Vivid, ripe black cherry, dark berry fruits, cranberry, baking spice, toasty French oak, confectionary edge. Ripe and delicious upfront with surprising depth and flavor, richness, and ripe berry character finishes with hints of toasted French oak, coffee, and cocoa nibs.
Aging: Aged 4-5 months on new French Oak 100% Malolactic fermentation
Fermentation: Prise de Mouss yeast
Harvest: Night picked at 25.1°Brix
Food Pairing: Tri-tip, BBQ beans and a green salad (Santa Maria style), Sautéed mushrooms in red wine and garlic sauce, cheese & salami plate.
A former Wells Fargo stagecoach stop, the town of Ballard was founded in 1880 with lofty dreams of being a future metropolis. But sometimes history has a different plan. While Ballard is the oldest community within the famed Santa Ynez Valley on California’s Central Coast, it’s also the smallest, despite the dreams of its founders.
Ballard was named for William Ballard, who ran the Wells Fargo station from 1862 to 1870. Although Ballard served as the connection point between rural and seaside communities, it never grew in mass like its neighbor Santa Barbara and is now much as it was over 100 years ago.
Today, Ballard is a combination of a sleepy village and upscale bedroom community. The surrounding area is noted for its thriving and well-respected wine industry and was featured in the Academy Award-nominated film “Sideways.” Vineyards, coastal bluffs, and ranches merge seamlessly together through roads the locals call “lanes.” Ultimately, many of these paths end up in Ballard.
The Ballard Lane wines are a reflection of the Millers, a Central Coast family who has farmed the area for five generations. Their proprietary knowledge of the climate and terroirs of the Central Coast are reflected in each bottle of Ballard Lane wine.
@klezman We are honest about the wine’s composition and do not use MegaPurple. 2% adds some grip and depth while maintaining a nice varietal character.
@WesHagen Not suggesting anything nefarious, and I both expect and appreciate transparency from all winemakers on how they make their wine. Thought there might be an interesting story or winemaking aim.
Oh hey! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood pizza rat! This bottle of Pinot showed up in my rat den, so I couldn’t wait to get my claws into it. With sharp teeth and claws, but lacking opposable thumbs, the metal screw top closure took all my cunning.
Ruby color, medium legs, no sediment. It’s a bright fresh juicy jammy wine on all senses. Dark fruits on the nose, but well integrated. My wife and I each took a sip and looked at each other, puzzled. Not one flavor jumped out at either of us, but it was definitely fruity. Sure, the obvious cherry and vanilla were detectable, but the rest was kindof just there. The finish was medium, and I’ll say tart. Rather, the tartness of the wine was more evident after swallowing it. I dunno, just what I wrote down.
We enjoyed it with spicy fish for dinner, and in true rat fashion, paired with cheese for dessert. I think it tasted best with Beehive Barely Buzzed. Anyway, truly a fruit forward inoffensive daily drinker. It’s a pass from me mostly because we go hard into the paint on expensive pinots here, and by that comparison it doesn’t hold up.
85 Points. Reductive aromas of tar and asphalt hide the red-fruit aromas on the nose of this bottling. The palate is also tarry, with hints of dark-red fruit, turned earth and dried mushroom. MK 9/1/2020
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir - $20 = 16.66%
I was excited to get to try the 2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir, as I drink very little Pinot these days. The bottle arrived very early which allowed a week of rest in the cellar before opening. Twisted off the cap and poured myself a glass. The color was light to medium ruby with no bricking. The nose was pure alcohol, no fruit detected at all. My first taste reminded me of a strawberry cough drop, maybe a little leather or tobacco possibly, with a bitter oak finish. Decided to set it aside to breathe.
After 30 minutes or so of rest I tried it again. I maybe got a little red fruit, although not sure what kind of red fruit, but it still had that bitter oak finish and cough drop taste to me. Screwed the top back on and decided to try again the next day.
Day 2 was not any better. Got a little faint fruit smell but the strawberry cough drop taste was still there as was the bitter oak finish. At this point I was at a total loss. I’m guessing/hoping that I got a bad bottle or it was just too cold here when it shipped, and my experience is not a true representation of the wine. Hopefully other rats had a very different experience. As always thanks Alice and WCC for the opportunity!
@suzanne17 This review is at odds with the fresh bottle in front of me. It is a fresh, juicy, spicy pinot noir that received a Gold Medal at San Fran Chron WC, which is not an easy medal to land.
