EROBERTPARKER.COM #173, JAY MILLER, OCTOBER 2007

2005 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Casteel Reserve – 92

My favorite of the Bethel Heights Pinots is the 2005 Pinot Noir Estate Casteel Reserve  (named after the founder of the winery). It is a blend of the estate s old vines and is the most perfumed and complex aromatically. It has a broad band of fruit, brilliant raspberry, blueberry, and black cherry flavors, and superb integration of oak, tannin, and acidity leading to a 40+ second finish. It will reward 4-6 years of cellaring and drink well through 2027.

2005 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vineyard – 90

The 2005 Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vineyard  is similarly styled. Its fragrant raspberry and cherry-scented nose is more expressive and in the mouth the fruit is more concentrated with greater depth. It exhibits the same zesty style with lively acidity and enough tannin to support several years of cellaring.

2005 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Southeast Block Reserve – 91

The 2005 Pinot Noir Estate Southeast Block  is from a portion of the vineyard planted in 1979 to the Pommard clone. It offers dark fruits and mouth-filling flavors albeit in the racy, high acid, structured style of the vintage. It will benefit from 4—6 years of cellaring.

2005 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir West Block Reserve – 91

The 2005 Pinot Noir Estate West Block  comes from the oldest vines on the property (planted in 1977). Again, it strongly reflects the nature of the vintage, but is more mouth-filling, deeper, and more concentrated than its siblings. It has prominent acidity and plenty of tannin but is more fruit—driven than most 2005 Pinots. It needs 5—7 years to evolve and should drink nicely through 2027.