famous for. Deep, broad and long. As Bob Cratchit said, 'A triumph, my dear!'"
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1996 Thomas Fogarty
Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir Estate Reserve
Score: 86.0
"Predominantly smokey, with medium tannin and spice to give it length. A sturdy wine with some staying power."
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1999 Rodney Strong
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Estate Bottled
Score: 87.0
"Cinnamon, toast and cherry, with light tannin and a warm spicy finish. Very pretty."
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1998 Villa Mt. Eden
Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir Grand Reserve
Score: 88.0
"Bien Nacido is hallowed ground for Pinot Noir. This is typical-aromatic cherry and violets with an earthy component that gains intensity on the perceptibly sweet palate. Amazingly concentrated fruit, cinnamon spice, silky texture and an earthy-spicy finish of fine length. This wine has great complexity and intensity, but it could be drier."
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1999 Lawrence J. Bargetto
California "Pinot Grigio: : Pinot Grigio, like its cousin Pinot Noir, really shows off its origins. The styles
Score: 93.0
" It has a prominent nose thats hard to describe-perhaps floral with ripe cantaloupe - while on the palate it adds gentle cherry and tart citrusy notes. Full of fruit with a fleshy mouthfeel and a crisp acid edge, this wine is a pleasure to drink as an apertif, and pairs especially well with poultry or pork."
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1998 Villa Mt. Eden
Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir Grand Reserve
Score: 88.0
"Bien Nacido is hallowed ground for Pinot Noir. This is typical-aromatic cherry and violets with an earthy component that gains intensity on the perceptibly sweet palate. Amazingly concentrated fruit, cinnamon spice, silky texture and an earthy-spicy finish of fine length. This wine has great complexity and intensity, but it could be drier."
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1999 Lawrence J. Bargetto
California "Pinot Grigio: : Pinot Grigio, like its cousin Pinot Noir, really shows off its origins. The styles
Score: 93.0
" It has a prominent nose thats hard to describe-perhaps floral with ripe cantaloupe - while on the palate it adds gentle cherry and tart citrusy notes. Full of fruit with a fleshy mouthfeel and a crisp acid edge, this wine is a pleasure to drink as an apertif, and pairs especially well with poultry or pork."
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1997 Navarro Vineyards Methode a lAncienne
Anderson Valley Mendocino Pinot Noir
Score: 87.0
"Cherries with a smokey edge, a touch of earth, silky texture, light tannin, and a spicy finish of great length. Good now, Id like to lay it down for five years."
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1998 Lawrence J. Bargetto
Regan Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
Score: 86.0
"Black cherry, licorice, medium tannin, firm structure. Begs for extended aging."
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