Grapelive Wine of the Week

By Kerry Winslow

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2008 Alfaro Family Vineyards Pinot Noir “Lindsay Paige Vineyard” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains.
Fast becoming one of the top Santa Cruz Mountain Pinots, the “Lindsay Paige” is a full and darkly rich wine with smooth layers of dark fruits and creamy oak shadings along with subtle complexities and stunning length and detail. This wine is pure pleasure with wild flowers and wild berries bursting from the glass with a core of black cherry and plum, plus mocha, baking spices, mineral and tea notes. Richard Alfaro’s estate had a great vintage in 2008, both Chard and Pinot making mind-blowing wines. This 2008 Alfaro Vineyards “Lindsay Paige” is full of life, vibrant and balanced with fine silky texture, subtle tannins and acidity. This vineyard naturally produces very small berries that are intensely dark and the wines always show depth and weight with firm structure that makes me think it would be a good idea to put a few away for mid term aging, even though they drink so nicely young. With such small amounts made, this wine sells out quickly, best to get it while you can. While I loved the 2006 and 2007 vintages, this 2008 seems even more impressive, and the long lingering finish is just amazing.
($40 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive

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