Black Kite Cellars

I love the Pommard clone of Pinot Noir, and in my experience it loves cool places in California such as Green Valley and Anderson Valley. This particular wine comes from a four-acre block of Pommard planted in 1999 on the brow of a hill overlooking the Navarro River. I was in some disbelief about the wine when I saw the color (inky black), because Pommard doesn’t usually get that dark. Then I started sniffing and sipping and I didn’t care about the color anymore. It could have been orange for all I cared.

The plum and cherry flavors in this wine are just beautiful, like the Mona Lisa is beautiful – you don’t want to tear yourself away from the sensation. There are also harmonious layers of light chocolate, nougat and nutmeg, which pick up the sweeter cherry highlights in fascinating ways. The entry is voluptuous (again, I’m not used to writing things like this about 100% Pommard Pinot), and the tannins are about as good as winemaking can get them: abundant, well-mannered and ageable. All in all, a complete wine that stays true to Pommard’s spicy red sweetness long, long into the aftertaste.

Reviewed August 3, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.