2015 Pinot Noir Mirabai

All of the 2015s here were made with whole clusters and it shows clearly in the wines’ expressive, spice- and floral-dominated bouquets. Fox is a big proponent of neutral oak barrels as she thinks that as sexy as new wood can be with Pinot “it’s just not a set of aromas and flavors that I want on my wines,” she said. After our tasting Kelley opened bottles of her 2011 and 2007 Momtazi, both wines from cooler vintages, to contrast them with the hot-vintage 2015s and 2014s. They are both in fine form, by the way, with more room for aging but I think that the 2007 is on its drinking plateau now and the 2011 should be in prime time in just a few more years. As my scores, here, and in recent vintages suggest I consider this small producer’s graceful, finely etched Pinots to be among the very best being made in the New World and, for their quality, pricing is a gift.