2006 Baileyana Pinot Noir Grand Firepeak Cuvée Firepeak Vineyard

Raphael and Fabiano popped by tonight with a bottle of this, that they were decanting about an hour and a half prior to coming over as we walked down the street after dinner and saw them through the kitchen window. This is a winery that Raph had visited many years ago, so I was looking forward to it. I grabbed the two of them a few glasses, and Raph did the honors of pouring the rest of the bottle.


Nice rub color in the glass, and a nice subtle nose. Cherry cola was the first thing that hit my nose, with secondary hints of black cherry, spice, and a bit of raspberry. There also seemed to be a bit of alcohol prevalent, which makes me guess that this wine has many years left in it.

On the palate, this was a nice wine. There was nothing over the top about this wine at all, and it wasn’t fruit forward to say the least. It wasn’t your typical in your face pinot, and was just a nice quaffer. Some strawberry and earthiness, alongside some raspberry and herbal qualities. Nice ripe cherry shines through, but again, it isn’t in your face, and I wouldn’t have guessed it as a wine from the Edna Valley. All in all, a nice wine, and a treat for them to bring over as I had never heard of it before. 88 points! Cheers! -F. Scott.