I am at an immediate disability to describe this wine. I liked it,
and it appeared to have all of the characteristics of Russian River
Valley pinot noirs that make them so fascinating. But it was the second
bottle we opened and, the other one being a chardonnay, I had no basis
of comparison. It had a ruby sparkle, and I recall earthy notes on top
of a plate of fresh fruit. It also gave off too
much heat. I think the alcohol sat at nearly 15%, making it boozy as well as intense. So greeting the Michel-Schlumberger was a little like meeting a drunk Amazon redhead at a bar and suddenly realizing that she's picked YOU.
It
could be that Michel-Schlumberger was experimenting with pinot. The
winery is located in Dry Creek Valley, an upper-Russian River
appellation known more for its Zinfandel and Syrah than anything else.
The winery and vineyards were established by Jean-Jacques Michel, and
later joined with Jacques Pierre Schlumberger. The latter retired in
2011, and apparently new management has taken over--which means, as far
as I can tell, well, nothing.
In any case, I am not
impressed enough with the pinot to recommend buying it again, except at
discount. But then again, I would need to try this wine against another
pinot to be sure. And it certainly is a bargain if found at the right
price.
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