Walt is a new name for an older winery. Formerly known as Roessler, the winery was sold to another family in 2010, but just about everything has remained the same except the labels. The focus remains on Pinot Noir, with lots of single vineyard releases, produced everywhere from SoCal to Oregon. We dropped into the tasting room recently to sample the latest releases, all from the 2010 vintage. Thoughts follow.

2010 Walt Wines Chardonnay Sonoma County La Brisa $35 / A- / lots of nougat, honey notes

2010 Walt Wines Pinot Noir Sonoma County La Brisa $40 / A- / perfumed, spicy – sultry earth and cola notes; a subtle wine

2010 Walt Wines Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Blue Jay $40 / B+ / much earthier, with blueberry on the tongue; a bit flabby on the finish

2010 Walt Wines Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Hein Family $60 / A- / definite cranberry notes; some menthol, decent acidity, good finish

2010 Walt Wines Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Griffin’s Lair $60 / A / powerful, lots of spice, pepper, and smoke

2010 Walt Wines Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Clos Pepe $60 / B+ / tons of fruit, almost jammy; some pepper

waltwines.com

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