When we first tasted Jesus Guillen’s Meredith Mitchell ‘15, we sent him a quick note saying, “this is the best Meredith Mitchell Pinot noir we’ve ever tasted!” And we weren’t even close to kidding or exaggerating. We can’t keep our hands off the stuff – we’ve opened two bottles in the shop in as many weeks – because it’s that’s stellar combination of subtle power, juicy generosity, and Pinot noir finesse.
Like all of Jesus’s best wines, it defies simple description; one of the tenets of whole cluster fermentation done correctly is that it creates a complex melange of aromas and flavors that are outside the norms of Pinot noir’s adjectives. Guillen nails this other-worldly complexity and marries it with gobsmacking fruit. Only 48 cases total were made, and we are lucky to have enough for the club.