2012 Reviewed Wines
2012 Hobbit Hollow Vineyard Riesling
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Fresh and pure, with a piercing feel to the up-front notes of jasmine and green almond, followed by the core flavors of pear eau-de-vie, green apple and green fig. Shows good cut and length on the finish. Drink now through 2017.
Score: 91
2012 Nutt Road Vineyard Riesling
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
A friendly, forward style, with plantain, lime curd and green plum notes. The finish persists despite the slightly soft-edged feel.
Score: 88
2012 Patrician Verona Vineyard Riesling
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Tight for now, with a talc note out front, featuring a core of green plum, Key lime, pear and green almond. Very juicy, this should stretch out with brief cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2016.
Score: 90
2012 Riesling
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Plump and forward, with an off-dry edge to the mix of pineapple, lime, star fruit and green melon flavors. Features enough zip for balance, but stays open and easy through the finish.
Score: 88
2012 PINOT NOIR
2012 Mo Chuisle Estate Pinot Noir
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Bright aromas of cherry, sous-bois and raspberry. Delicious core of cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruit flavors with an undertone of earthy flora. The tannins are well balanced and the wine is quite welcoming now. The fruit is intense and tenacious on attack and finishes with aplomb and length. Impressive debut wine.
Score: 93
Wine Advocate – Mark Squires
The 2012 Mo Chuisle Pinot Noir is sourced from estate fruit. It was aged for 20 months in French oak (17% new oak, the rest used). It comes in at 12.6% alcohol. If you’re wondering, the name references a Gaelic phrase colloquially meaning “My Darling.” Very seductive, this has nice acid and fine integration with the lifted fruit. The intensity of flavor is wonderful and the backbone is impressive.
Score: 91
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Offers elegant blood orange, dried cherry and cinnamon notes, all carried by embedded briar and singed sandalwood hints. Elegant, fresh, persistent finish.
Score: 88
2012 Elaine’s Vineyard Pinot Noir
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Light burnished red color in the glass. Vibrant aromas of fresh cherries, cola and rose petal. Very tasty mid weight flavors of cherry reduction sauce and red berry jam with a complimentary hint of spice. The tannins are well proportioned and the finish is joyous. Tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, the wine was still pumping out the lovely aromas and flavors indicating promising longevity.
Score: 91
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Light, but with a firm edge, as a tobacco leaf frame holds sassafras, singed sandalwood, lightly mulled blood orange and bitter cherry notes together. Good cut thanks to nicely persistent acidity.
Score: 87
2012 Clone 777 Estate Pinot Noir
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Light garnet color in the glass. Enticing aromas of red cherry, rose petal, spice and sous-bois. Delicious light to mid weight cherry core. Very charming and soft in the mouth, with balanced tannins and a generous, lengthy finish. Tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, the nose was a whole cluster celebration with uplifting aromas of spice, floral bouquet and tobacco leaf.
Score: 91
The Wine Advocate – Mark Squires
The 2012 Pinot Noir “Clone 777 Estate” is from the winery’s Estate vineyard, situated on the Onondaga Limestone Escarpment. Another of the winery’s clonal bottlings (they made three this year), this one was derived from the type of fruit grown in Ponsot’s vineyards in Burgundy (Clos de la Roche, etc.). It was aged for 18 months in used French oak. A terrific nose was followed by a tart beginning on the palate and then lots of power and pop. The fruit was a little submerged to this wine’s power, but there is plenty of potential here for improvement. Intense and gripping, this unevolved Pinot needs a bit of decanting or another couple of years in the cellar. Drink 2016 – 2028.
Score: 90+
Burghound – Allen Meadows
A notably spicy nose combines notes of red and blue pinot fruit with hints of sandalwood and jasmine tea. There is fine complexity to the very fresh and attractively textured medium-bodied flavors that possess a bit more mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in a dusty, balanced and mildly austere finale. This is really quite pretty and should benefit from 5 to 7 years of age. Drink 2019 +
Score: 90
Wine & Spirits Magazine
Fresh and bracing, this pinot has a peppery wild-strawberry scent that brightens with air. The stalwart mineral frame holds the plush red fruit in check.
Score: 90
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Has a good, juicy energy, with anise, plum and Bing cherry notes riding along finely beaded acidity. Nice briar and cinnamon hints line the finish.
Score: 87
2012 Polarity
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Very light apricot color and clear in the glass. Aromas of honeydew, almond and chalk dust lead to flavors of muted cherry, tangerine, kumquat zest, persimmon and vanilla cream. A delicate, but unique wine, with robust acidity and a very seductive creamy mouth feel.
