May 28, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Russian River Selection

I am not the biggest fan of Pinot Noir wines, but when a nice one strikes me, I notice.  Back in late 2007 I attended a tasting of different Pinot Noir producers at my favorite wine shop in Santa Clara.  Out of the eight Pinots, this wine stood out.  It had remarkable fruit and structure, so I bought a couple of bottles.  I opened the first prematurely in June of 2010 and was a little disappointed, as the wine was soft, tight, and shut down.  Tonight was a different story.


I was joining a friend for dinner and offered him a choice of three Pinot Noirs to accompany our meal.  He selected this bottle of Gary Farrell from the three.  The color was true Pinot Noir, so light like ruby, so clean looking.  The nose was remarkable.  But the palette was the best part.  Pure red cherry flavors floated above a base of baking spices, mineral, and subtle leather notes.  While spicy at first, the texture had settled down to silkiness by the time the wine had been open for 75 minutes.  There was not a hard edge to this wine after it had been open this long.

2005 Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir