Chateau Bianca 2002 Library Oregon Pinot Noir 2-Pack
$49.99 $̶1̶0̶6̶.̶0̶0̶ 53% off List Price
2002 Chateau Bianca Estate Reserve Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
CT link above

Winery website

This has some bottle age for a Pinot. How are these drinking now? Usually only well made balanced Pinot's with a solid tannin structure can hold out and/or improve with this much time. Any thoughts here and have you guys had experiences with aged Pinot? (I'm not talking about Conti and La Tache here)

-Ryan
http://www.TheFermentedFruit.com/

I had the chance to try this a few days ago.

PnP:
Color: Very dark for a Pinot. Dark red brick

Nose: Very light nose of bramble and earth.

Palate: Good acidic attack but not a whole lot of flavor. Blackberry, cedar and some greeness (think parsley). Slightly bitter finish of underripe blackberry. Surprising amount of tannin for it's age. Hoping it opens up!

1 Hr:
Nose is opening up a bit. Dark berries, forest floor, portabello mushroom and nuances of toasted oak. Palate is also opening up. The bitter finish has smoothed out some. Still a touch of green there. Medium-light body

Next day:
A lot fuller flavor today. Greeness is almost totally gone; almost seems like a different wine! Very fully body for a Pinot. Definitely an interesting wine. I guessed a price point of $15-$20 so this is slightly above that

To Ryan: this aged Pinot is drinking really nicely. The years of bottle age have given it a velvety texture with a nice balance of fruit and spice character. Remember, aged Pinot is meant to be consumed once open. Pour it in a big bottled glass, share it with someone you love and enjoy!

All other vintages are selling for $35 at the winery. How is it this sells so much above that?

joseph1951 wrote:All other vintages are selling for $35 at the winery. How is it this sells so much above that?

This is a library wine-it is no longer available through the tasting room or on-line and in very limited supply. You are being given a great opportunity because wooters are the best!

This looks like something klez would want...

Not everyday do I get a chance to taste a nicely aging PN, so was the opportunity yesterday prior to D&D madness.

This had been opened and recorked some 12~18 hours earlier and was presented at a cool room temperature.

Color surprisingly saturated for a PN, and showing some nice bricking around the edges.

Nose of bramble and spice, some sweet berry or floral tinges and nicely open.

First entry was slightly sharp, acid(?), but not subsequently. Almost reminded me of a syrah, not what I expected for a PN, but I've not had many 10 year old PN's yet either. A nice full mouth of dark fruits balanced with still a surprising amount of tannin in a medium finish.

Nice Pinot Noir. As I link older cabs, there is still plenty of life here for me and grateful I had the opportunity to sample a glass.

Surprisingly I found the 2003 still offered for $32 on the CB site but not the 2002.

kylemittskus wrote:This looks like something klez would want...

I think you are on to something there.

Average of 85 points in 2 community wine reviews on 2002 Château Bianca Pinot Noir Winery on CellarTracker.com

ajrod27 wrote:I had the chance to try this a few days ago.

PnP:
Color: Very dark for a Pinot. Dark red brick

Nose: Very light nose of bramble and earth.

Palate: Good acidic attack but not a whole lot of flavor. Blackberry, cedar and some greeness (think parsley). Slightly bitter finish of underripe blackberry. Surprising amount of tannin for it's age. Hoping it opens up!

1 Hr:
Nose is opening up a bit. Dark berries, forest floor, portabello mushroom and nuances of toasted oak. Palate is also opening up. The bitter finish has smoothed out some. Still a touch of green there. Medium-light body

Next day:
A lot fuller flavor today. Greeness is almost totally gone; almost seems like a different wine! Very fully body for a Pinot. Definitely an interesting wine. I guessed a price point of $15-$20 so this is slightly above that

One of the CT comments mentions that this is semi-dry. Can you comment on that?

cortot20 wrote:One of the CT comments mentions that this is semi-dry. Can you comment on that?

For me, dry on the palate, but somewhat sweet to the nose. Didn't note anything I'd attribute to RS.

For some strange inexplicable reason, I just happen to have a bottle of this wine to taste. I just opened it.

The wine is limpid and has very nice color for a 12-odd year old Pinot - reddish (no purple) with just a hint of bricking around the edge (when held over a white card).

The nose, before any tasting and right after opening is interesting: definitely redolent of bottle age, hints of leather, tobacco, indifferentiable spice, some strawberry hints, something floral.

I will taste within a half an hour or so and report.

OK - the aromas have intensified a bit, but remain essentially the same.

The entry is definitely characterized by mature flavors, light-to-medium body. Some fruit remains, but it's behind the earthier, spicier flavors.

In the middle palate, the balance is very nice. firm acid with good, smoothing tannin to support the flavor profile.

The finish lingers, but subtly rather than overwhelmingly.

This is a lovely wine for current drinking, and a very nice example of an older Oregon Pinot. What's it's not, however, is Burgundian. Many people consider Oregon Pinot to be typically more Burgundian than California and more complex.

This is a fairly complex wine, at what I think is probably close to its full maturity. While it will hold for a while and doesn't have to be drunk promptly, I think it will show best over the next year or two. I'm not blown away; I'm not overwhelmed; I am quite charmed.

