Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir: Cultish Pinot, Half The Price.

Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir

One of the silver linings of this current economic downturn is that formerly inaccessible collector wines are now available in small allocations. A marvelous example is the rare new Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir which we originally rated 94 points when tasting the pre-release sample (fyi, Parker did, too).  We popped a cork last Friday and now believe this wine is well on the way to a 96+ rating within the next 2 years. Paired with a grilled pork chop at Nopa restaurant in San Francisco this wine was easily a 95+ point experience.

At $94/bottle, the Pahlmeyer 2006 Pinot Noir is not exactly “cheap” but trust us when we say that it is comparable in quality to the oh so ’Culty’ best vintages of Kistler and Marcassin which both trade for more than double Pahlmeyer’s price. We’ve been fortunate to sample Kistler and Marcassin each vintage as well as Williams Selyem, Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke and other highly rated Pinots. We can assure you that this Pahlmeyer bottling is on par and will surpass many of those highly sought after wines this vintage. Tasting notes below!

THE WINE INSIDERS “CLASSIC 95″ RATING (updated 2/09):
“This is a flamboyant, sexy effort displaying a voluptuous texture, and ripe spicy cherry, cranberry, and creamy strawberry fruit intermixed with creamy liqueur characteristics. The most succulent new Pinot we’ve sampled in a while, it is impossible to resist NOW (after decanting 1/2 hour) and will age well for 3 – 5 years, peaking around 2012 in our estimate! 95+ points now and perhaps 96 points in just a few years.”

BUY: Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir 2006

#1 Rambunctious PINOT NOIR!

ADRIAN FOG “OPPENLANDER” PINOT NOIR 2006

This deliciously opulent creation is guaranteed to impress anyone who still thinks Pinot is a “wimpy” wine. This wine is a truly rambunctious red and 100% unfiltered ’boutique’ production (less than 300 cases!). While we cannot share the full story about the name of this winery it is highly amusing: let’s just say it involves proprietor Stewart Dorman’s earlier affinity for a certain B Movie actress and a forgettable film named The Fog. Today, Stewart is earning straight A (!) grades for his hand crafted Pinot Noir.
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“Angelic” Chardonnay scores 95 points!

L’Angevin Chardonnay Charles Heintz 2006

INSIDER SCOOP: This wine is called “Angel’s Wine” (French) and we couldn’t agree more! We sampled for the first time at an ‘insider’ event last year and have been obsessed with this nectar ever since.

THE WINE INSDIERS “OUTSTANDING 95″ POINTS: “This profound wine exhibits superb opulence, full-bodied power, and stunning richness, definition, and intensity. Starting with aromas of orange marmalade, lemon oil, tropical fruit, crushed rocks, hazelnut, and subtle wood. The rich, ripe flavors include dried apricot, citrus oil and orange zest, as well as a gravelly minerality. This new release is still tightly woven (as of writing May 2007) but should blossom further over the next 3 – 5 years, peaking around 2011 in our best estimate! 95 points”

This wine is currently available for $55 (click here)

The #1 “Cabernet Lovers Merlot”

Lewis Napa Merlot 2006 is the finest Merlot, guaranteed to thrill Cabernet lovers, of the vintage! When wine insiders describe a wine as “Merlot for Cabernet lovers” or “a Chardonnay that red wine lovers will enjoy” what does that mean? On one hand, it seems sort of silly because if you love Cabernet why bother purchasing or tasting Merlot? Our explanation is that wine collectors are inherently adventure seekers and always hoping for a new discovery to exhilarate the palate.
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PALOMA MERLOT 2006 = better than “Wine of the Year”!

INSIDER SCOOP: The owners of this tiny winery are old friends of Porthos.  We’ve been tracking their wine for 7 years now and the 2005 if their BEST YET featuring bold fruit and an ultra smooth texture! Ever since Wine Spectator rated this wine a “Classic” 95 points” and awarded it “#1 Wine of the Year” Paloma has soared to the top of the highly-sought-after Collector “must have” list! Funny ‘insider’ story is I’ll never forget when proprietor Jim Richards contacted me to enquire if I thought he should change the name of his wine to help boost sales since it was still undiscovered at that time. (more…)