Grapelive Daily Pick
By Kerry Winslow
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2008 August West Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands.
This winery is on a hot streak and they just keep rolling out great wine at awesome prices, especially this Pinot Noir from selected lots of fruit and made by Ed Kurtzman, Freeman, Sandler and of course Roar, as he is partners in this winery with Gary Franscioni, Roar winery and the Garys’ and Rosella’s Vineyards, and Harold Graham, Graham Vineyard in the Russian River. This wine tastes of the place, the Santa Lucia Highlands, with blackberry, plum, dark cherry and blueberry fruits, with some smoke, cassis, vanilla in the background, but really subtle, this wine is all about pleasure and the pure fruit and flavors. This is a quality Pinot Noir that is just getting better each time I try it, in fact in the last tasting of this wine it out scored some big name Pinots in my tasting notes on the same day, this includes a 2007 William Selyem Pinot too, plus a few others that sell for twice the price. ($30-35 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
*Available at Rancho Cellars $29.95
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