Score: 88
2012 Clone 828 Estate Pinot Noir
Wine Advocate – Mark Squires
The 2012 Pinot Noir “Clone 828 Estate” was aged for 18 months in used French oak. It comes in at 12.1% alcohol. This clone, said the winery, is derived from “La Tâche vineyard in Burgundy, France…This Dijon Clone is known as the “Upright Clone” because the grape stems uniquely point upwards as they grow.” I suspect they will flip-flop positions on occasion as they age, but this was probably my least favorite of the single-clone bottlings–if only by a very small margin. It adds tons of flavor, bits of rhubarb and strawberry, and it certainly has plenty of power. Drink 2016 – 2025.
Score: 90
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Light garnet color in the glass. The scents of dark cherry, raspberry, blueberry, purple rose petal, forest floor and oak are repeated on the palate with some added spice. The wine is a little rugged at this point with a tug of muscular tannins that showing up on the finish. The following day when tasted from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, the aromatics were seductive with plenty of cherry and floral appeal, but the fruit was hidden by the overcoat of tannin. This wine should mellow with more time in bottle.
Score: 88
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
A touch taut in feel, with a singed cinnamon note leading the way, followed by sassafras, dried cherry, pomegranate and dried star anise notes. Good briary tug on the finish.
Score: 87
2012 Patrician Verona Pinot Noir
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Light burnished red color in the glass. The nose is very appealing with scents of darker cherries, sous-bois and raw beef. A step up in concentration with generous flavors of dark cherry, blueberry and marionberry accented by brown spices. Elegant and soft in the mouth with polished tannins and complimentary oak. When tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, the wine was still aromatically pleasing and showed a slight savory herb streak on the palate.
Score: 89
Burghound – Allen Meadows
Light ruby color. An intensely floral nose evidences the whole cluster fermentation along with very fresh and cool notes of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. There is fine intensity to the supple middle weight flavors that retain solid delineation on the persistent and balanced finish that also displays a hint of austerity. Drink 2019+
Score: 89
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Dried blood orange, clove, sassafras and briar notes mingle here, with an echo of cedar on the finish. Light, but has range and length.
Score: 87
2012 Clone 667 Estate Pinot Noir
The Wine Advocate – Mark Squires
The 2012 Pinot Noir “Clone 667 Estate” was aged for 18 months in French oak (second use) and comes in at 12.3% alcohol. Vintage 2012 was the first in which “estate” Pinot Noirs were produced and there were three single-clone bottlings. This clonal selection was one of the two where “the original vine plant material was derived from” fruit in Ponsot’s Clos de la Roche. Fresh and lively, this is a spicy Pinot Noir with vibrant raspberry and cherry flavors. It has lovely tension on the finish and an elegant, well-balanced demeanor. Crisp and flavorful, this is very attractive.
Score: 90
Wine & Spirits
Brisk, mildly herbaceous scents frame a core of dark cherry flavor with the jamminess of preserves. An almond-like touch of bitterness adds length and a pleasing depth to this simple, richly satisfying red.
Score: 90
Burghound – Alan Meadows
An airy, cool and admirably pure nose offers up a pretty array of cherry-infused red berry fruit along with plenty of floral elements. The nicely detailed and moderately richer flavors also possess a sleek mouth feel while delivering better depth and length on the dusty finale. Drink 2019+
Score: 89
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is both good and bad with fresh fruit aromas of black cherry and raspberry complimented by dark red rose petal and seasoned oak. The fruit is highly concentrated and supported by well proportioned tannins, and the mouthfeel is very polished. Should be interesting to see how this wine evolves.
Score: 87-88
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Fresh bitter cherry, pomegranate and loganberry notes form the core here, with a nice briary edge adding cut and length on the finish. More freshness than range overall though.
Score: 86
2012 Pinot Noir
Prince of Pinot – Rusty Gaffney
Light burnished red color in the glass. Aromas of cherry, cranberry, brioche and spice with some stem surfacing over time. Elegant in a light to mid weight style with flavors of cherry, raspberry and cinnamon spice accented with a touch of oak and underbrush. The acid spine is vibrant. This is the lightest of the wines in the 2012 lineup and shows the most oak overlay.
Score: 87
Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
Perfumy, with sandalwood, blood orange and tea notes mingling with dried cherry and sous bois hints on the finish. Light in body, but pleasantly firm and persistent.
Score: 86