Mahoney Vineyards Carneros Pinot Noir 6-Pack
$129.99 $̶2̶2̶7̶.̶0̶0̶ 43% off List Price
2010 Mahoney Vineyards Pinot Noir Mahoney Ranch, Carneros
2010 Mahoney Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Carneros
2010 Mahoney Vineyards Las Brisas Vineyard Pinot Noir, Carneros
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[MOD: 2010 Mahoney Vineyards Pinot Noir Mahoney Ranch, Carneros]


Opened a bottle of this tonight to have with grilled bacon wrapped pork medallions and asparagus. Popped the cork and let it breath in the bottle while dinner was made, approximately 30-45 minutes. Initial notes of pepper and a hint of strawberries. A little muted at this point; not much fruit on the palate and a lots of nice pepper and spice notes. No sweetness to speak of and decent acid to carry through to the finish. At this point it paired well with the meal and was quite enjoyable.

After the meal and another 20 minutes or so in the glass, it has begun to open up quite a bit. Lots more strawberry, and still some nice pepper and spice notes making it quite balanced and a pleasant sipper. The nose has opened up more as well and the finish carries more fruit with hints of earthiness and mushrooms, medium in length.

Two hours later, poured another glass for some final notes. Getting a lot of mushroom on the nose now, and as odd as it seems, maybe some eucalyptus, but in a good way. Still some good strawberry and cherry fruit but more mushroom and earthy flavors are coming out and definitely lingering through the finish.

This is definitely a Carneros Pinot but to me has great balance and definitely not of the super earthy variety that some show as. This was great with food and quite pleasant to sip afterwards. I was guessing a price point between $20 and $25 and that is pretty much right now. I do believe the QPR is good at this price, but having to buy 6 bottles probably pushes this out of my budget. If I had the money and space, and I would be in on this, and still can be swayed by other comments and participation.

North316 wrote:Opened a bottle of this tonight to have with grilled bacon wrapped pork medallions and asparagus. Popped the cork and let it breath in the bottle while dinner was made, approximately 30-45 minutes. Initial notes of pepper and a hint of strawberries. A little muted at this point; not much fruit on the palate and a lots of nice pepper and spice notes. No sweetness to speak of and decent acid to carry through to the finish. At this point it paired well with the meal and was quite enjoyable.

After the meal and another 20 minutes or so in the glass, it has begun to open up quite a bit. Lots more strawberry, and still some nice pepper and spice notes making it quite balanced and a pleasant sipper. The nose has opened up more as well and the finish carries more fruit with hints of earthiness and mushrooms, medium in length.

Two hours later, poured another glass for some final notes. Getting a lot of mushroom on the nose now, and as odd as it seems, maybe some eucalyptus, but in a good way. Still some good strawberry and cherry fruit but more mushroom and earthy flavors are coming out and definitely lingering through the finish.

This is definitely a Carneros Pinot but to me has great balance and definitely not of the super earthy variety that some show as. This was great with food and quite pleasant to sip afterwards. I was guessing a price point between $20 and $25 and that is pretty much right now. I do believe the QPR is good at this price, but having to buy 6 bottles probably pushes this out of my budget. If I had the money and space, and I would be in on this, and still can be swayed by other comments and participation.

Which of the three did you have tonight?

North316 wrote:Opened a bottle of this tonight

Could you clarify which wine?

cortot20 wrote:Which of the three did you have tonight?

Mahoney Ranch

North316: Just curious, was this wine sent to you by woot/the vineyard? Or did you just happen to have it in your cellar?]

gmwhit wrote:North316: Just curious, was this wine sent to you by woot/the vineyard? Or did you just happen to have it in your cellar?]

I'm curious- why do you ask?

North- thanks for the review! I'm a bigger fan of more earthy pinots, so I'm out on this one.

loveladyelectric wrote:
North- thanks for the review! I'm a bigger fan of more earthy pinots, so I'm out on this one.

Did I miss something? It sounded like that is pretty much what North described.

Personally I prefer earthy too, but acid driven with some funk.

loveladyelectric wrote:I'm curious- why do you ask?

North- thanks for the review! I'm a bigger fan of more earthy pinots, so I'm out on this one.

Sorry, North, I am remiss...I forgot to thank you for the review. And so...now I will. Thanks! It was a complete, comprehensive one. Appreciated!

And so...loveladyelectric, you're curious about why I'm curious? Hmmmm What can I say to appease you? I asked exactly what I wanted to know...was this a 'free taste' or one that was already in his/her cellar.

