My last bottle and it is finally starting to fade (but still offers pleasure). Translucent red with faint browning. Nose of moist earth and cherries. The same earth and cherry notes carry on to the palate. Still faintly sharp tannins, nice acidity and balance. Finishes long but a bit faded. Past peak but still nice. I'd drink up.
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Two years since my last bottle and this continues to drink well at 20 years old. Translucent cherry red in color. A dusty, strawberry nose. Lush fruit, black cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, spice. Just a hint of alcoholic bite starting to show. Smooth tannins, brilliant acidity, nice balance. Finishes long, long, spicy and strawberry notes. Lovely. I'd drink these over the next 2 to 3 years.
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Stunning wine. Spicy, earthy notes on the nose. The gorgeous spicy, dark fruit hits the palate immediately. Black cherries, loads of warm spice, earthy notes. Viscous mouthfeel. The fruit becomes a bit brighter, more cherry with air. Smooth but still firm tannins. Great acidity and balance. Finishes very long, spicy with dark fruits. Excellent and not close to fading. will go at least another 5 years out, perhaps longer.
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Lovely. Expressive but mature nose of sweet black cherry and cranberry with a hint of saddle leather. Medium body, heavily extracted, fruit forward led by elegant acidity into a spicy, smoky, and tannic peak. Medium-long finish. Upfront it's big Cali, but the back slope is too graceful not to evoke Burgundy. Drink it from a Zalto if possible; don't wait.
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Served blind. An off nose of canned cherry fruit with distracting volatile acidity. Palate is overtly candied with one note red fruit. There's still some acidity in the wine which starts to counter the rich, candied fruit ... but it cannot redeem the overt, sweet fruit.
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This was in a very nice place. Still big and ripe, yet settled down and mature. Very nice finish and my favorite of the evening. Would be drinking now. A-
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Head to head vertical against the ’03 Southing. Decanted 2 hours, consumed over 4 hours. More concentration on the nose than the ’03, and slightly more acidic which made it a better pairing for the evening’s steak and salmon. Full bodied and heavily extracted in a good way. Ripe blackberry, vanilla, and some baking spices. Due to the mild remaining tannins and acidity, this will probably will age longer than the ’03; but this is definitely in its prime window right now.
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Right in the zone. Very expressive, brooding Cali pinot nose, nice balance on the palate and a silky finish. Rewarded cellaring as this picked up some crystallinity and poise that was not there in other Sea Smoke '02s. Enojyed with grilled pork, brussel sprouts w/Nueske's bacon and mashed yukon golds. Happy Friday to us.
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This was a Pinot to remember. I savored every sip and every tome I inhaled, the aromas were intoxicating. The fruit was unbelievable with a nice vanilla, cherry and strawberry mose with some spice. This was a memorable bottle.
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Farewell to my last bottle of 2002 Southing. No better day to enjoy this fine bottle than on Thanksgiving 2010. It sure didn't drink like an eight year old Pinot. Definitely no signs of being on its last legs.Mature but not yet fading. More notes of spice, cranberry acidity and dusty tannins. Lighter weight and mouthfeel than earlier in its life but still wonderful.
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Strong nose of coca-cola, the kind from those gummy candy cola bottles, as well as strawberries, some mint and earth. Medium bodied with transparent garnet red color. A clipped finish. Good & nice but not sure it's even worth the release price, definitely not worth the current market price.
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Consumed at party, so a bit sketchy on detail. Decanted 45 minutes (helped quite a lot). No longer thick-texured as I noted in '05, but now with a leaner feel. Dark fruit on nose and palate but now with spice ahead of the previously dominant chocolate notes. Some complexity, little finesse , but the penetrating fruit and delicious length made this a standout.
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This note is from day two. The wine has gained immensely from day one. Dark blackberry color, slightest brown rim. Deep deep dark spices(sandalwood,cigar box,dried menthol tobacco leaves, brown sugar), aged leather, still has a nice uplifting tart cranberry acidity. The fruit is smooth and slightly aged to a plum, blackberry, crancherry....little raisined, but still youthful and sweet. Wonderful deep flavors....little dusty kick, well balanced, aged complexities. This wine is drinking WELL! Wish I had more....
