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93+ - View from the Cellar -- John Gilman - 1/11/21
2018 Pinot Noir “Petaluma Gap”- Kendric Vineyards (Marin County)
The 2018 vintage of pinot noir from Stewart Johnson is a fine young wine in the making. It is a bit more black fruity in personality this year than some previous vintages, coming in at 13.5 percent octane and offering up a pure and complex bouquet of black cherries, plums, raw cocoa, a superb base of dark soil tones, woodsmoke, a dollop of fresh thyme, violets and a discreet foundation of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, transparent and tangy, with an excellent core of fruit, lovely balance and grip, ripe tannins and a long, vibrant and nascently complex finish. This is outstanding pinot noir in the making, but it will need some time in the cellar to blossom fully. Fine juice. 2026-2060. 93+.
8.5-9.0 - Vinography -- Alder Yarrow - 1/26/20
2018 Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap, Marin, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of chopped herbs, peeled willow bark, and forest berries. In the mouth, black raspberry and chopped herbs mix with a touch of cola nut and sawdust, as faintly bitter green herbs linger in the finish with the faintest wisp of tannin. Excellent acidity.13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9.
92 - Wine Enthusiast - May 2021
92 Kendric 2018 Proprietor Grown Pinot Noir (Petaluma Gap-Marin County). Big, broad cherry flavors are lifted by lively acidity and moderate tannins in this full-bodied wine that sports good sour cherry and raspberry tones as well as light black-pepper and cinnamon nuances. —J.G. abv: 13.5% Price: $38