The 2010 Pinot Noir Kessler-Haak Vineyard bursts from the glass with racy dark fruit, mint, violets and licorice. Lively veins of acidity lend energy and vibrancy to this beautifully delineated, energetic Pinot. This is a decidedly delicate, perfumed style of Pinot within the Samsara lineup, but it works. The 2010 was vinified with 50% whole clusters and aged in French oak barrels, 50% new. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.
Samsara is without question one of the hottest boutique wineries in California’s Central Coast. Proprietor Chad Melville splits his time between Samsara and his family’s Melville estate, an approach that seems to work. The 2010s are the product of a very cold year with heat spikes in October. Except for the Rita’s Crown, the Pinots were harvested in October, but before the spikes. The Syrahs (which I will revie next year) were picked much later, into December in some cases, and benefited from the kick of heat earlier in the growing season. Overall, yields were down dramatically, but that may have turned out to be a positive, as normal yields might not have ripened under these conditions. The wines were fermented with natural yeasts, and bottled without fining or filtration. Melville used 25-100% whole clusters for most of the wines. The top selections saw a maximum of 50% new oak.
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