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Mature, but not yet fading. Nice dark fruit and resolved tannins. lighter weight to the mouthfeel, which nice since some of the SLH pinots can be bruisers. May have been better 2-3yrs ago with more primary fruit, but a nice styled pinot now. Dark red/purple in the glass, silky, dusty tannins, cranberry notes, earth, rocks.
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Wonderful concentration and depth, offering mouthfull of cherry, spice, leather and tobacco. Very well balanced wine with everything working in harmony.
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Deep garnet in color. Dried flowers and restrained oak on the nose. Darke fruits emerg along with black cherries. Silky smooth in mouth after extended decanting. Don't rush to drink this wine, needed to unfold. Well integrated tannins, focused acidity and a full middle palate.
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4th July Frisco popped & poured while getting ready for dinner. Quite dark in color still this needed about 15 minutes to come to life and was consumed over 45 minutes. The wine continued to improve with time. Cola wet slate & violets jump out to the front with more smoky characteristics emerging on the palate & finish. Good structure and very smooth -this is entering a nice drinking window, with some nice secondary development just starting to make an appearance. I suspect this will continue to improve over the next few years. 93+
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We had our wine group dinner with eight people Upstairs at the Wine House in Los Angeles, excellent food by the way. I organized a California vrs. Oregon Pinot Noir challenge and paired off wines which I thought would be of similiar quality. In this case I put the 2004 Argyle Pinot Noir "Nuthouse" up against the 2002 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir. Everyone tasted and rated on a traditional point basis. The Argyle scored in the very high 80's while the Sea Smoke scored in the low 90's. Comments from the group about the Sea Smoke included currant and floral and well balanced.
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Another excellent wine we opened on Chris' birthday. Dark blood red in color. Dark fruits and black cherry on the nose with restrained oak and dry flowers. Silky smooth and seamless, well integrated. Broad and velvety tannins, finishes with focused acidity.
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We treated this wine to a stay in the decanter for about an hour or so before we drank it, where it showed a blood red color. In the glass it seemed more ruby colored - lighter than it looked in the decanter. It was still tight at dinner time - the nose lacked the aromatics I'd remembered from previous tries. With time and swirling it began to open up - I get iron or steel and a minerally note, but the oak treatment asserts itself as well, and reminds me of walking into a roomful of barrels of fermenting wine. With a taste I find heat, both on the mid palate and the finish - just enough to notice. The wine has heft and richness - lots of dark berries and a hint of chocolate. The longer the wine stays in the glass, the better and more complex it seems to get. Though this isn't my favorite style of wine, I enjoyed this bottle and it has a place in my cellar.
I'm guessing that the wine could use some more time in the bottle, or a longer decant.
If I were assigning points , I'd put it in the very good to excellent bracket, just short of outstanding, so maybe 89. I'm not really all that comfortable with the points thing.
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This is a very concentrated, ripe and rich wine with flavors of cherry, mineral, earth, berry and plum. The finish provides great concentration and lingers substantially. It is hard to believe this wine is a Pinot. I would decant if drinking now or hold any remaining bottles for 3 to 5 years.
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What a great nose! Intense floral, gamy, earthy scents wrapped around a core of some spice. Initially, the palate this showed a lot more acidity than I remember. It was a bit disjointed, with the acidity slightly outweighing the nice berry/cherry fruit and hints of earth. However, after 30-40 minutes, the fruit started to show through more, and the wine really came around. I would suggest decanting for 30-60 minutes before drinking this one, and I would guess that this will hold the course for at least a couple of years.
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Decanted and enjoyed over 3 hours. Deep garnet color, moderately dark for pinot. Nice inviting aroma, indistinct berry fruit, dark edges. This wine was very nice. Certainly it was big on fruit, but definately more structure and spice than the Botella (my first Southing). Dark cherry, blackberry, but then clove and nutmeg and a bit of chile in the background. Not very tannic, and a medium body, moderate finish. Enjoyable, and we'll see how the other one changes in the next year or so.
