WillaKenzie’s 2010 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes (for more about whose origins, consult my Issue 202 review of the 2009) projects copious quantities of ripe cassis, elderberry and blackberry, whose compote-like palate...
WillaKenzie’s 2010 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes (for more about whose origins, consult my Issue 202 review of the 2009) projects copious quantities of ripe cassis, elderberry and blackberry, whose compote-like palate impression is entirely welcoming of the toast, brown spice and vanilla extracted from more than half new wood. What’s more, there are a polish and incipient textural allure here that also point toward an excellent marriage with the barrels; skin-tartness comes off as invigorating but not discordant; and a saliva-inducing salinity sets the seal on this fine Pinot’s sappy and clinging; energetically invigorating and bright; yet lusciously rich finish. I tend to think of Clone 777-dominated Pinots as simply and obviously fruity but here the fruit is so seamlessly deployed, succulent, and flatteringly wooded that the effect is downright seductive. I suspect this will merit following through at least 2018.- DS