2016 Poe Wines, Pinot Noir “Pinot Nouveau” Sonoma Coast.
Let the fun begin! A great way to celebrate the latest harvest and toast Nouveau Day the 2016 Poe Pinot Nouveau is a bright and fruity fresh red that has juicy carbonic flavors, but gives a serious look at what the vintage has to offer, and it is looking great from what I can taste! After a year in 2015 that brought a tiny fruit set with a micro amount of grapes per cluster, equals a small uneven crop, for Pinot Noir, but 2016 looks to have come roaring back with wines that might surpass 2014 in density and ripe tannin without being too heavy or alcohol laden in nature. Samantha Sheenan’s set of 2014 Pinots are gorgeous, so I had to mention them here and now, especially her Manchester Ridge from Mendocino and her potentially even better Sonoma Mountain Van der Kamp Pinot, these wines are pure class! Plus her 2014 Ferrington Chardonnay is not a wine to be overlooked either, Poe Wines is a label to discover! Like Bedrock that does a Nouveau Zinfandel, Samantha’s Poe Nouveau Pinot is a super fun project that looks to be a success in the making, at first it seems silly, but the wine is lovely and easy to quaff, with remarkably full expression and poise showing vibrant cherry, strawberry, pomegranate and red raspberry fruit, plus a tangy gentile acidity, while simple it does feel whole and has a touch of complexity with sweet herbs, mineral and spices, finishing with a crisp citrusy note and lingering sweet red berries. Medium bodied and with forward character it will partner up to mixed cuisine and or Thanksgiving fare well and it is really an enjoyable offering, it won’t be easy to find, but worth grabbing while you can, it’s a wonderful non Beaujolais Nouveau California style option to be different, drink now and often! I was thrilled and impressed with Sheenan’s efforts, she has the gift and is very talented at her craft, as I mentioned her Pinots are stunning wines, tasted recently at IPOB’s finale tasting, these Poe 2014’s were right up there with the best of show stuff!
($20 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive
