Eric Kent Pinot Noir Small Town

An obvious sibling of our previous two Small Town Pinot, this vintage represents a small departure with the addition of 35% Roberts Road vineyard fruit from the Petaluma Gap to complement our Freestone vineyard sources. Weighing in at just 13.7% alcohol (yes. . . in CA that actually merits the modifier “just”), the wine has a purplish-ruby color that ultimately appears darker in the glass than we expected. A wonderful and expressive nose of clove, cola nut, bay leaf, pine needles, cherry, mixed berries and candied fruit is followed by broad and rich flavors of black cherry and briary, spicy berry chutney with an apple skin and earth layer adding complexity. A complete wine with excellent acidity and generously ripe yet balanced fruit, enhanced by a gorgeous herbal note and structured yet inviting tannin. Given its youth and recent bottling, we recommend allowing the wine a brief interlude in the cellar as it prepares to unveil its true nature a year or so down the road.