Gold Medal - Long Beach Grand Cru Awards
Willowbrook Cellars was founded in 2001 by winemaker Joe Otos, at the staggeringly young age of 26. Since then Willowbrook has produced a small amount of Pinot Noir from an estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley, and a little more from surrounding areas. While this wine usually sells only to their mailing list and a few select restaurants and retailers, we were lucky enough to snag a small allocation of the 2007 Marin County Pinot, and we are offering it at an unbelievable price. Marin County hasn’t gotten a lot of attention for its vineyards to date, but this will surely change as more vineyards go in and the vines reach maturity. Sitting in between Sonoma County and San Francisco, and will a growing season hugely influenced by cold air and fog from the pacific ocean, this region will no doubt be home to some phenomenal cool-climate pinot noir.
We’ve talked at length about the remarkable 2007 vintage for California Pinot Noir, and wines like this show both why it was so special, and that these wines are starting to enter their prime drinking windows. The 2007 Willowbrook Marin county Pinot Noir is pale garnet in color. The nose jumps out of the glass, with cherry, berry, and vanilla aromas joined by Burgundian aromas of earth and mushroom typical for Pinot grown in a cool site. Bing cherry and raspberry flavors are joined by layers of earth and spice on the palate, with bright acidity carrying this depth of flavor through the finish. This is lovely Pinot Noir, and it showed better than several $40 and $50 Pinot's that we tasted alongside it, making it a nice deal at $34. Of course, when you can get it through WineHeist for just $20, the quality to price ratio on this Pinot is off the charts. For all fans of California Pinot with a slightly lighter hand, this is one to buy by the case and enjoy over the next several years.
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Marin County
Sugar: 24.8 Brix
Fermentation: French Oak
Alcohol %: 14.3
93 Points
Deep red hue and hints of violet teasing the senses with seductive aromas of dark fruits, wild berries, cocoa, baking spices, leather, and cigar box. Filled with saturated flavors of ripe blackberry, blueberry, cassis, cherry cola, ripe plum, chopped mint leaves, while the palate unfolds with rich tannin, juicy acidity, and flavors of cherry gastrique, berry coulis, herb mélange, and licorice.
98 Points
Deep purple hue and an alluring aromatic profile of fresh blue fruits and delicate violets. On the palate, it delivers a seamless and layered texture, framed by supple, polished tannins and a refined sense of balance. Elegantly structured, it offers remarkable purity and finesse, finishing with graceful length and poise.
96 Points
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, huckleberry, floral violet and savory spice. The palate is full and layered, with robust, age-worthy tannins and gorgeous flavors of dark berries, mocha and chocolate-covered cherries mingling with hints of graphite, fig and fine leather. Smooth tannins, firm structure and silky texture coat the palate on route to a long, generous finish.
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
90 Points
Rich and voluptuous with ripe raspberry, cherry, and plum, layered with hints of lavender, fig compote, and exotic spice. Concentrated and complex, the palate is a balanced interplay cocoa, and a hint of espresso, creating both richness and intrigue. Vibrant acidity and silky tannins that contribute heft and length that coat the palate with luscious ripeness that keeps on giving.
91 Points
Shimmering ruby-purple hue. The nose is a walk through a damp Sonoma forest—mossy bark and wild earth—brightened by high-toned notes of cranberry sauce and blood orange. On the palate, it's generously long in the mouth, with good concentration. It's a masterclass in tension: intense, cherry and red current fruit meets dark spice and fine, sandy tannins.
95 Points
Lofty aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, and plum mingle with hints of baking spices and a touch of violet. The palate reveals luscious flavors of ripe berries, complemented by notes of black pepper and a subtle earthiness. With well-integrated tannins and a long lingering finish.
94 Points
Deep red-purple with aromas of black currents, blackberry, plum, chocolate, earthy forest floor, licorice, graphite, and subtle floral notes of violet, spice and cracked pepper. The palate is full, structured and balanced with blackberry, currant, black cherry fruit with notes of earth, firm acid and silky tannins. Finishes big with blackberry fruit and peppery spice.
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
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