past vintages of pelos sandberg vineyard pinot noir
2021 Pelos Sandberg Pinot Noir
232 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$72
release date: February 28th, 2023
label: knife and fork vineyard row marker
We have been working with the same rows and blocks at Pelos Sandberg vineyard for 11 years! This wine falls into the run don’t walk category – but 2021 is different. It may be the best yet of the 12 vintages we have been buying fruit from the Pelos Sandberg vineyard. Don puts enormous effort into his vineyard and does so much of the work himself, he knows each block row and vine. Some years ago he had some fun marking BTF rows with silverware and kitchenware he got at the thrift store, including a ladle that the vineyard guys sometimes use on days they bring soup for lunch! The drawing for this year’s label is an end post with a spoon and fork that show me where to go. Thank you Don - we hope the next 11 years are as good as the last!
tasting notes -
Muddled raspberry, brandied-cherry and dried carnation radiate from the glass. At first sip, a touch of sarsaparilla and Madagascar vanilla bean warm the soul. The earth-driven core of this wine gently reveals itself and reminds us of coastal redwoods and winding forest trails. Savory notes of dried sage, rosemary and smokehouse jerky lend to the rustic elegance of the Pacific Northwest reminding us to slow down and take the road less traveled.
scores -
95 pts — Owen Bargreen
95 pts — James Suckling
94 pts — Wine Spectator
93 pts — Wine Enthusiast
96 pts — International Wine Report
95 pts — Decanter
94 pts — Wine & Spirits
97 pts — Winespeed/Karen McNeil
9-9.5 pts — Vinography
17+ pts — Jancis Robinson (20 pt system)
94 pts — Vinous
2019 Pelos Sandberg Pinot Noir
243 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$68 (sold out)
label: spoon and fork vineyard row marker
We have been working with the same rows and blocks at Pelos Sandberg vineyard for 10 years! 2010 was the first year Don sold us fruit, and I think every year it gets a little better, the fruit most likely, but maybe my understanding of the site too. Regardless, Don does an impeccable job farming and sells us the same high quality fruit that he puts into his own wine called Iota. Some years ago he had some fun marking BTF rows with silverware and kitchenware he got at the thrift store, including a ladle that the vineyard guys sometimes use on days they bring soup for lunch! The drawing for this year’s label is an end post with a spoon and fork that show me where to go. Thank you Don and I hope the next 10 years are as good as the last!
A 2019 with an old soul - this wine is heady, earthy and elegant. A subtle attack of dried rose and baked strawberry aromatics on the nose is followed by warm baking spices and Turkish tobacco. The palate adds complex layers of Aztec cacao, black tea leaves and ripe Bing cherries. Vivid impressions of crushed stones and forest floor give the wine footing and definition to its sense of place. Velvety tannins caress a mouthwatering, bright and lifted finish. The Pelos Sandberg is mesmerizing now and will continue to evolve and mature for years to come.
scores —
94 pts — Owen Bargreen
9 to 9.5 pts — Vinography
95 pts — James Suckling
94 pts — Purely Domestic Wine Report
94 pts — Wine Spectator
94 pts — Vinous
2018 Pelos Sandberg Pinot Noir
259 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$62 (sold out)
label - hat and pruners
Don Sandberg continues to farm diligently providing Big Table Farm as well as his own brand Iota with exceptional fruit. As I make my vineyard visits as fruit is ripening, I often save my visit to PSV for last, so I can walk the blocks with Don and then linger, drink a beer and discuss the progress, share ideas and thoughts. The 2018 from his vineyard is true to past presentations – fruit driven but balanced with bright acidity and present but pleasant tannins.
tasting notes -
Alluring aromatics of black tea and dark plum give way to mulled spice. The tannins in this wine grab you and lead you into round two of heady dark fruit along side of rich humus and peat. The finish has just the right amount of acid to frame the fruit and cocoa on the long finish of this beauty.
scores —
93 pts — Vinous/Josh Raynolds
94 pts — Wine & Spirits
2017 Pelos Sandberg Pinot Noir
241 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$100 (sold out)
label – Don’s boots
Year in and year out the wine that comes from Don Sandberg’s hard work in the vineyard is always delicious and 2017 is no exception. Over the years I have gotten to know the blocks we buy pretty well too and when I taste the wine I feel the sense of place come through.
tasting notes -
This wine sports a tempting nose of dusty rose that settles in and expands into orange peel and maple syrup. This wine finishes with bright dry cherries. Balanced tannins paired with ripe fruit lend lovely tension to this wine now that will evolve over the next six months into a charming complexity.
scores -
96 points - Purely Domestic Wine Report
95 points - Washington Wine Blog
95 points - International Wine Report
94 points - Vinous
93 points - Wine & Spirits
92 points - The Pinotfile - Prince of Pinot
92 points - Wine Spectator
2016 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
285 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$100 (sold out)
label - PSV pruners
Year in and year out the wine that comes from Don Sandberg’s hard work in the vineyard is always delicious and 2016 is no exception. This is a solid wine that is pleasing now and will reward in a year or two. As the vineyard matures it’s wines continue to develop even more complexity and depth.
