J.L. Kiff’s 2012 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir is both vivid and fresh and is coronated with a wreath of raspberries, alpine strawberries, dried mint, anise, and pomander ball. It’s limpid garnet in the glass, and is slightly darker in hue than the other vintages in the vertical we tasted—I am told the 2012 includes a small percentage of whole-cluster fermented fruit and is wild yeast fermented. In the mouth, the frame is lissom and spare, with shards of its volcanic origins peeking through a fine veil of red berries and deliciously delicate floral notes. 14.5% ABV | Sample
92 Points