2011 Albatross Ridge “Bowlus Estate” Pinot Noir

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2011 Albatross Ridge “Bowlus Estate” Pinot Noir

$55 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Interesting back-story with this selection.  My good friend and faux relative, Dan Moffat of Santa Cruz, introduced me to Albatross Ridge winemaker, Garrett Bowlus, when I was visiting for a few days. . .which just happened to overlap with the Pebble Beach Concurs d’Elegance in mid-August.  Garrett invited us up to his hilltop vineyard to taste his wines, and we pulled over for 20 minutes to watch an entourage of classic cars stream into Carmel.

Garrett’s grandfather piloted sailplanes off the ridges of Carmel Valley in the 1930s, hence the name and the image on the bottle.  Sipping wine in the Bowlus Vineyard at 1,250 feet—with cool breezes surrounded by 360-degree views of deep valleys—it is easy to imagine an intrepid adventurer taking flight.

But it’s all about the wine, and this juice transports your palate somewhere it’s never been before.  Actually, the wine has not been released yet; though it has been in the bottle for a year, Albatross Ridge won’t start selling it until late in November.  We’ll be the only retailer in this part of the world, and since we purchased 25 cases, we took almost 10% of the 300 cases comprising the 2012 vintage.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Bright aromatics of red fruits, red cherry, earth and sandalwood lead into flavors of ripe raspberry, tart cherry and wild raspberry framed by a long mineral driven acidity with a touch of spice.”

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