Triple Black Slopes Reviews
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2008 from ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE
91+ POINTS
October 2011
“The 2008 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes spent 15 months in 50% new oak. It offers up a reticent, brooding bouquet of wood smoke, exotic spices, and black fruits. Dense on the palate with outstanding concentration and balance, it needs at least 3-4 years of cellaring and will offer a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2023.” - Jay Miller
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2008 Review from STEPHEN TANZER’S INT’L WINE CELLAR
92 POINTS
July/August 2011
“Full ruby with a bright rim. Bright scents of black raspberry, cherry, rose and spicecake, with a hint of vanilla. At once dense and lively, offering zesty red and dark berry and cherry-cola flavors that pick up weight and sweetness with air. Fine-grained tannins build on the long, oak-spiced finish, which features notes of candied cherry, flowers and licorice.” – Josh Raynolds
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2008 Review by WINE & SPIRITS MAGAZINE
94 POINTS
June 30, 2011
“The steepest hills at WillaKenzie offer the epitome of expression for the 2008 vintage: softly etched scents of tar and pine, a hint of black soil and black cherry. The balance is perfectly poised between fruit and earth, the flavors at peak ripeness but not overt, the finish driven by fruit tannin. Those tannins are on point, marked by the oak’s expression
of Asian spice. With so much life coursing through this fresh wine, it’s delicious now with roast salmon, yet suited to
further bottle age. (548 cases)”
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2008 Review by WINE SPECTATOR
92 POINTS
May 11, 2011
“Fresh and zesty, brimming with black cherry, floral and mineral flavors, persisting impressively on the deftly balanced finish. Drink now through 2018.” – Harvey Steiman
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2007 Review by WINE & SPIRITS MAGAZINE
90 POINTS
October 2010
“A savory pinot, this combines scents of olive and tobacco leaf with ripe strawberry flavors. The fruit takes center stage on the palate, supported by a deep and creamy texture. For smoked pork chops.” – Patrick J. Comiskey
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2007 Review by STEPHEN TANZER’S INT’L WINE CELLAR
91 POINTS
July/August 2010
“Ruby-red. Powerful, complex bouquet displays scents of black raspberry, mulberry and potpourri, with deeper mocha and licorice qualities coming up with aeration. Sweet, palate-coating dark berry flavors are complemented by suggestions of candied rose and lavender, with some vanillin oak spice turning up on the sweet, lingering back end. Quite rich for the vintage.” – Joshua Raynolds
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2007 Review by WINE SPECTATOR
“Firm and lightweight, with a crisp core of dark cherry and tar flavors, finishing with clarity.” – Harvey Steiman, 2009
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2006 Review by WINE ENTHUSIAST
91 POINTS
December 15, 2009
“Certainly the best of WillaKenzie’s lineup in 2006, the Triple Black Slopes Pinot Noir brings a density and focus, coupled with riper, darker fruits and appealing minerality, that is missing from its stable mates. There is a delicious core of black cherry fruit, notes of baking spice, cinnamon and toast; but it is the fruit that shines here—still young, compact and slightly earthy, it lingers tantalizingly and says, ‘Cellar me.’” – Paul Gregutt
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2006 Review by WINE ADVOCATE
91 POINTS
October 2009
“Offers a most expressive nose with an aromatic array of smoke, mineral, toast, black cherry, and black raspberry. Layered on the palate, this tasty effort might be too much of a good thing got Burgundy lovers. It will drink well through 2018.”
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2006 Review by WINE SPECTATOR
90 POINTS
July 31, 2009
“Lithe, vibrant and generous with its mineral-accented blackberry and white pepper flavors, lingering on the focused, pointed finish.”
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2005 Review by WINE SPECTATOR
92 POINTS
Oct. 1, 2008
“Focused, distinctive and generous with its vivid currant, blackberry, pepper and violet aromas and flavors, which pop through a fine layer of tannins. This has all the pieces to come together with time into something special.”
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2004 Review by WINE & SPIRITS MAGAZINE
92 POINTS
February 2008
“The aromas all point to a massive pinot, so it’s a delight to find the palate so delicate and bright. Its black cherry flavors are deep, yet pristine, with a firm finish tinged with the flavors of thyme. For seared breast of duck. “
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2004 Review by WINE ENTHUSIAST
91 POINTS
Nov. 15, 2007
“The name refers to the vineyards unusually steep slopes. The reward for farming such difficult terrain, the owners believe, is complexity, character and concentration. This is certainly the case in 2004, as this is the most dense and focused of the six WillaKenzie releases. It’s built upon a solid foundation of black cherry fruit, but elevated with herb, acid and a feathery touch to the tannins. Despite its exceptional heft, the wine manages to feel elegant.”
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2003 Review by WINE SPECTATOR
92 POINTS
July 31, 2006
“Lithe and silky, the refined tannins carry gorgeous cherry, plum and blackberry flavors as they sail through the long, elegant finish. The firm texture wants cellaring. Best from 2008 through 201.” — H.S.
WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes 2002 Review by WINE ADVOCATE
90 POINTS
October 2004
“An intense, powerful wine, the 2002 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes sports aromatic and flavor profiles dominated by road tar, licorice, and black fruits. This ample, muscular, chunky effort is densely packed with fruit and exhibits a long finish with just a trace of alcoholic warmth. It will be long-lived and may, ultimately, merit a higher score.”
