Brilliant deep red. Classic El Molino nose of lifted black cherry, raspberry, and kirsch liqueur. Secondary notes of underbrush and smoked cedar adding complexity. Bright lifted entry to a powerful but integrated tannin structure with a broad plush mid-palate, cherry flavors and excellent grip, followed by a long fresh finish. This was the last vintage made by El Molino’s founder and Napa Valley legent, the late Reg Oliver.
90 points and one star from the Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine: “We continue to be mystified at how El Molino always manages to succeed with this fussy grape in what is Cabernet territory, but succeed the wine does both in terms of wonderful balance and its very deep and well-defined fruit. Smelling of cherries, plums, violets and sweet oaky spice, it unfolds on the palate with lithe, genuinely complex, fruit-and-spice flavors that persist on and on at the finish. Its lack of bluster implies no lack of richness, and it will drink famously with veal and lighter lamb dishes over the coming four or five years.” (Oct. 2008) El Molino’s 2005 Pinot Noir comes from Rutherford’s Star Vineyard. Whole cluster (90%), wild yeast fermentation yielded a fresh and rich pinot noir in 2005. Cherry liqueur, orange zest and a little Rutherford dust combine for an intriguing nose. Cherry and kirsch flavors framed by oak spice and well-integrated tannins characterize the wine’s supple, expansive palate. Fewer than 1,000 cases produced; act fast!