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Surrounding some of the recent SS discussion, figured I'd commit my 2 cents. Broke out this bottle today and decanted it for about an hour, which is where it stayed for another few hours until it was drank. The nose does show some heat and oak--one cannot miss it. There is also some red fruits (raspberry) and clove. On the palate, I got sour cherry, raspberry and some more moderate oak, along with some heat and stemmy tannins. Was this wine fantastic? No. Was it good? Yes, it was. I'm going to stay the course and do another bottle in 6 months. I will be buying from retail a few of the 03s from SS and will post on those soon, as well.
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Probably closer to 91. Sweet and jammy with a spices and a decent structure. A touch of heat and acidity on the finish. Aging these wines is a science experiment. I'm planning on consuming all of ours in the next year because I don't think the end result of aging will be worth the cellar space.
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I was ready to be disappointed by this wine after reading several Sea Smoke notes suggesting their 2002s were falling apart. Fortunately, this showed quite well, although it was definitely at the far extreme of the Pinot stylistic spectrum. Sweet, jammy strawberries and cloves, huge nose, massive extract and glycerin, on the verge of syrupy, and more structure than I was expecting. Softened and mellowed a bit after 30 minutes of air. The finish was long, showing a touch of heat. More like a Zin than a Pinot. Paired very well with grilled pork chops and German cabbage. You have to like the style (I do) to like this wine. Drink up; once the fruit begins to fade, this wine will turn ugly.
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Rust colored. Muted pinotesque aromas including cola, earth and some black fruits. Closed initially but opened after two hours in a decanter to a silky smooth wine with cherry, raspberry, cola, and hints of oak and wood. Fine grained tannins are integrated into a smooth finish that is a tad muted. Overall a very good wine that is certainly a step up than the Botella (all forward fruit). I would favor holding this for a year or two.
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Nicely balanced, exhibiting some finesse and no signs of over-oaking or too much alcohol. I drank this wine over three nights and it showed me something different every time. Deep garnet color with the expected Pinot nose of a little stink that blows off, replaced by red fruits and a bit of clove. On the palate more medium red fruit with the first and second days trending more to cherry and the third day showing some distinct cranberry. No candied flavors. There was also clove, perhaps a bit of underbrush and the second day exhibited some definite pine needle. The finish was clean and medium length.
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First bottle of this wine for me and first wine of this style to me as well. Double decanted 3 hours ahead. Not sure that I've started off describing a pinot as fat and thick before. The flavors were quite compelling with blackberry and chocolate being the most striking and hid what I'm sure were other secondary flavors that would peak out briefly from time to time. Very smooth, long pleasing, unctuous finish. Was unchanged on day 2. Once I got over the shock of the thick almost sweet style, I really enjoyed this wine and look foward to the '03.
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Whoa! This is a pretty large pinot. Decanted for around 2 hours. Dark in colour, more plummy than most pinots. On the nose it is pretty intense, with lots of dark fruits - especially dark cherries. Some secondary elements - leafy, floral notes. Deeply fruity and lush on the palate - lots of blackcherry and berry flavours. After the extended decanting this was very smooth, with a velvety dark chocolate like finish. Quite dramatic for a Pinot, but lacks a little complexity for me.
I would be hard pressed to pick this as a pinot in a blind tasting, could easily be mistaken for a Syrah such is the extraction and level of fruit.
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WIML92,NOWA,WS93 Tasted March 24, 2005 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glasses. Dark ruby color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Appealing nose of red cherries, briar patch and perhaps some red berries. Flavors of red cherries, red berries and just a tiny bit of mocha notes served on top of an attractive earthy frame. Solid wine and recommended overall but given what I know about the Botella’s quality at almost half the price I’d spend my money there instead (not to take anything way from this wine).
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Day 1: Deep ruby with peachy tones at the rim. Intense aromas of red berries, black cherry, cola, cotton candy (?!). On the palate it begins rich and sweet, very ripe, some prune, some strawberry. Finishes with somewhat rough tannins and too much heat.
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I think this is in an awkward phase. A Botella about a month ago acted similarly. Decanted 30 minutes. All the ingredients are there, but they're not cohesive. Deep, dark ruby to the rim. HUGE nose of blackberry and dark cherry, with some earth. The midpalate has kinda gone away; you get a bright, sweet, fruity attack and then a tannic and slightly hot finish. After two days of being open, the fruit had gone to the tart side, almost oregon 02-ish, and the tannins and acid were still going strong. There's also much more oak on the nose. I think this is going to be DAMN good, but needs at least 2 years. 92+
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Dark, smoky, with a nose of peat. A very nice wine. Tannins have not mellowed and it could use some more time in the cellar. This was compared to a 2002 Loring RO which had some barnyard essence which cleared.
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This was a gift from Dick and Harriet to drink with Thanksgiving dinner and was recommended by their wine distributor friend, Spike. It is by far the best California Pinot Noir I have tasted - I'm normally much more a fan of Oregon PN than California. We found it to have lots of nose and rich black fruit flavors on the pallet. We didn't decant or let breathe for any extended period of time, just a few minutes in our burgundy glasses seemed sufficient for the wine to really open up.
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Tasted at a dinner where a friend was nice enough to open one of his bottles. Deep ruby color. Very ripe and rich nose of various berries and minerals. Complementing rich berry initial taste that builds to a complex finish that lasts for 30 seconds. A complex Pinot that I loved, but others at the dinner preferred the more simplistic and delicate Pinots.
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Tasting note from memory: Tasting while in Santa Barbara touring wineries during Sept, 2004. I was a little disappointed with this bottle, given what I've heard about the ten. Not a big wine and somewhat reserve red, I found myself just waiting for the wine to open up, but it never really did. At hour 1, it the nose expanded slightly, and showed off some very nice rich fruit, but that was short lived.
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Deep, rich ruby color. Pleasant nose that opened up and filled the glass after several minutes. Cherry, black cherry, hints of cola, balanced structure. Actually better on Day 2 for me - fruit came through a bit more. Chewy and flavorful, would benefit from a good decanting on Day 1. Not an over-the-top Pinot, but a big Pinot nonetheless.
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5/3/2022 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 86 Points
My last bottle and it is finally starting to fade (but still offers pleasure). Translucent red with faint browning. Nose of moist earth and cherries. The same earth and cherry notes carry on to the palate. Still faintly sharp tannins, nice acidity and balance. Finishes long but a bit faded. Past peak but still nice. I'd drink up.
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2/27/2022 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two years since my last bottle and this continues to drink well at 20 years old. Translucent cherry red in color. A dusty, strawberry nose. Lush fruit, black cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, spice. Just a hint of alcoholic bite starting to show. Smooth tannins, brilliant acidity, nice balance. Finishes long, long, spicy and strawberry notes. Lovely. I'd drink these over the next 2 to 3 years.
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4/11/2020 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stunning wine. Spicy, earthy notes on the nose. The gorgeous spicy, dark fruit hits the palate immediately. Black cherries, loads of warm spice, earthy notes. Viscous mouthfeel. The fruit becomes a bit brighter, more cherry with air. Smooth but still firm tannins. Great acidity and balance. Finishes very long, spicy with dark fruits. Excellent and not close to fading. will go at least another 5 years out, perhaps longer.
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9/28/2018 - Onegooddan wrote: 94 Points
Lovely. Expressive but mature nose of sweet black cherry and cranberry with a hint of saddle leather. Medium body, heavily extracted, fruit forward led by elegant acidity into a spicy, smoky, and tannic peak. Medium-long finish. Upfront it's big Cali, but the back slope is too graceful not to evoke Burgundy. Drink it from a Zalto if possible; don't wait.
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8/6/2016 - Nanda wrote: 80 Points
Served blind. An off nose of canned cherry fruit with distracting volatile acidity. Palate is overtly candied with one note red fruit. There's still some acidity in the wine which starts to counter the rich, candied fruit ... but it cannot redeem the overt, sweet fruit.
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6/6/2014 - Cmainardi wrote: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully
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11/9/2013 - MC wrote:
This was in a very nice place. Still big and ripe, yet settled down and mature. Very nice finish and my favorite of the evening. Would be drinking now. A-
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6/10/2012 - pinothoarder wrote: 93 Points
Head to head vertical against the ’03 Southing. Decanted 2 hours, consumed over 4 hours. More concentration on the nose than the ’03, and slightly more acidic which made it a better pairing for the evening’s steak and salmon. Full bodied and heavily extracted in a good way. Ripe blackberry, vanilla, and some baking spices. Due to the mild remaining tannins and acidity, this will probably will age longer than the ’03; but this is definitely in its prime window right now.
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11/5/2011 - btock wrote: 93 Points
Right in the zone. Very expressive, brooding Cali pinot nose, nice balance on the palate and a silky finish. Rewarded cellaring as this picked up some crystallinity and poise that was not there in other Sea Smoke '02s. Enojyed with grilled pork, brussel sprouts w/Nueske's bacon and mashed yukon golds. Happy Friday to us.
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1/9/2011 - suburbanfrog wrote: 94 Points
This was a Pinot to remember. I savored every sip and every tome I inhaled, the aromas were intoxicating. The fruit was unbelievable with a nice vanilla, cherry and strawberry mose with some spice. This was a memorable bottle.
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11/25/2010 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Farewell to my last bottle of 2002 Southing. No better day to enjoy this fine bottle than on Thanksgiving 2010. It sure didn't drink like an eight year old Pinot. Definitely no signs of being on its last legs.Mature but not yet fading. More notes of spice, cranberry acidity and dusty tannins. Lighter weight and mouthfeel than earlier in its life but still wonderful.
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8/16/2010 - guile wrote: 90 Points
Strong nose of coca-cola, the kind from those gummy candy cola bottles, as well as strawberries, some mint and earth. Medium bodied with transparent garnet red color. A clipped finish. Good & nice but not sure it's even worth the release price, definitely not worth the current market price.
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7/12/2010 - pmcquillen wrote: 90 Points
Very fragrant but has lost the bright concentrated fruit. Mouthfeel a little thin. Mature soft tannins.
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4/9/2010 - thomaskeil Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consumed at party, so a bit sketchy on detail. Decanted 45 minutes (helped quite a lot). No longer thick-texured as I noted in '05, but now with a leaner feel. Dark fruit on nose and palate but now with spice ahead of the previously dominant chocolate notes. Some complexity, little finesse , but the penetrating fruit and delicious length made this a standout.
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3/1/2010 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 94 Points
This note is from day two. The wine has gained immensely from day one. Dark blackberry color, slightest brown rim. Deep deep dark spices(sandalwood,cigar box,dried menthol tobacco leaves, brown sugar), aged leather, still has a nice uplifting tart cranberry acidity. The fruit is smooth and slightly aged to a plum, blackberry, crancherry....little raisined, but still youthful and sweet. Wonderful deep flavors....little dusty kick, well balanced, aged complexities. This wine is drinking WELL! Wish I had more....
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2/27/2010 - btock wrote: 90 Points
Mature, but not yet fading. Nice dark fruit and resolved tannins. lighter weight to the mouthfeel, which nice since some of the SLH pinots can be bruisers. May have been better 2-3yrs ago with more primary fruit, but a nice styled pinot now. Dark red/purple in the glass, silky, dusty tannins, cranberry notes, earth, rocks.
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2/17/2010 - kgh wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful concentration and depth, offering mouthfull of cherry, spice, leather and tobacco. Very well balanced wine with everything working in harmony.
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12/14/2009 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Wish I had more.
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1/22/2009 - Sir Lloyd wrote: 93 Points
Delightful! Decanted for three hours. Slightly tight opened up by the second glass. Medium dark ruby red color. Lots of cherries on the palate.
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12/13/2008 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Doug and Tina’s: This too was really good, but came even after the K-B, so I was saturated. Very well made, good stuff...
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11/7/2008 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Deep garnet in color. Dried flowers and restrained oak on the nose. Darke fruits emerg along with black cherries. Silky smooth in mouth after extended decanting. Don't rush to drink this wine, needed to unfold. Well integrated tannins, focused acidity and a full middle palate.
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10/18/2008 - bigdogflow wrote:
Pinot Night at Godai (Godai Sushi, San Antonio, TX): Awesome Wine! Easily a 90+.
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7/5/2008 - bon vivant wrote: 93 Points
4th July Frisco popped & poured while getting ready for dinner. Quite dark in color still this needed about 15 minutes to come to life and was consumed over 45 minutes. The wine continued to improve with time. Cola wet slate & violets jump out to the front with more smoky characteristics emerging on the palate & finish. Good structure and very smooth -this is entering a nice drinking window, with some nice secondary development just starting to make an appearance. I suspect this will continue to improve over the next few years. 93+
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3/23/2008 - capnkirk wrote: 92 Points
We had our wine group dinner with eight people Upstairs at the Wine House in Los Angeles, excellent food by the way. I organized a California vrs. Oregon Pinot Noir challenge and paired off wines which I thought would be of similiar quality. In this case I put the 2004 Argyle Pinot Noir "Nuthouse" up against the 2002 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir. Everyone tasted and rated on a traditional point basis. The Argyle scored in the very high 80's while the Sea Smoke scored in the low 90's. Comments from the group about the Sea Smoke included currant and floral and well balanced.
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2/18/2008 - pierregulick wrote: 88 Points
drank way too early, shut down
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1/10/2008 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
Another excellent wine we opened on Chris' birthday. Dark blood red in color. Dark fruits and black cherry on the nose with restrained oak and dry flowers. Silky smooth and seamless, well integrated. Broad and velvety tannins, finishes with focused acidity.
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11/22/2007 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
No tasting note recorded. My last tasting of the Southing was back in 2004. This bottle was considerably better.
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5/13/2007 - Jaytee wrote:
We treated this wine to a stay in the decanter for about an hour or so before we drank it, where it showed a blood red color.
In the glass it seemed more ruby colored - lighter than it looked in the decanter.
It was still tight at dinner time - the nose lacked the aromatics I'd remembered from previous tries. With time and swirling it began to open up - I get iron or steel and a minerally note, but the oak treatment asserts itself as well, and reminds me of walking into a roomful of barrels of fermenting wine.
With a taste I find heat, both on the mid palate and the finish - just enough to notice. The wine has heft and richness - lots of dark berries and a hint of chocolate. The longer the wine stays in the glass, the better and more complex it seems to get.
Though this isn't my favorite style of wine, I enjoyed this bottle and it has a place in my cellar.
I'm guessing that the wine could use some more time in the bottle, or a longer decant.
If I were assigning points , I'd put it in the very good to excellent bracket, just short of outstanding, so maybe 89. I'm not really all that comfortable with the points thing.
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4/14/2007 - Rollerball wrote: 93 Points
Plush but structured; symmetric. Best of three at dinner including a Morgon and an '02 Melville Indigene; wish I had more.
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1/23/2007 - JimmyV wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well, and is in no danger of fading. Abundant red fruit, and not at all cloying, as so many newcomers tend to be. Very well done..
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12/30/2006 - SeaSmoke wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding! Great finish. Lots of fruit. This wine has a good 5 years left.
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11/17/2006 - JimmyV wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very nicely, but can easily hold and benefit from up to 5 more years in the cellar.
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8/5/2006 - matthen wrote: 92 Points
This is a very concentrated, ripe and rich wine with flavors of cherry, mineral, earth, berry and plum. The finish provides great concentration and lingers substantially. It is hard to believe this wine is a Pinot. I would decant if drinking now or hold any remaining bottles for 3 to 5 years.
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7/27/2006 - brianofthevine wrote: 93 Points
Strawberry and raspberry fruit with a rich earthy component and long finish.
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4/16/2006 - CMCLR wrote: 90 Points
Had read that this may be "falling apart". We thought it was terrific- cedar and spice- hard to pick out as a pinot.
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1/6/2006 - MarkC wrote: 91 Points
What a great nose! Intense floral, gamy, earthy scents wrapped around a core of some spice. Initially, the palate this showed a lot more acidity than I remember. It was a bit disjointed, with the acidity slightly outweighing the nice berry/cherry fruit and hints of earth. However, after 30-40 minutes, the fruit started to show through more, and the wine really came around. I would suggest decanting for 30-60 minutes before drinking this one, and I would guess that this will hold the course for at least a couple of years.
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9/15/2005 - blgros wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and enjoyed over 3 hours. Deep garnet color, moderately dark for pinot. Nice inviting aroma, indistinct berry fruit, dark edges. This wine was very nice. Certainly it was big on fruit, but definately more structure and spice than the Botella (my first Southing). Dark cherry, blackberry, but then clove and nutmeg and a bit of chile in the background. Not very tannic, and a medium body, moderate finish. Enjoyable, and we'll see how the other one changes in the next year or so.
