Weighing-in at 13% alcohol - typical for the vintage at this address - and made-up of fruit from their estate supplemented by contract grapes (notably from Shea and Cherry Grove vineyards) Antica Terra's 2010 Pinot Noir strikes me as something of a sandwich of richly ripe jellied dark cherry and cassis shadowed by their distilled counterparts and mingled with leather but above all bracketed by smoky toasty caramelized and singed aromas and finishing flavors from oak. That prominently-wooded impression is reinforced by one of stiffness and while there is a distinctively salty note in the finish here as well it fails to translate to saliva inducement. Surprisingly sweetly-fruited and plush for its vintage perhaps this will evince better oak-integration and a more vintage-typical sense of animation and fresh-fruitedness after some time in bottle though I'm skeptical on that score. Certainly though it looks capable of remaining in good health for at least the next half dozen years. - David Schildknecht