@WesHagen This is why I stated in my review that I was hoping I just got a bad bottle and that my assessment was not a true representation of the wine. I can only offer my honest review based on the wine I received. Glad what you were tasting was a different experience than mine. Cheers!
@suzanne17 Well it looks like you’ll just have to come to Santa Maria (71 degrees and sunny) and enjoy a bottle with us! Thanks for the review, and I always enjoy an honest appraisal.
@tercerowines I’m happy to help, Larry. At this price point the wine is made in SS tank with French Oak adds. The grapes were a bit ripe, so a touch of post-harvest irrigation was likely needed to balance the wine.
@tercerowines@WesHagen Water?
Larry, thank you thank you for pointing out the “on new French oak”
I had no idea, kind of deceiving to put it that way or am I wrong on that?
@kaolis@tercerowines@WesHagen I really like how Clark describes his winemaking methods and choices. In situations analogous to this (as I read it, at least) he’ll say he added back x gallons of water to achieve y brix. He’ll also distinguish added oak chips or staves in an ageing vessel from the composition of the vessel itself. In this super-nerdy forum it’s always fun to learn about all this!
@kaolis@klezman@tercerowines@WesHagen
And, I believe, unlike many other forums, you won’t get flamed, but rewarded, for “coming clean” with your process. I didn’t phrase that well, but hopefully the intent is clear.
This wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Excellent judges, great reputation, and a solid accolade. https://winejudging.com/judges/
I take this wine into the market almost daily and it sells itself. At this price it’s a great daily sipper. I’m happy to answer any questions.
@wordek Although this is not a wine that has been designed to age through low dissolved O2, my experience is that they will show less juiciness and more earth/leather after 3-5 years in the cellar. I LOVE fully mature, if not fading, wines, and I would have some confidence there would be balance left after 7-10 years from vintage. Thanks for the query!
2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir, Central Coast
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$180.00/Case for 12x 2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir, Central Coast at Ballard Lane
About The Winery
A special message from the winery!
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, VT, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 28 - Friday, Mar 4
2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir
6 bottles for $59.99 $10/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2% Petite Sirah!? That needs some explanation.
@klezman We are honest about the wine’s composition and do not use MegaPurple. 2% adds some grip and depth while maintaining a nice varietal character.
@WesHagen Not suggesting anything nefarious, and I both expect and appreciate transparency from all winemakers on how they make their wine. Thought there might be an interesting story or winemaking aim.
@klezman I’m here for transparency and good will, thanks so much for participating and drinking wine. Without wine, I’d still be teaching high school!
@WesHagen High school. Shudder.
@klezman Tell me about it. The kids drove me to drink, so I went pro.
Oh hey! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood pizza rat! This bottle of Pinot showed up in my rat den, so I couldn’t wait to get my claws into it. With sharp teeth and claws, but lacking opposable thumbs, the metal screw top closure took all my cunning.
Ruby color, medium legs, no sediment. It’s a bright fresh juicy jammy wine on all senses. Dark fruits on the nose, but well integrated. My wife and I each took a sip and looked at each other, puzzled. Not one flavor jumped out at either of us, but it was definitely fruity. Sure, the obvious cherry and vanilla were detectable, but the rest was kindof just there. The finish was medium, and I’ll say tart. Rather, the tartness of the wine was more evident after swallowing it. I dunno, just what I wrote down.
We enjoyed it with spicy fish for dinner, and in true rat fashion, paired with cheese for dessert. I think it tasted best with Beehive Barely Buzzed. Anyway, truly a fruit forward inoffensive daily drinker. It’s a pass from me mostly because we go hard into the paint on expensive pinots here, and by that comparison it doesn’t hold up.
@tburritt Thank you for the report
New week, new WE review…
85 Points. Reductive aromas of tar and asphalt hide the red-fruit aromas on the nose of this bottling. The palate is also tarry, with hints of dark-red fruit, turned earth and dried mushroom. MK 9/1/2020
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/ballard-lane-2018-pinot-noir-central-coast/
fwiw
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir - $20 = 16.66%
I was excited to get to try the 2018 Ballard Lane Pinot Noir, as I drink very little Pinot these days. The bottle arrived very early which allowed a week of rest in the cellar before opening. Twisted off the cap and poured myself a glass. The color was light to medium ruby with no bricking. The nose was pure alcohol, no fruit detected at all. My first taste reminded me of a strawberry cough drop, maybe a little leather or tobacco possibly, with a bitter oak finish. Decided to set it aside to breathe.