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9/5/2005 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Surrounding some of the recent SS discussion, figured I'd commit my 2 cents. Broke out this bottle today and decanted it for about an hour, which is where it stayed for another few hours until it was drank. The nose does show some heat and oak--one cannot miss it. There is also some red fruits (raspberry) and clove. On the palate, I got sour cherry, raspberry and some more moderate oak, along with some heat and stemmy tannins. Was this wine fantastic? No. Was it good? Yes, it was. I'm going to stay the course and do another bottle in 6 months. I will be buying from retail a few of the 03s from SS and will post on those soon, as well.
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7/30/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
International Pinot Noir Celebration; 7/28/2005-8/1/2005 (Willamette Valley OR): Bright black fruit aromas. Very ripe black cherry and plum on palate. Medium length, all fruit-driven, hints of heat protrude. Drink young.
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7/8/2005 - Winetex wrote: 90 Points
Probably closer to 91. Sweet and jammy with a spices and a decent structure. A touch of heat and acidity on the finish. Aging these wines is a science experiment. I'm planning on consuming all of ours in the next year because I don't think the end result of aging will be worth the cellar space.
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6/28/2005 - Siggy wrote: 90 Points
I was ready to be disappointed by this wine after reading several Sea Smoke notes suggesting their 2002s were falling apart. Fortunately, this showed quite well, although it was definitely at the far extreme of the Pinot stylistic spectrum. Sweet, jammy strawberries and cloves, huge nose, massive extract and glycerin, on the verge of syrupy, and more structure than I was expecting. Softened and mellowed a bit after 30 minutes of air. The finish was long, showing a touch of heat. More like a Zin than a Pinot. Paired very well with grilled pork chops and German cabbage. You have to like the style (I do) to like this wine. Drink up; once the fruit begins to fade, this wine will turn ugly.
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6/20/2005 - shaferguy91 wrote: 90 Points
Not near as good as a few months ago. I don't know if it was bottle variation or if the wine is past its peak.
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6/15/2005 - onholiday wrote: 91 Points
Rust colored. Muted pinotesque aromas including cola, earth and some black fruits. Closed initially but opened after two hours in a decanter to a silky smooth wine with cherry, raspberry, cola, and hints of oak and wood. Fine grained tannins are integrated into a smooth finish that is a tad muted. Overall a very good wine that is certainly a step up than the Botella (all forward fruit). I would favor holding this for a year or two.
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4/27/2005 - whostler wrote:
Nicely balanced, exhibiting some finesse and no signs of over-oaking or too much alcohol. I drank this wine over three nights and it showed me something different every time. Deep garnet color with the expected Pinot nose of a little stink that blows off, replaced by red fruits and a bit of clove. On the palate more medium red fruit with the first and second days trending more to cherry and the third day showing some distinct cranberry. No candied flavors. There was also clove, perhaps a bit of underbrush and the second day exhibited some definite pine needle. The finish was clean and medium length.
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4/26/2005 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
First bottle of this wine for me and first wine of this style to me as well. Double decanted 3 hours ahead. Not sure that I've started off describing a pinot as fat and thick before. The flavors were quite compelling with blackberry and chocolate being the most striking and hid what I'm sure were other secondary flavors that would peak out briefly from time to time. Very smooth, long pleasing, unctuous finish. Was unchanged on day 2. Once I got over the shock of the thick almost sweet style, I really enjoyed this wine and look foward to the '03.
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4/23/2005 - thebonnydooner wrote: 90 Points
Whoa! This is a pretty large pinot. Decanted for around 2 hours. Dark in colour, more plummy than most pinots. On the nose it is pretty intense, with lots of dark fruits - especially dark cherries. Some secondary elements - leafy, floral notes. Deeply fruity and lush on the palate - lots of blackcherry and berry flavours. After the extended decanting this was very smooth, with a velvety dark chocolate like finish. Quite dramatic for a Pinot, but lacks a little complexity for me.
I would be hard pressed to pick this as a pinot in a blind tasting, could easily be mistaken for a Syrah such is the extraction and level of fruit.
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4/19/2005 - Pool Boy wrote: 89 Points
Had this about two months ago at the April DC Crü offline at Corduroy.
Cherries, crusted torched sugar a la creme brulee, deep dark fruits. Muscular but in balance. 89+ points.
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3/27/2005 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Shafergirl gave it a 94.
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3/24/2005 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92,NOWA,WS93
Tasted March 24, 2005 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glasses. Dark ruby color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Appealing nose of red cherries, briar patch and perhaps some red berries. Flavors of red cherries, red berries and just a tiny bit of mocha notes served on top of an attractive earthy frame. Solid wine and recommended overall but given what I know about the Botella’s quality at almost half the price I’d spend my money there instead (not to take anything way from this wine).
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2/8/2005 - slon wrote: 89 Points
Day 2: Nose is more restrained. Cherry, cedar, and some earth. Still very tannic, but the alcohol is not as overwhelming. Try again in a year or two.
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2/7/2005 - slon wrote: 90 Points
Day 1: Deep ruby with peachy tones at the rim. Intense aromas of red berries, black cherry, cola, cotton candy (?!). On the palate it begins rich and sweet, very ripe, some prune, some strawberry. Finishes with somewhat rough tannins and too much heat.
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1/21/2005 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Cherry, vanilla nose; cherry, vanilla, lime palate; medium finish
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1/13/2005 - basis wrote: 92 Points
I think this is in an awkward phase. A Botella about a month ago acted similarly. Decanted 30 minutes. All the ingredients are there, but they're not cohesive. Deep, dark ruby to the rim. HUGE nose of blackberry and dark cherry, with some earth. The midpalate has kinda gone away; you get a bright, sweet, fruity attack and then a tannic and slightly hot finish. After two days of being open, the fruit had gone to the tart side, almost oregon 02-ish, and the tannins and acid were still going strong. There's also much more oak on the nose. I think this is going to be DAMN good, but needs at least 2 years. 92+
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12/31/2004 - brianofthevine wrote: 93 Points
Red cherry and raspberry, nice spicy element, great acidity and finish.
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12/21/2004 - norsktorsk wrote:
Dark, smoky, with a nose of peat. A very nice wine. Tannins have not mellowed and it could use some more time in the cellar. This was compared to a 2002 Loring RO which had some barnyard essence which cleared.
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11/25/2004 - bear wrote: 93 Points
This was a gift from Dick and Harriet to drink with Thanksgiving dinner and was recommended by their wine distributor friend, Spike. It is by far the best California Pinot Noir I have tasted - I'm normally much more a fan of Oregon PN than California. We found it to have lots of nose and rich black fruit flavors on the pallet. We didn't decant or let breathe for any extended period of time, just a few minutes in our burgundy glasses seemed sufficient for the wine to really open up.
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11/13/2004 - MarkC wrote: 92 Points
Motley Cru Wine Tasting 2004.4 (San Marcos, CA): This is a killer, new-world Pinot. Piercing, brilliantly pure flavors of cherry and cola, with strawberry and spices on the finish.
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9/18/2004 - EPounds wrote:
Tasted at a dinner where a friend was nice enough to open one of his bottles. Deep ruby color. Very ripe and rich nose of various berries and minerals. Complementing rich berry initial taste that builds to a complex finish that lasts for 30 seconds. A complex Pinot that I loved, but others at the dinner preferred the more simplistic and delicate Pinots.
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9/14/2004 - Mark wrote: 88 Points
Tasting note from memory: Tasting while in Santa Barbara touring wineries during Sept, 2004. I was a little disappointed with this bottle, given what I've heard about the ten. Not a big wine and somewhat reserve red, I found myself just waiting for the wine to open up, but it never really did. At hour 1, it the nose expanded slightly, and showed off some very nice rich fruit, but that was short lived.
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9/4/2004 - MarkC wrote: 91 Points
Deep, rich ruby color. Pleasant nose that opened up and filled the glass after several minutes. Cherry, black cherry, hints of cola, balanced structure. Actually better on Day 2 for me - fruit came through a bit more. Chewy and flavorful, would benefit from a good decanting on Day 1. Not an over-the-top Pinot, but a big Pinot nonetheless.
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