The Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, Mendocino County is a select blend of different barrels from our vineyard-designate wines that we find are drinking very well early in their age. The 2017 wine is blend of Pinot Noir from two different vineyards – Nash Mill Vineyard in Anderson Valley and Oppenlander Vineyard in Comptche (Mendocino County). The Nash Mill site is in the deep end of the valley, getting more fog and shade from nearby trees, and the Comptche site ripens later since it is more within the fog belt, at lower elevation and about 8 miles from the coast.
The medium garnet color of this wine gives way to bright red fruits often exhibited in Oppenlander, layered with spicier notes of clove and nutmeg that we frequently find in the Nash Mill site. The blend showcases bright red cherry on the palate with zingy acidity and a plush finish layered with notes of spice, creamy toast, and a touch of forest floor. This wine will drink well right out of the bottle, but will continue to develop over the next 3-5 years. Enjoy with seasonal trout or salmon with simple lemon butter sauce or with a light pasta of spring vegetables and a shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Reviews
91 points, Wine Enthusiast
"This nicely balanced and well-rounded wine offers generous fruit flavors and subtle oak spices. It is medium to full in body, fairly soft in texture and concentrated enough to drive a lingering, complex finish. This new wine is the least expensive Pinot from Waits Mast, blended from Anderson Valley grapes mixed with grapes from other parts of Mendocino County." - March, 2020
wine1percent/Stephen McConnell
Completely transparent light ruby with an ambering beige far out into the wide clear edges. Ridiculous barnyard flies in your face fresh in the pour, blowing off quickly to sharp egg white, lemon zest and olive oil combining to help the brilliant pie cherry maintain an upper hand on the horse manure and sawdust tempered with black briar. It’s a sweltering nose of chocolate frosting and peat see-sawing through an astonishingly delicate visual.
In the mouth, light soothing cool water with a lemon slice waved over it. Refreshing and delicate, letting your guard down momentarily for the locomotive belching coal and diesel and hot grease, dragging mountains of smoky rock, tar and singed leather off into the Bing cherry abyss.
Fresh swirls crank out more barnyard, new sips inject more fruit, everything so calmy complicated you are left in the middle of the road just staring. Bright, energetic fruit just begging to be danced with, a Vegemite grip just begging to be spread, stalls getting hosed out, and the prickly pepper bite turning to dry tannins lingering on and on–still draped in the warm embrace of berry and lollipop.
I set this bottle down on the table at a bottle-share in Healdsburg and Christopher Sawyer got all quiet for a moment. I’m like, What? and he starts waxing poetic about these people. Check it out: their flagship stuff is a crazy bargain in today’s Pinot prices, and this is the cheapest one they sell, and I’m telling you what: at $35 you’ll have a hard time matching the quality. (11/13/19)
