Maker: Black Star Farms, Sutton’s Bay, Michigan, USA
Place of origin: Isidor’s Choice vineyard, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA
Vintage: 2011
Price: $22.50 (website)
Appearance: Ruby with medium width, evenly spaced legs. Throws a few crystals into the glass.
Nose: Blackberry pie, cedar, red raspberry, hint of wet earth.
Palate: Fruity but balanced. Mixed berry jam, toasted oak, coriander seed, hint of white pepper and sautéed mushrooms.
Finish: Slightly fruity but moves to a mildly bitter taste. Raspberry, oak, pepper, cedar.
Parting words: As you’ve already guessed, this is another single vineyard Pinot Noir from Black Star farms, done for the owners of Isadora’s Choice vineyard in Leelenau. This is the second bottle of this wine I’ve drank in the last six months, so it’s safe to say I like it.
The profile is classic, well balanced Pinot. It’s got plenty of fruit and oak and earthy notes and everything else you want in a Pinot pleasantly in its place. The best Michigan Pinots can easily stand toe to toe with most red Burgundies in the same price range, and even surpass some. This vintage of Isidor’s Choice can certainly do that. The bottle suggests that it could improve in the bottle for through 2021, although it’s drinking great now, so I would crack it open now or in the next two years.
All that and it’s food friendly too. We had it with BBQ ribs and it performed very well. Isidor’s Choice 2011 Pinot Noir is recommended.
Sipology 