1995 Sanford Pinot Noir Barrel Select Sanford & Benedict

A 15 year old Sanford pinot noir! Wow what a treat! This wine is definitely on the down slope, but could be one of the best '95's we've had in the last few years. The fruit is now lacking, but there are still some subtle raspberry and strawberry hints there, although the flavors are much more sour now than I am sure they were 5-8 years ago. A bit of sour cherry, the faintest hints of spice, and a bit of brett. On the palate, I wasn't sure that this was going to be drinkable, but it was plenty drinkable. Again, the fruit was lacking, but there was definitely a bit of cherry, black cherry, and some other dark mixed berries. The finish was nicely integrated, but a bit on the dirty/earthy side. The tannins are gone, the alcohol is gone, and the finish is short, but really, want do you want for a 15 year old pinot from Santa Barbara County? We purposely left about a 1/2 glass in the decanter, vacuumed and threw it in the fridge overnight. Needless to say, on day two this wine was definitely finished, flat, and undrinkable. My suggestion is to drink these up now if you have them, and I wouldn't recommend decanting. Pop and pour these bad boys, and free up some room in the cellar! All in a all, a nice blast from the past, and very enjoyable to drink during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games. This may not be a 95 pointer, but was definitely worthy of 87 points. Cheers!