JM 1ST APPROACH

Several rows were especially selected from Mike's vineyard in Lobethal to create this wine. The essence of a good Pinot Noir is up front strawberry like aroma with a soft rounded almost velvety palate. The wine was finished in small oak barrels to complex all the flavored into a complete wine.

Ready to drink now but will hold and age for several years. Here's a challenge: Line this wine up against every other single vineyard, small producer, sub-$15 Pinot on the shelves and pick the one that is varietally correct, pretty and an enjoyable drink. Fooled you, there are no others! And that in itself is reason enough to stock up big time on this little beauty. We adored the last Mike Press Pinot, but that was years ago, and the fruit hasn't been good enough for him to make it since, so who knows how long it will be before the next one lands? In the meantime, there's nothing but good news here. It's a gentle cherry/berry style with a fresh violet lift and some spicy complexity on the finish. Fine tannins give it more definition and structure than you'd expect. It's only going to get better with two or three years in the cellar, so make sure you go long on this one.

This is a ripe and immediate vintage for Mike Press pinot, making it spot on for drinking right away. It’s a fruity style of wild strawberries, ripe raspberries, a hint of brambles and finely textured tannins. 14.8 on the alcohol scale is a big number for this timid grape, but the high altitude acidity of this vineyard keeps it bright and fresh, toning its warm finish. Enticingly underpriced Tyson Tselzer