After 30 minutes or so of rest I tried it again. I maybe got a little red fruit, although not sure what kind of red fruit, but it still had that bitter oak finish and cough drop taste to me. Screwed the top back on and decided to try again the next day.
Day 2 was not any better. Got a little faint fruit smell but the strawberry cough drop taste was still there as was the bitter oak finish. At this point I was at a total loss. I’m guessing/hoping that I got a bad bottle or it was just too cold here when it shipped, and my experience is not a true representation of the wine. Hopefully other rats had a very different experience. As always thanks Alice and WCC for the opportunity!
@suzanne17 And what area do you live in that it might have gotten too cold?
@suzanne17 Thank you for ratting the wine.
@sandbarhappy Chicago suburbs. It’s cold!
@suzanne17 This review is at odds with the fresh bottle in front of me. It is a fresh, juicy, spicy pinot noir that received a Gold Medal at San Fran Chron WC, which is not an easy medal to land.
@WesHagen This is why I stated in my review that I was hoping I just got a bad bottle and that my assessment was not a true representation of the wine. I can only offer my honest review based on the wine I received. Glad what you were tasting was a different experience than mine. Cheers!
@suzanne17 Well it looks like you’ll just have to come to Santa Maria (71 degrees and sunny) and enjoy a bottle with us!
Thanks for the review, and I always enjoy an honest appraisal.
Interesting - hoping for some winemaker input here but . . .
2).it states that it was aged ON new French oak which makes me believe ‘oak alternatives’ - not that that is a bad thing - just trying to understand.
Cheers.
@tercerowines I’m happy to help, Larry. At this price point the wine is made in SS tank with French Oak adds. The grapes were a bit ripe, so a touch of post-harvest irrigation was likely needed to balance the wine.
@tercerowines @WesHagen Water?
Larry, thank you thank you for pointing out the “on new French oak”
I had no idea, kind of deceiving to put it that way or am I wrong on that?
@tercerowines @WesHagen What are the legal limits in CA for “post harvest irrigation”?
@kaolis @tercerowines @WesHagen
Great wordsmith phrase!
@kaolis @tercerowines One may use enough water in very ripe grape must to facilitate complete fermentation, as I recall.
@kaolis @tercerowines At this price point, there is no way to have a barrel program and be sustainable. Just being honest!
@kaolis @tercerowines @WesHagen I really like how Clark describes his winemaking methods and choices. In situations analogous to this (as I read it, at least) he’ll say he added back x gallons of water to achieve y brix. He’ll also distinguish added oak chips or staves in an ageing vessel from the composition of the vessel itself. In this super-nerdy forum it’s always fun to learn about all this!
@kaolis @klezman @tercerowines @WesHagen
And, I believe, unlike many other forums, you won’t get flamed, but rewarded, for “coming clean” with your process. I didn’t phrase that well, but hopefully the intent is clear.
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @tercerowines Indeed, I’ve been on wine boards since Prodigy, so I have flame retardant skin! /sip Have a great night
@kaolis @klezman @tercerowines Clark Smith is a gift to wine. Postmodern Winemaking sort of blew my mind.
@kaolis @klezman @tercerowines @WesHagen @winesmith
Yeah, we kinda like him here as well.
Every time I read a chapter, I see something I missed before; now, if only I could remember them.
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @tercerowines @WesHagen “since Prodigy”…I haven’t heard/remembered that Prodigy even existed in many years!
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @tercerowines @TimW Back when Bob Foster and Robert Parker were on Prodigy Wine Board–maybe 1995?
Pretty poor review from Wine Enthusiast. Will definitely take a pass on this one.
@HALFEEL
The second rat tats review was almost a ditto of the
WE review.
PASS.
This wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Excellent judges, great reputation, and a solid accolade. https://winejudging.com/judges/
I take this wine into the market almost daily and it sells itself. At this price it’s a great daily sipper. I’m happy to answer any questions.
@WesHagen what would you say the aging potential is for this?
@wordek Although this is not a wine that has been designed to age through low dissolved O2, my experience is that they will show less juiciness and more earth/leather after 3-5 years in the cellar. I LOVE fully mature, if not fading, wines, and I would have some confidence there would be balance left after 7-10 years from vintage. Thanks for the query!
Any folks in southern NH or northern MA want to go in for a split on a case?