Herman Story 2019 Pinot Noir Smash City

WINERY TASTING NOTES: How you ended up on top of this runaway boxcar full of blueberries, you don’t quite remember, but it’s flying down the tracks, through forests of fresh herbs and violet. The Thunderbird convertible alongside wants you to jump, so you do, seconds before the whole thing hits a plum and brown sugar warehouse. Two flips in the air, for good measure, and you land nimbly in the driver’s seat, riding so far into the sunset, you can’t even hear the director yell cut.
DRINK NOW: Splash decant into thermos CELLAR: It’ll last, but what’s the point?

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points (2018 vintage): “The 2018 Pinot Noir Smash City comes all from the Bien Nacido Vineyard outside of Santa Maria and saw 37% whole clusters and 18 months in 75% new French oak. As you’d imagine, it’s a darker-hued Pinot Noir from Russell and offers up a great nose of spiced red and black fruits, forest floor, a touch of iodine, black tea, and loads of spice. Medium-bodied, beautifully textured, and elegant on the palate, it shows that this winemaker isn’t a one-trick pony, making blockbuster styled Rhône blends as well as complex, beautifully balanced Pinot Noirs. Enjoy this terrific effort over the coming 4-6 years.”

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