Céad Míle Fáilte

gmwhit wrote:Sorry, North, I am remiss...I forgot to thank you for the review. And so...now I will. Thanks! It was a complete, comprehensive one. Appreciated!

And so...loveladyelectric, you're curious about why I'm curious? Hmmmm What can I say to appease you? I asked exactly what I wanted to know...was this a 'free taste' or one that was already in his/her cellar.

Sure and begorrah, it was a leprechaun that brought him such fine gifts.

Although like the Irish, we are a giving bunch here, and are more than willing to pop one from our cellars to help the wee ones on this day.

If the winery joins, could they provide the pH and TA of each of these? Also, what's the alcohol level? Any more technical information is always appreciated!

North, what was the alc on yours?

jhkey wrote:If the winery joins, could they provide the pH and TA of each of these? Also, what's the alcohol level? Any more technical information is always appreciated!

North, what was the alc on yours?

13.8% on the Mahoney Ranch. As for the earthiness comments above, i think this was middle of the road. Definitely earthiness there, just not to the point of funk, if that makes sense. I really did enjoy the wine, as did my wife.

gmwhit wrote:North316: Just curious, was this wine sent to you by woot/the vineyard? Or did you just happen to have it in your cellar?]

You don't get it, do you?

kylemittskus wrote:You don't get it, do you?

Didn't we just have this exact discussion a few weeks ago...?

MarkDaSpark wrote:Sure and begorrah, it was a leprechaun that brought him such fine gifts.

Although like the Irish, we are a giving bunch here, and are more than willing to pop one from our cellars to help the wee ones on this day.

I've heard that, besides leprechauns, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy all leave bottles of wine for adults. I am not concerned with where the wine came from, if it was gifted, it it was regifted or from a purchase. I appreciate the great job that was done by North316 with the review. Thanks for helping me make a decision on buying this wine.

jhkey wrote:If the winery joins, could they provide the pH and TA of each of these? Also, what's the alcohol level? Any more technical information is always appreciated!

North, what was the alc on yours?

Hi all- It's Ken Foster from Mahoney Vineyards....
Sorry for the delayed input, but I'm battling the flu, and couldn't drag myself to the computer.
The Mahoney Ranch, which is a hillside vineyard on the Napa side of Carneros, has a bit more acid than the other two. The pH is around 3.56, with a TA of 6.2. The Las Brisas Vineyard, a gently sloping site with gravelly soils at the west end of Ramal Road (Sonoma Carneros) is a bit softer, pH 3.59, TA of 6.0. The Estate is a blend of the two vineyards, but because it's not the same base wines, it is in the 3.62/5.8 range. Alcohols are in the 13.8-14.0 range on all three.
Our Pinot plantings are quite diverse, with about a dozen clones spread over 110 acres. We use that diversity to create different styles from the same sites. For the Mahoney Ranch, we are looking for more structure, and clones 667 and 23 bring it, along with earthiness, while Swan Selection lends lighter, pretty red fruits. At Las Brisas, we go for a more direct fruit expression, and use a lot of Swan and Carneros Creek selection, with 777 and 667 for riper fruit and texture, but these blends vary from year to year. On all of our wines, oak is kept in the background, to focus on the vineyards, not the winemaking. Toward that same goal, we tend to ferment at lower temperatures, preferring to retain fruit and limit tannin extraction, generally pressing after 10 to 12 days on the skins. We give the wines longer barrel aging, about 21 months for the 2010 vintage, to create a soft and integrated wine.
Production on each of these three wines was in the 400-500 case range.
Questions?

Ken

mvwinemaker wrote:Hi all- It's Ken Foster from Mahoney Vineyards....
Sorry for the delayed input, but I'm battling the flu, and couldn't drag myself to the computer.
The Mahoney Ranch, which is a hillside vineyard on the Napa side of Carneros, has a bit more acid than the other two. The pH is around 3.56, with a TA of 6.2. The Las Brisas Vineyard, a gently sloping site with gravelly soils at the west end of Ramal Road (Sonoma Carneros) is a bit softer, pH 3.59, TA of 6.0. The Estate is a blend of the two vineyards, but because it's not the same base wines, it is in the 3.62/5.8 range. Alcohols are in the 13.8-14.0 range on all three.
Our Pinot plantings are quite diverse, with about a dozen clones spread over 110 acres. We use that diversity to create different styles from the same sites. For the Mahoney Ranch, we are looking for more structure, and clones 667 and 23 bring it, along with earthiness, while Swan Selection lends lighter, pretty red fruits. At Las Brisas, we go for a more direct fruit expression, and use a lot of Swan and Carneros Creek selection, with 777 and 667 for riper fruit and texture, but these blends vary from year to year. On all of our wines, oak is kept in the background, to focus on the vineyards, not the winemaking. Toward that same goal, we tend to ferment at lower temperatures, preferring to retain fruit and limit tannin extraction, generally pressing after 10 to 12 days on the skins. We give the wines longer barrel aging, about 21 months for the 2010 vintage, to create a soft and integrated wine.
Production on each of these three wines was in the 400-500 case range.
Questions?

