2018 vintage. Fresh with excellent body and a wild, herbaceous woodsiness. Decidedly different, yet appreciated as such. The 2015 is Rembrandt. This 2018 is Picasso. 4.20.24. — 2 days ago
2020 vintage. Last tasted 8.31.23 (9.3). Medium body then and now. A bit brighter fruit 7 months ago. This got a little "darker" fruitwise and flashed more tannins throughout. 4.19.24. — 4 days ago
2022 vintage. Tasted in conjunction with 4 other Elk Cove Pinots. 4.17.24. — 6 days ago
1998 vintage. Cork a little dry near the bottom so called out the Durand for a rescue. Less meniscus than expected. Dusty, earthy nose. Medium body. Heaps of allspice/sandalwood, prunes and baking chocolate hovering about in the medicinal/oily nose and (mostly) in the flavor profile. Ridiculously reminiscent of an aged (‘80’s-‘90’s) Branaire-Ducru St. Julien BDX. So much so that, if blind tasting, that is the guess. This is gliding along. No highs or lows to navigate currently. Not a showstopper by any means but one helluva ringer in a blind tasting. Some bretty influences here and there but nothing warranting a red card/dq. Picked up slightly more body and a noticeable cinnamon/clove note on the finish after being open for an hour. Also...some muddiness along with a sudden frontal-palate richness (at the 1.5 hours open mark) reminiscent of Petit Verdot involvement/influence. WTF?!?! Bring it! 4.21.24. — a day ago
2009 vintage. Generous fill. Fairy tale cork. Decanted and tasted after 30 mins. Just a little bit of sed. Light-medium body as is the usual Giscours style. Some cherry prettiness melded with dusty earth and appropriate tannic presence. Nose a bit of dark plum that wasn’t forwarded onto the flavor platform-at least at the opportunity I had to enjoy it. Never an explosive style from this Château and this was opened about 5-7 years too early to hit the top of the specific bell curve. Drinking very very nicely now and (easily) for the next decade +. 4.20.24. — 2 days ago
2022 vintage. Tasted in conjunction with 4 other Elk Cove Pinots. This had the lightest body but still decent thrust. 4.17.24. — 6 days ago
2012 vintage. Heavy/full body. Aggressively-oaked nose (still...after a decade+). Dark as motor oil. Plenty of ripe fruits with the entire endeavor in (somewhat) check. Some tannins bringing up the rear after the call was placed. Not amongst my usual jams but well made. Punch/takeoff for another two decades should it come to that. 4.21.24. — a day ago
2019 vintage. Decanted. Great nose. Medium body. Much more powerful than previous vintages. Zippy and almost aggressive vs lighter and passive. Not my fave AVA as I've gotta be in the mood for the ethereal, ephemeral and fleeting trifecta this AVA hard-core sponsors. Yet...something about the region...encapsulates the thrill of the pinot chase better than most. 4.20.24. — 2 days ago
2011 vintage. Opened-not decanted-and tasted after three hours. Medium body. Nearly as much stuffing as a holiday fowl and the nose was replete with orange citrus and baking spices. Has at least another decade of excellent enjoyment if not two. 4.18.24. — 5 days ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
On tap. Pint format. Been at least a decade since the last one. 4.22.24. — 13 hours ago