Rhys, Bearwallow Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley 2019

The 2019 Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard is a powerful, searing wine. I am not sure I have tasted a Bearwallow with this much sheer intensity. Black cherry, mocha, gravel, cloves and licorice imbue this somber, backward Pinot with quite a bit of complexity. Readers should be in no rush here. The 2019 is an exceptional Bearwallow.

Coming from a site in the Anderson Valley region of Mendocino, the 2019 Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard has a classic savoriness in its dried cherry and strawberry fruits as well as loamy soil, spice, and dried herb-like aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, wonderfully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has plenty of up-front appeal, yet I have no doubt it will still be going strong in a decade as well.

The nose of the 2019 Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard is polished and even-keeled, evoking dark berries, wet clay and touches of lilac and rose. The palate is wonderfully seamless and silky, with a pitch-perfect balance between juicy dark fruits, upright acidity and refined, powdery tannins framed with judicious use of new oak. While this is perfectly approachable and delicious now, it will surely gain depth and dimension after 4-5 years in the cellar.