I discovered the lovely wines of David Vergari at Quince a couple years ago and a few months ago noticed that the Vergari Van der Kamp Pinot Noir 2005 was recognized as one of the top 100 wines this year from Wine & Spirits, so I got a few to put down and one to open up before they all fly away! This has since been sold out at the winery, but there are still some 2004s available. I'm sure you can find some of the 2005s on exceptional wine lists and crafty wine stores though.
Vergari Van der Kamp Pinot Noir 2005
This is an exceptional Pinot Noir that is clearly a result of extremely careful winemaking. The grapes were sorted twice to catch any rot or botrytis which can lead to off flavors, a slow and painstaking process. The oaking was done with equal portions of new, once-filled, and neutral French barrels. One third was whole cluster.
When David wrote his orginal tasting notes, he thought the wine was tightly wound, and at this point I believe he would describe it as blooming nicely. The aromas pop out of the glass of strawberry-rhubarb pie, ripe cherries, and a tangible earthiness. In the mouth, it shows great vitality and terrific mountain flavors that compliment the heady aroma --full of cherry. There is an incredible spicyness to it that will make this a great food wine for the next several years. Perfectly balanced acid and fruit. Highly recommended.
Cool! Your comments are greatly appreciated and spot-on as well. The Van der Kamp's efforts to grow quality Pinot Noir are second to none. I am one of the fortunate few to make wine from their grapes.
Van der Kamp Pinots are tight and take awhile to open. The good news is this means staying power and makes for loooong aging. For example, I have not released the '06 yet! Shoot, some folks will have '08s available by the time my 2006 Van der Kamp is ready. Oh well. You can't rush quality.
Cheers,
David
Posted by: David Vergari | March 23, 2009 at 09:21 AM