tasting notes-
This wine offers a seductive perfume right out of the gate. The round fruit concentration is the major player but is supported by forest floor, umami and iron, with dark plum fruit playing the supporting role. The tannins are present but they are soft and show the density we want without the chewy edges that usually need time to refine in bottle.
scores -
94 pts — International Wine Report
94 pts — Vinous
93 pts — Wine Enthusiast
92 pts — Wine Spectator
94 pts — Washington Wine Blog
93 pts — Wine & Spirits
9 pts — Vinography
94 pts — Purely Domestic Wine Report
2015 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
202 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$100
label - Don's 3 n’ 1
Year in and year out the wine that comes from Don Sandberg’s hard work in the vineyard is always delicious and 2015 is no exception. As the vineyard matures its’ wines continue to develop even more complexity and depth, with 2015 at the forefront. While this wine still has the fruit it also shows more tension, tannin and acidity to balance the fruit, potentially a more age worthy PSV than past vintages by my hand.
tasting notes-
Juicy carbonic nose of strawberry and bing cherry, rose petal, forest floor, mushroom, cinnamon. The wine is heady, in that the flavors don’t sit on the palate, they vaporize directly into your nasal cavity like perfume leaving very little weight behind. The structure here is focused around its acid, which is bright and fresh, and the tannins completely melted and nearly imperceptible. The finish is unique in that you really get the sense that smell is really how we are able to perceive flavor, meaning that the wine doesn’t persist on the tongue, it persists for minutes long finish that you continue to smell through the vaporous feeling of the wine on the palate.
9.0 to 9.5 — Vinography
95 points — James Suckling
94 points — International Wine Report
93 points — Josh Raynolds — Vinous
93 points — PinotFile
92 points — Decanter
91 points — Wine Spectator
90 points — Wine Enthusiast
2014 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
unfined and unfiltered
$100 (sold out)
label – Don's tractor
Humus and forest floor aromatics. The fruit is plummy with black cherry as well, and the barrel toast makes the fruit smell roasted in a way, like lightly grilled over an open flame. The structure is substantial with brawny chewy tannin that never overwhelms nor has edges. The finish is saturating and lingers leaving harmony and richness.
Delicious now but will reward cellaring, as we have come to expect with the wines from this vineyard.
scores—
93 points — Wine Spectator
94 points — International Wine Report
93 points — The Pinot File
90 points — Wine & Spirits Magazine
2013 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
303 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$125 (sold out)
label – Don's Disc from the vineyard
Great farming pays off again this year. Deep, brick red in color. Bright red fruit, dried cranberry, smoke, wood spice, gravel, and wet soil on the nose. Very complex, layered wine. Rich, wood spice on the pallet, yet very juicy and plush. Dense, yet restrained.
Delicious now but will reward cellaring as we have come to expect with the wines from this vineyard.
scores-
94 points- Wine & Spirits Magazine
92 points- Wine Spectator
92 points- Vinous
9.0 to 9.5- Vinography
92 points- The Pinot File
2012 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
224 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$125 (sold out)
label – Don's machete for hedging vines
Great farming pays off again this year. A dark ruby appearance with excellent brilliance. Pronounced aromas of blueberry and plum fruit with deep earthy minerality classic to the Amity Hills. Rose petal, orange zest, cinnamon, chocolate, coffee, mushroom add range to the flavors on the palate.
The fruit on entry is juicy but builds in weight to a substantially concentrated mid-palate. The tannins here are plush but chewy enough to add significant structure to fruit driven wine.
Yummy now but will reward cellaring, as we have come to expect with the wines from this vineyard.
scores-
94 points- The Pinot File
93 points- Stephen Tanzer's IWC
94 points- Wine & Spirits Magazine
93 points- Wine Spectator
2011 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
192 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$125 (sold out)
label - PSV vineyard pruners
We bought two acres of Pinot noir from this immaculately farmed vineyard. I was struck and excited by the darkness of the juice and the ripeness of the seeds as I walked the rows in the fall of 2011.
The southwestern exposure, perfect elevation and mixture of soil types create a wine that is luscious from the beginning. Aromatics of dark fruits, Cola, cinnamon, maple, whipped cream, tobacco and leather lead you into a palate of Cedar, bacon, wet dirt and mushroom with the fruit flavors of blackberry, dark cherry and plum playing a supporting role.
The rich spice driven flavors and ripe fine grained tannins make this wine delicious in its youth as well as one that will only continue to evolve. We hope you enjoy this bottling as much as our inaugural efforts from this great site.
scores-
91 points- Josh Raynolds- Stephen Tanzer's IWC
90 points- Robert Parker- Wine Advocate
2010 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir
146 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$150 (sold out)
label - Don’s hoe
I joke that Don Sandberg knows each one of his vines by name. Don spends more time in his vineyard than any one else I know - he works with the crews and looks over their shoulders and shows them exactly what he wants.
Don epitomizes the saying that the best fertilizer is the farmer’s footsteps, and so when he offered us the opportunity to purchase several acres of his fruit we unhesitatingly said yes!
The resulting wine (and label) is a testament to his diligence; ripe red fruits, expansive, lush pallet and a lingering finish of perfect tannins and fruit. Simply delicious.
scores-
93 points- Josh Raynolds- Stephen Tanzer's IWC
91 points- Wine & Spirits Magazine