Pinot Noir Beauty from Anderson Valley

Hailing from California’s Booneville Region in the southeast corner of Anderson Valley, the 2012 Walt The Corners Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is a full-bodied, sumptuous wine.  Lush and rounded with a lingering, polished finish, the 2012 Walt The Corners has bright, fresh red fruits on the nose and mid-palate, with faint floral and earthy herbs, and a hint of plum followed by fine-grained tannins to highlight your taste experience.  In short, folks, there’s a lot going on in that Pinot!  Still a young wine, the 2012 Walt The Corners nonetheless balances the cherries and sweet strawberry nose in an interesting finesse of earthiness that seems to gain even more balance with 15 minutes of air.   The wine takes on a rounder, elegant feel that will delight even the drinkers of the Big Reds.  Available from the Walt website, www.waltwines.com, approximately 400 cases of this beauty were made by the relatively new sister winery to Hall, which instead features Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots and Sauvignon Blancs in contrast to Walt’s Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.   Retailing for a princely $65, the 2012 The Corners is definitely worthy of splurge and is a fine contrast to the white wines so often served in the heat of the summer months.   Like many fine Pinot Noirs, the Walt offering is best served slightly chilled.   Stingy Steven Tanzer awarded this Pinot a strong 90 rating and praised its finish of “easygoing tannins and very good length.”  James Laube of Wine Spectator similarly praised this wine, noting it “very complete and deftly balanced, ending with a long, smooth lingering aftertaste that keep the berry flavors at the forefront,” while awarding an impressive 91 rating on the 2012 Walt offering.   Your humble Wine Bargain Sleuth thinks of this wine as a perfect compromise for lovers of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon–there is something to like for everyone.