Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2014 | 1/3 the price of comparable 96 point 2014 Pinots
A beautifully sleek mountain Pinot Noir, deep ruby to the rim, with lavish aromas of black cherry, cigar box, cedar and dazzling spice and anise notes. While the attack is rich, juicy, and intensely concentrated. With darker berry flavors and dusty plum notes that are tinged with chicory and smoke. In addition, silky tannins and mouthwatering acidity buttress the dense dark-fruit core into the long, beautifully polished finish. Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2014 is another jewel from Winemaker Luisa Ponzi.
96WE | Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2014 spent 20 months in 30% new French oak. And incorporates fruit from Ponzi’s Aurora, Abetina and Madrona vineyards, among others. Also, aromatic, dense and toasty, it deftly blends aromas and flavors of toast, cigar box, blackberry, black cherry, coffee, and graphite. Tannins are polished to a fine sheen and frame a finish loaded with dark chocolate and espresso. Drink now through 2032.
31st International Pinot Noir Celebration Winner
At the 31st International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon, we tasted spectacular wine from 70+ worldwide producers. By the end, we had a clear winner: the Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2014. This silky jewel won 96 points and a “Cellar Selection” commendation from Wine Enthusiast.
“Aromatic, dense and toasty,” raved the publication. “Tannins are polished to a fine sheen.” The Wine Enthusiast 2014 Pinot Noir Honor Roll above makes clear what a massive value this release is at the Wine Access price of $55. Notably, elite bottles of the same score are selling for three to five times as much.
Age-worthy wine from 2014 Vintage of a Lifetime
From the batch of Oregon’s otherworldly 2014 Pinots — at well under half the price of the competition — it may be the best value of the vintage yet. And considering that the vintage is 2014 — a sensational year in Oregon. While potentially the “vintage of a lifetime” according to Antonio Galloni — this age-worthy effort will have serious Pinot collectors running from afar.
Explore today’s finds at Wine Access
One sip of this dense black-fruit gem with its mouthwatering acidity and you’ll be grateful you snapped up as many bottles of Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2014 as you could.
Winemaker Luisa Ponzi
When we reached the Ponzi booth on our IPNC tour, our friend, winemaker Luisa Ponzi, was beaming. “The fruit is primarily estate-grown, sourced in the Chehalem Mountains from some of Oregon’s oldest vines. “The 2014 vintage really was everything it’s cracked up to be. Yet, despite the steady heat in June and July, there wasn’t a single day that temperatures reached 100 degrees. Furthermore, conditions were near perfect, vines bathing in the sunshine day after day. Finally, when we made the call to harvest in September, the fruit was clean, pure, and ripe as in 2012, if not better.”
Schooled in Burgundy’s Beaune region and trained under Christophe Roumier at the legendary Domaine Georges Roumier in Chambolle-Musigny. Consequently, Luisa Ponzi showed off all her Burgundian prowess with this effort. Thanks to Luisa, another 45 cases are up for grabs.