With Bryan and Marcie in town at the beginning of the month, it was time for our now annual trip to meet with Rick Davis, winemaker for Halleck, Londer, and Alcina Cellars, as well as owner/winemaker for Calstar Cellars. Rick worked alongside Greg La Follette at both Flowers and Tandem and is making some truly exciting wines at the shared crush facility in Sebastapol. Most of the wines were tasted either from barrel or from tank, and the quality across the board is very, very high. I'll post the rest of the day's tasting in a bit, but here's the Halleck 2006 Pinot Noirs to start with...
Halleck 2006 Pinots:
Halleck "The Farm" Russian River Valley
"The Farm" is a parcel of RRV land that delivers classic deep and dark Russian River fruit. Candied cherry and spice dominate the nose and follow up on the palate with an edge of toast form the thirty or so percent of new french oak. Very expressive and densely loaded. Around $60 retail.
90-92 points
Halleck "Estate" Sonoma Coast
Sultry and seductive nose of cherries and citrus peel with hints of tobacco and spice. On the palate the "Estate" bottling is generously fruited and very spicy, with a whack of pain grille from the 50% new french barrel ageing. Broad and rich with more than enough stuffing to last 5-10 years. Very pleasurable. Retails around $75
91-93 points
Halleck "3 Sons" Russian River Valley
Seven hundred cases or so are produced of the "3 Sons" Cuvee, a blend, predictably, of three parcels in the Russian River Valley; The Farm, Hallberg and Hawk's Roost Vineyards go into the production. Again, right around thirty percent new french barrels add a bit of toast without overwhelming the fruit and spice character. This is seriously extracted pinot fit for steak with mushrooms. Very darkly fruited and exotic with cherry, plum and blackberry, as well as a hint of sandalwood and sauteed mushroom. Retails around $45
89-91 points
Halleck "Hallberg" Russian River Valley
My favorite of the Halleck pinots was the "Hallberg Vineyard". This just seemed to get more open and expressive with every swirl of the glass. Cherry and spice mingle with sweet plum, baking spice and raspberry coulis. Sweet fruit dominates the palate and the rich lavish texture is velvety at least...if there's something more velvety than velvet, please let me know...the finish lasts a minute plus with hints of sweet tobacco and nutmeg.
92-4 points
