2013 Patz & Hall "Pisoni Vineyard" Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Saturated ruby-red color. Knockout nose combines blackberry, black cherrry and Oriental spices; reminded me of a wine from the Vosne-Roman̩e/Nuits-Saint-Georges neighborhood. Powerful and large-scaled but a bit youthfully monolithic, with black fruit flavors lifted by mint and ginger high notes. This big boy finishes with huge tannins that avoid coming off as hard. Hall picks this fruit late, as it's necessary to wait for the acidity to go down, but noted that in the hot years it can get porty. "And it's necessary to be gentle with the extraction," he added. This would be a perfect Pinot for a steak house. (ST)