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Dogwood Cellars 2006 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

2011 August 18

During the time I spent in California, I discovered a lot of great wines and growing regions. One of my new favorites is the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. The combination of mountain soils, dry climate and cool nighttime ocean air have made this the ideal spot to grow Pinot Noir with a more characteristic Burgundy style. And while I’m not very familiar with Dogwood Cellars, I really did like the wine. What I do know is they produced only 242 cases of their 2007 Pinot, the current release.

The 2006 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley went extremely well with our dinner which included grilled portobello  mushrooms and a Chinese chicken salad. The color was lighter than expected in a California Pinot and the French oak aging gave it a nose of mushrooms, cola and a touch of spice, which was very pleasant. The palate had fresh flavors of strawberries and cherries with a smooth lingering finish. Despite the 14.3% alcohol, I didn’t get any heat on the mid-palate as I have with other high-alcohol wines. This was pleasant and well-balanced and yet another great example of the type of wine being produced in this area. Bravo.

The 2007 is priced at $40/750ml bottle retail. For total disclosure, I purchased this bottle for substantially less than that. Nonetheless, I would buy this wine again at retail price.

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