2018 Forêt Pinot Noir

2018 FORET, MonoClone Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Le Chambertin West

Tasting Notes

Le Regard / The Look
Deep Ruby and Garnet, showing specs of skin pulp which denotes press extraction.

Le Nez / The Nose
The deep and utterly brilliant bouquet delivers scents of peppery black plums, black cherries, cassis, earthiness, and dark chocolate mingle with nuances of redwood pine needles, orange rind, and grilled meats. As the wine opens, exotic aromas of spiced dark fruit compote, and licorice, spiked with alpine forest fragrance deeply envelop your senses.

Degustation / The Taste
The front palate is wonderfully silky and dense, with a pure concentration of blackberries, cherries, cassis, and violets, all lifted with high herbal and floral tones. The mid-palate possesses a rich yet smooth texture, full-bodied yet elegant and elongated on the palate. On the back end, the dark fruit concentration becomes tamed by the longer aging time in our French oak barrels, adding earthy tones, exotic spices, and dried herbal tones. This is a wine of impeccable balance and poise. Forêt finishes in a classic Burgundian stance; the smooth tannins are just perceptible to accompany the wine into a voluptuous linear and sensual finish marked by the silkiest of texture and precise acidity; Minerality lined with pine needles. This is a pure, hedonistic, and noble wine in our grand tradition of MonoClones that will age for years to come.

Forêt 2018 reminds me of the great Chambertain from Armand Rousseau.

Read A Brief History of the Pinot Noir Clones and How they Survived