You’ll find a nice, silky texture on this Pinot Noir, as well as lush flavors of cherries, raspberries, cola, sweet tobacco and dusty baking spices. There’s some sharpness all the way through that detracts.——S.H.(8/1/2011)—— 87

There’s a tight, muted quality to this wine. While it floods the mouth with cherry, raspberry, Dr. Pepper and cocoa flavors, the acids and tannins are Burgundian, suggesting ageability. You can drink it now, but decanting is advisable. Otherwise, stick it in the cellar until sometime in 2009 or 2010.——S.H.(9/1/2008)—— 90

Forward in new oak, this wine opens with a burst of vanilla and toast, but it’s big enough to shoulder all that wood. The ripe cherry, pomegranate and coffee flavors are dry, wrapped in soft, silky tannins. You find yourself wishing it had more concentration, though.——S.H.(2/1/2005)—— 89

Clos La Chance produced a limited cuvee of 2,100 bottles of 1997 Pinot Noir Erwin Vineyard. A medium ruby color is followed by a reticent, but promising nose of black cherries, earth, spice, and vanilla. This 1997 Pinot provides a far more impressive impression on the palate than its shy aromatics would suggest. A dead-ringer for a premier cru Cote de Beaune, there are abundant quantities of red berry/cherry notes in this medium-bodied, elegant, tightly-knit effort as well as sweet fruit and excellent cleanliness and balance. The tannin and acidity are well-integrated. This wine should drink nicely for 6-7 years. Phone 408-686-1050