Martin Ray Angeline Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2004

Compared to the Umpqua Valley Oregon Pinot below, this Sonoma Coast wine presents yet another profile of Pinot Noir. It's very light in color, and the aroma is delicate, although very finely focused with tones of vanilla, ginger, cherry and pomegranate. On the palate, the wine has an essentially sweet core but wrapped in some dry, smoky earthiness that is characteristic of some Pinot Noirs. The finish is shorter than I would expect, but the wine is a very enjoyable accompaniment for my leftover salmon and sweet potato tart from Every Day People Cafe.

I was very disappointed by an earlier bottle of Martin Ray's 2004 Angeline Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir [May 25, 2008]. It's now apparent to me that the earlier bottle was defective--probably because of heat exposure during transportation or storage before the wine reached me. Pinot Noir seems particularly susceptible to heat damage.