Wine Enthusiast:  Rated as Excellent, extremely well made and highly recommended. "A lovely Pinot Noir, dry and silky and rich, with complex flavors of raspberries, cherries, Dr. Pepper cola, sandalwood and white pepper. Easy to drink now for its sleekness and elegance. Only 296 cases were produced but a single-vineyard wine worth seeking out." Mar 2011

Winery:  "This is a mouthwateringly tasty wine with beautiful garnet color. The nose consists of cola, Bing cherry, and citrus peel with a vein of minerality and seductive spice running through it. The palate is big and viscous, silky smooth and bright, displaying red fruits, cherry and a hint of anise. The flavors are deep and graceful, followed by a flavorful, persistent finish."

Wired For Wine:   Our day outside is quite dreary so we prefer to focus on something "silky, rich and flavorful" like this Talisman Gunsalus Vineyard Pinot Noir.  Care to join us?  Enjoy your first generous glass with paper-thin slices of beef tenderloin on baguette slices with watercress, capers and a mustard-horseradish sauce.  You just might not need a next course.  The enticing combination of dark red fruit, colas, spice and sandalwood, white pepper and gentle minerality make this Russian River Valley red an ideal companion for duck, salmon, tuna, lamb, lean beef and much more.  This California Pinot will be a hit with sauteed salmon  with a red wine sauce flavored with garlic, ginger and pepper.  A hearty dish of fettucine with a wild mushroom ragù will work beautifully too.  If you're looking to bring out the fruit in this Gunsalus Vineyard red, then make it braised chicken with dates and Moroccan spices.   Keep the happy going with another bottle and a soft, gooey Serra da Estrela cheese with some crusty peasant bread.  A big glass for us, please!  

Size:  750ml, cork
Varietal:  100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol:  14.3%
Ageing:   20 months in 71% new French oak barrels from five coopers of our choosing; François Freres, Dargaud and Jaegle, Remond, Marcel Cadet and Cadus
Region:   Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California