The boys of Noble Wine (who are occasional advertisers here) are some of the rare importers of Kevin Harvey’s wines from the US into Europe. Kevin is a very keen follower of things burgundian so I was very interested in what his personal rendition of pinot noir might be. I have this and a ‘Rhys’ (though it also says Rhys on the cork of this wine) which I’ll also open in the next days. I’m not really expecting ‘burgundy’, but given the costs of export/import, these cost me (even with a ‘good price’) something in the order of a cheaper grand cru.
2006 Alesia, San Mateo County
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose wears a heavy, musky pinot fruit and it’s edged first with a fine layer of vanilla then a slightly thicker layer of a faint pyrazine-type scent – at this intensity I find it interesting rather than off-putting. Swirl harder and a finer red cherry aroma attempts to escape the rim, time adds a little smokiness that mainly melds with the pyrazine to give a stem aroma. In the mouth this is faintly plush and very silky – you have to seriously chew to get a hint of tannic grain – in fact to find any tannin at all. There is a little vanilla cream that runs through the centre of the wine and into the finish, a long finish with a long-lasting mineral core. Occasionally I have the impression of a little warmth on swallowing but can’t be bothered to check the alcohol content – if it’s high it just means I must drink less! Whilst that finish is pleasantly mouth-watering, I feel this just needs a slight acid-lift to make me crave the next sip. I look to my normal benchmarks, but frankly I don’t have a burgundy village or cru that I can compare this to. Very tasty but I’d like it a little more refreshing.
Given that I paid a price for 2 bottles and so don’t know the individual prices it’s hard to ascribe a value. On an average base I overpaid for this one and underpaid for the ‘Rhys’ which will follow. At the average, and as nice as this wine is, I wouldn’t be rebuying. Actually the back label (the front, as you can see is very basic, very pretty but basic) doesn’t mention the alcohol content – I’m not sure if that’s legal in Europe, but I certainly don’t care!