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