Ken

Thanks for dragging yourself to the computer! Great information.


Any thoughts on how long these can cellar?

MarkDaSpark wrote:Thanks for dragging yourself to the computer! Great information.


Any thoughts on how long these can cellar?

I would say it comes down to personal taste. For me, I like them best in the first 3 years after bottling, but then, I spend a lot of time tasting from barrel, and I think that steers me toward youthful flavors. The fact that these spent 21 months in barrel means that the fruit is more evolved than if it were bottled after, say, 10 months... which is pretty typical in California. If you are a fan of more aged character in your wine, you could hold these another five years, but for me, I'd drink them in the next two or three years.
Ken

Hey, I got one of these bottles as a gift from a friend. Want to hear about it? Of course you do .

2010 Las Brisas Vineyard Pinot Noir
On Pnp this is very closed. No real heat on the nose. Lots of earth. This wine is very terroir driven. I'd bet money this is an alluvium soil with a decent O horizon. You can smell it and taste it. First taste, muted cherries, long lingering mushrooms and funk. I know Pinot lovers really dig the mushroom funk, but it isn't my favorite. To paraphrase George Carlin, I find when I really want mushroom flavor, when it's really mushroom flavor that I'm after, mushrooms are a pretty good source of mushroom flavor. I love mushrooms by the way, just not so much as a forward flavor in my wine. Let's give this half an hour of glass time.

Half hour later, funk has blown off for the most part, still very muted overall. Will let second glass sit for an hour. My initial impressions are that this is a well, crafted wine, excellent balance, but it just isn't ready yet. Another year, a vinturi or more time in glass may make all the difference.

Second glass, let it sit an hour. Kind of waking up now, cherries on nose and tongue, finishes up with that slight earthy Pinot thing that does little for me. Over the next hour, nothing really changes. Overall, i think this wine tastes like potential. Recork and revisit this tomorrow.

Overnight storage conditions: recork 1/2 bottle,set on counter in cool kitchen. 68 degrees.

Next day, 15 hours later. Bright cherries on the nose, little to no funk. Cherries on the palate. You'd almost think this was a good Sangiovese that didn't have any tannin. I forgot to mention this earlier, there is no tannin noticeable. Incredibly smooth, well balanced, no heat. Now that this is opened up I find it very pleasing. Probably more of food friendly wine, but I didn't have anything to pair it with.

Summation: a very pleasant wine that just isn't quite ready yet. Either needs another year in the bottle, a vinturi, or a proper decant. You need to plan ahead on this one, decant, cook a meal around it and I think you'd be quite happy. Lives up to the potential I thought it had on day one. I'd happily pay around $45 retail on this.

Hey WD, wouldn't this have been a more appropriate wine for today???

MarkDaSpark wrote:












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Top of the morning Marrrrkkkkk!

We misssss youuuuuu!

North316 wrote:[MOD: 2010 Mahoney Vineyards Pinot Noir Mahoney Ranch, Carneros]
...
I was guessing a price point between $20 and $25 and that is pretty much right now. I do believe the QPR is good at this price, but having to buy 6 bottles probably pushes this out of my budget.

thanks for the great tasting notes.
I am in the same boat - 6 bottles for after shipping and tax totaling about $145 is too much for me for one purchase.

andreaserben wrote:thanks for the great tasting notes.
I am in the same boat - 6 bottles for after shipping and tax totaling about $145 is too much for me for one purchase.

Offering a 3 pack would have been much more enticing.

It's hard to not be tempted after such great tasting notes....

cortot20 wrote:Offering a 3 pack would have been much more enticing.

It's all about economics...

Thanks to bowtie, north, et al for the notes. Sounds like the fruitier end of my kind of Pinot, but I've neither the room nor the funds after barrel tasting weekend. SIWBM in serious force (exception for Braganini Reserve).