I'll pick some up and, if you like Pinot, so will you.

cortot20 wrote:One of the CT comments mentions that this is semi-dry. Can you comment on that?

Most reds are typically dry. This one is bone dry. The semi-dry comment might be the perception of the softer finish and the lighter tannins on the palate.

rjquillin wrote:Not everyday do I get a chance to taste a nicely aging PN, so was the opportunity yesterday prior to D&D madness.

This had been opened and recorked some 12~18 hours earlier and was presented at a cool room temperature.

Color surprisingly saturated for a PN, and showing some nice bricking around the edges.

Nose of bramble and spice, some sweet berry or floral tinges and nicely open.

First entry was slightly sharp, acid(?), but not subsequently. Almost reminded me of a syrah, not what I expected for a PN, but I've not had many 10 year old PN's yet either. A nice full mouth of dark fruits balanced with still a surprising amount of tannin in a medium finish.

Nice Pinot Noir. As I link older cabs, there is still plenty of life here for me and grateful I had the opportunity to sample a glass.

Surprisingly I found the 2003 still offered for $32 on the CB site but not the 2002.

Very nice notes, grasshopper! Personal, yet helpful and thorough.

kylemittskus wrote:This looks like something klez would want...

That was my reaction last night when I saw the offer. Then I said "self, you need to wait and see if non-rats can help you out." Lo and behold the non-rats chimed in and I'm still torn. Mostly by the "reminded me of Syrah" comment. To me that's not a desirable characteristic of Pinot. Then rpm chimes in. I'm still torn. I'll check in later today.

Also...to pnonor - what clones are used here?

rpm wrote:For some strange inexplicable reason, I just happen to have a bottle of this wine to taste. I just opened it.

The wine is limpid and has very nice color for a 12-odd year old Pinot - reddish (no purple) with just a hint of bricking around the edge (when held over a white card).

The nose, before any tasting and right after opening is interesting: definitely redolent of bottle age, hints of leather, tobacco, indifferentiable spice, some strawberry hints, something floral.

I will taste within a half an hour or so and report.

OK - the aromas have intensified a bit, but remain essentially the same.

The entry is definitely characterized by mature flavors, light-to-medium body. Some fruit remains, but it's behind the earthier, spicier flavors.

In the middle palate, the balance is very nice. firm acid with good, smoothing tannin to support the flavor profile.

The finish lingers, but subtly rather than overwhelmingly.

This is a lovely wine for current drinking, and a very nice example of an older Oregon Pinot. What's it's not, however, is Burgundian. Many people consider Oregon Pinot to be typically more Burgundian than California and more complex.

This is a fairly complex wine, at what I think is probably close to its full maturity. While it will hold for a while and doesn't have to be drunk promptly, I think it will show best over the next year or two. I'm not blown away; I'm not overwhelmed; I am quite charmed.

I'll pick some up and, if you like Pinot, so will you.

Damn you RPM. I was thinking about this as I am looking for older wines for when I visit the US since I don't have time to wait for the newer ones to age. I was thinking if only RPM would taste this wine and give his insight, that might be enough to push me over the edge. And look who chimed in. It was that line

I'll pick some up and, if you like Pinot, so will you.

because I do like Pinot. So I hit the big yellow button and alas, this wine doesn't ship to Ohio. Oh well. I still have time, there will probably be more older wines to order. I just hope RPM will inexplicably have those as well!

Thanks to all for your reviews -- in for 1

Our Estate Pinot Noirs make great aging candidates since we rack them in new oak for about 18 months. The tannin extraction helps the wines to age gracefully for years in the bottle; we typically age these anywhere from 5 to 7 years before we release them so the acids and tannins have time to mellow out.

pnonor wrote:Our Estate Pinot Noirs make great aging candidates since we rack them in new oak for about 18 months. The tannin extraction helps the wines to age gracefully for years in the bottle; we typically age these anywhere from 5 to 7 years before we release them so the acids and tannins have time to mellow out.

Which PN clones do you use in these wines?

klezman wrote:Which PN clones do you use in these wines?

It's a blend of Pommard and Wadensville clones.

klezman wrote:Mostly by the "reminded me of Syrah" comment. To me that's not a desirable characteristic of Pinot. Then rpm chimes in. I'm still torn.

For me, I think it was the spice that suggested syrah. Not enough history with older Oregon pn's to know if this is to be expected or not. A nice bottle, just a bit above my price point after D&D.

rjquillin wrote:For me, I think it was the spice that suggested syrah. Not enough history with older Oregon pn's to know if this is to be expected or not. A nice bottle, just a bit above my price point after D&D.

I had a friend over this afternoon who also found Syrah-like notes in the wine. I did not, but he did.

rjquillin wrote:For me, I think it was the spice that suggested syrah. Not enough history with older Oregon pn's to know if this is to be expected or not. A nice bottle, just a bit above my price point after D&D.

Last wooter to woot: klezman
This plus a stop at K&L and Costco have made this a hefty wine buying day!

klezman wrote:Last wooter to woot: klezman
This plus a stop at K&L and Costco have made this a hefty wine buying day!

Stop @ Prager today was a four digit hit!

rjquillin wrote:Stop @ Prager today was a four digit hit!

I found their wine tasty and nicely overpriced