Siduri 2006 Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley) – The immediate aromatic impression is of walking into a furniture factory: freshly-cut wood (not, I need to clarify, a comment on the wine’s élevage), paint, and varnish, all powerfully intense. Then comes light fruit that’s been charred to dark anger, perhaps with some beet and blood orange rind, which make me think that this could be a good ringer in a tasting of the Central Otago’s brawniest styles. There’s bright acidity throughout, the alcohol (14.1%) is felt but does not intrude, balance is mostly achieved, and the wine’s by no means actively unpleasant to drink (though it’s a little assaultive to smell), but…well, I feel like I’m drinking a tightly-clenched fist. This is a wine that wants to take a swing at someone. (4/09)
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