2010 School House Pinot Noir

Before I get into the details I just have to say, this wine is sick as fuck.

Quickly, School House is a little-known winery on Spring Mountain. They produce Syrah, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Everything they make leans pretty old world in style; their Syrah, for example, sits between 12.5-13% in most vintages. I’ve been beating their drum for ages now. All of their wines are exceptionally high quality especially for the price, very restrained, and downright delicious.

Decided to open the 2010 Pinot Noir last night. Such an impressive wine with tons of life left. The nose is gorgeous – you know immediately that you’re smelling Pinot Noir. Aromas are pronounced, with lots of wild fruit and herbs like thyme, but also some dashi and soy, which is really the only hint at the wine’s age. It’s so cliche to say something is “Burgundian,” but this wine really feels that way down to the sous bois on the nose. Nice balance of primary and tertiary characters.

The palate has really vibrant acidity, very atypical for CA. There is wonderful umami, behind which sits a lovely brambly fruit character, kinda thinking wild blackberries and raspberries. The fruit is tart and crunchy, not sweet or overripe. There’s again the dashi broth / soy from the age, which creates a really pleasant umai. There is a little bit of oak influence, but it is super well integrated, basically just a touch of clove and vanilla on the back palate.

The finish lingers for ages. I finished a whole glass typing up these notes. Extremely drinkable but will continue to get better for at least five more years.

This is really a profound wine for the price (around $110) and puts most California Pinot Noirs to shame, mostly because of its subtlety, high acid, and relatively low alcohol (13.4%).

I love this shit. I will keep beating the Schoolhouse drum—these are serious wines that fly well under the radar.