2016 Talisman Pinot Noir ‘Adastra Vineyard’ Carneros Napa Valley

WSI94+ IWR94 Talisman’s 2016 Adastra Vineyard is an absolute stunner and one of the most impressive releases to date from Talisman. This opens with a beautifully perfumed nose, offering scents of wild cherry, blood orange, red berries, dried herbs, mint and violets along with hints of white pepper and truffles. It is very pure and clean with a silky texture that caresses the palate all the way through the polished finish. This is fantastic today, especially with some extended air contact and it should also go on to evolve gracefully over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030
Estate Notes: Such a rich perfumey bouquet; black cherry, cranberry, white pepper, turmeric and blackberry. This elegant yet rambunctious Pinot shows alluring minerality, salinity and umami layered under a mouthful of plum, rhubarb, sour cherry with hints of violets, marjoram and cola; it’s also spicy and herbal with a whisper of licorice… a streamlined, rich, silky elegant wine with amazing persistence.  Adastra is a California Certified Organic vineyard situated in the very heart of the Los Carneros appellation. Located in a low spot with cool air flow and very thin, relatively light clay-loam soils, it is a site with naturally low vigor. The inherently low yields produce extraordinary fruit from vines that require little in the way of manipulation, a hallmark of an exceptional vineyard. Barrel aging: 19 months, 66% new French Oak. Production: 287 cases produced