2005 Pinot Noir Reserve Accolades

RESTAURANT WINE: RON WIEGAND FEB 2009
4 1/2 STARS: EXCELLENT - EXCEPTIONAL
Burgundy-like, in the best sense: supple, complex in character, and long and persistent on the finish; very fine quality. It tastes of plum, orange peel, baked cherry, clove, and spicy oak.

 

92 POINTS - WINE SPECTATOR:
Spicy cola, raspberry, cranberry and savory herb and dried cherry fruit give this an intriguing range of complex flavors. Balanced, elegant and structured. Drink now through 2012.

90 POINTS - CONNOISSEURS' GUIDE:
If cast in the same, slightly restrained model as its sibling, [2005 Fort Ross Pinot Noir] the Fort Ross Reserve [has] more richness and depth. It firms up at the finish … after its supple beginnings, but its precise, well-defined fruit sustains nicely and encourages three or four years of further patience. Very limited availability. Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin. Beef and lamb. Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine.