Pinot Noir Bohan Vineyard, Kutch 2017

The Bohan Vineyard lies three miles in from the ocean and was planted in 1972, making these some of the oldest pinot vines in California. Jamie Kutch’s 2017 version is a lovely middleweight in the making, tipping the scales at an even twelve percent and seeing no new oak during its year of elevage. It is one hundred percent whole clusters this year. The wine offers up a lovely, red fruity nose of cherries, beetroot, blood orange, a fine base of soil, a dollop of fresh thyme and a lovely mix of spices in the upper register. On the palate the wine is fullish, tangy and beautifully balanced, with a good core, excellent transparency, a bit of ripe tannin and a long, nascently complex and focused finish. This is more closed down on the palate than the detailed nose suggests, so give the wine a bit of time in the cellar to blossom properly. It is going to be outstanding. 2024-2055+

Pale crimson. Gentle and fresh with some green notes. Already approachable. Pretty astringent and defiantly natural on the finish. Perfume and charm. Fruit initially and then a dry end. Could do with a little more juice and fruit in the middle, but actually it held up extremely well in an open bottle and filled out, seeming to gain fruit so I have added half a point to my original score on the basis of this. And I may even be underscoring it. 12%. 2019-2024