For Valentines Day last night, my wife and I opened two really nice bottles of wine. The first was the Sylvain Bailly Sancerre 2006 - a crisp, light white wine that I will most certainly buy again, but more on that later... The main wine with dinner was the 2006 Sea Smoke 'Ten' Pinot Noir.I'm giving you all some notes below from both the winery and Wine Spectator to help you understand a little more about the wine's characteristics, but, for me, I'm going to keep it short. This is, hands down, the best Pinot Noir I have ever tasted. I first learned about Sea Smoke with the 2004 vintage and it continues to amaze me with this, my third vintage of Sea Smoke. This is not a faint, light Pinot - it's dense, rich and incredibly well balanced, with a complexity unrivaled in other Pinots (or, at least those I've tasted). Definitely one of those wines I'm sad to finish...my only consolation is the 4 other bottles in my cellar, but I think I'll wait a few years on those.
What you should do: If you collect and cellar wines, this is a must have addition to your collection. It's a California cult wine and very hard to find at any price (usually over $100), but, if you can find a bottle, this is one of those wines that is worth the price. If you don't cellar, this is probably on the high end of wines, but if you can get a tasting of it or go in on a bottle with some friends, it will not disappoint.
My rating: 95
From the winery: The 2006 Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Noir shows deep extraction and intensity of flavor, maintains good balance across the palate, and culminates in a firm, but velvety finish. Aromas of dark plum, black cherry, currants, as well as cedar and a hint of earthiness are characteristic of this wine. We recommend decanting thirty to sixty minutes prior to drinking, particularly if consumed before 2010.
From Wine Spectator: Combines a mix of bold, ripe and richly flavored black cherry, wild berry, plum and blackberry fruit with touches of spice, cedar and wild berry. Ends with a long, elegant, detailed finish. Rating: 92
Gadget
Sea Smoke is one I've wanted to try myself. Thanks for sharing your observations- very interesting! Do you know if they have various levels of pricing and scarcity? Or is all of their wine really expensive?
I think the Sea Smoke is around $70 for their mailing list folks, but I'm still on their waiting list, so don't know for sure, particularly with the new vintage. generally, it's $100+ on the open market. pricey, but it really is good. probably my wife's favorite wine period.
on another note, i haven't had a chance to pick the two cabs to put up against the shaw but will do that this week.
sea smoke releases 3 pinots -- Botella, Southing, an Ten. Probably about $40, $60, and $80 respectively. If you like the wine, it's worth signing up on their web site as a member. You will get an allocation that you can purcahse each year, and the more you buy, the more points you get to increase your allocation for the next year. The wines are pricey but outstanding.
thanks mark. i actually just got my 2007 allocation yesterday and really looking forward to trying it. have you had it yet?