2004 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

I’ll stick to my thoughts from July 2007…this is the best Goldridge made in the last few years. This is just a really interesting wine that it hard to pin down. I get the kirsch liqueur, earth, spice, and orange rind that I consider to be typically RRV Pinot, but there are also those grilled herb, CdP-, Barolo-, and Burgundy-like components that don’t fit my preconceptions about RRV Pinot. I think this is a wine that some won’t like, but this was my last bottle, and it was singing when first opened and it’s still signing a day later. The style of this wine reminds me a little of the Walter Hansel wines from the 2003 and earlier era.