This is such a fun wine! It’s lively and delicious and easygoing; the perfect Tuesday wine. A spunky, inviting and super fun nose captures you with notes of black cherry, fresh herbs, and cedar. The wine is taut with great structure, very fine-grained tannins, and fresh beautiful acidity. Flavors of boysenberry, pinecone, celery seed, Christmas spice and a hint of black licorice dance around and invite you to have another glass.
This multi-vintage blend, our seventh Cuvée, was created by blending small components from all of the vineyards in the Talisman portfolio. The synergy that resulted when these disparate lots were combined is magical, akin to the hybrid vigor displayed when certain plants are cross-bred. The winemaking was minimalist—we hand-sorted the grapes, retaining about 25% whole clusters in the bottom of the fermenters. Then we danced with Mother Nature, who provided the native yeasts and bacteria that fermented the grapes. All lots were gently punched down and received post-fermentation macerations. Aging occurred in French oak barrels.
Specs
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Sonoma County
Aged in French oak barrels
Alcohol: 14.7%
TA: 6.2 g/L
pH: 3.71
Production: 571 cases
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County Case:
12x Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County
Talisman Winery is dedicated to the crafting of exquisite, soulful Pinot Noirs that are true to their roots and accurately reflect the terroir and personality of their vineyard origin.
The Talisman logo is a stylized representation of a Native American medicine wheel. The elements of the medicine wheel represent the circle of life and the four directions, reminding us of our place in the universe. The rays around the medicine wheel represent the sun, which provides energy for life on Earth and ripens grapes, allowing us to revel in the pleasures of life, including fine wine.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
NV Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County - $50 = 16.65%
@losthighwayz
CT shows the same label entered as '18.
Producer website shows this bundled in with '17 releases.
Seems like the NV CT entry is likely one and the same as the '18 and the bottling listed on the site.
@chipgreen@losthighwayz
Don’t think so, since NV is in the trade section on the producer’s site, and there are other, earlier, cuvee entries there as well.
Oof. Casemates making me feel old… I loved Jackie Chan Adventures growing up, and now I am a real adult that buys wine… Guess I need to find that Horse Talisman and recover my youth! Or maybe the Rabbit to go back in time??
Here’s my labrat review. I’m on mobile today so I can’t post the graphic
Had it sitting out for a bit before I had a chance to open, so it was slightly cooler than room temp.
Bright ruby on the pour. Like super bright right. Light and delicate, not much for legs.
Immediate sip after the pour was a little muted and slightly hot. Let it sit for a few minutes and it started to open up. I tend to like really funky pinots overall, so let that be the baseline for this. I didn’t look it up, but I’m 90% certain we had Talisman at some point in Sonoma, but I can’t for the life of me remember. The bottle itself looks very familiar.
Nose is getting more loamy, which is a positive to me. Flavor is a dark red fruit I can’t quite put my finger on,maybe something like a ripe plum and a cherry? A hint of allspice on the finish. By the end of the first glass white pepper starts to come out a bit. It meets all the baseline things I look for in a solid Sonoma Pinot, overall very pleasing.
I’d highly recommend having this at cellar temperature. Having left it out too long feels like it’s holding the wine back a bit.
I’ll be very curious to see what the price point is on this. We’re drinking this on Friday night, and I don’t plan on editing the notes for the morning, but I’d expect this to be around $30 a bottle for the small option from Casemates. I would be very happy to get a case of this if it comes in below that price point for summer drinking. This is great having on the back patio on the cooler spring night here
All right, since it is graduation time, let me introduce you the Talisman as if it were a student.
The Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir definitely crosses all the Ts and dots all the Is. The bottle is a nice weight, good dark color, and classic shape for a good quality PN. Nice cork as well, all cork cut straight from the bark, no foil (to obey the latest trendy trends), and the nice Talisman logo on one side of the cork.
I opened it Friday night for a dinner party that started with a triple cream type of brie cheese.
In the glass it is clean and of a beautiful transparency, a classic PN transparency. Color is garnet, brick even, with a beautiful orange hue.
Just opened I can smell strawberry, rhubarb jam, rhubarb leafs, bubble gum, and a hint of cut grass.
In the mouth, a bit of alcohol rushes as soon I sip the wine, but it disappears fast, to leave space for strawberry and straw. A light body PN, as they used to make more often, well balanced, very dry.
Friends arrive, so we start with the cheese and they give me their impressions of this Talisman. On the nose they add ripe red cherries and cranberries; in the mouth, pleasant, well balanced, a bit of acidity, cinnamon and a light cranberry juice. It pairs well with the heavy creamy cheese, having no problem cleaning the mouth.
After appetizers, and more than two hours later, we try again. Things haven’t change much: still strawberries and rhubarb on the nose, a little more spice in the mouth, but very, very subtle.
We opened, along with this Talisman, a 2007 Nysa Wineyards PN which was on sale here as a vertical more than a year ago. The minerality and structure of the Nysa was much more pronounced, making the difference between the Nysa and the Talisman quite clear.
I’m trying it while writing this, in the morning after the party, after a twelve hours rest for the wine. First impressions stay there: still strawberry (a little more jammy this time), rhubarb, a bit more bubble gummy smell, a bit of a hearty earth smell I can’t pinpoint: maybe mushroom? In the mouth, strawberry jam, rhubarb, and straw are still there, but some spices are coming up – a bit more of cinnamon, a hint of black pepper, maybe some licorice. I still can’t detect minerality.
Verdict: if this Talisman was a student, I’d say it is a very good student, with a good structure. Very diligent, prepared for class, and aware of the difference between this and that. It is a very good execution of the California Pinot Noir tradition, one that I won’t mind spending 25/30$ retail for. But – there’s always a but – this student will not surprise you with a jolt of creativity. As I said, it dots all the Is and crosses all the Ts, but it lacks, in my opinion, that je ne sais quoi that makes good wines great ones. If you are in the market for a good example of Cali PN well done and executed, get it. If you’re looking for some more fun and funk, skip this.
Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$475.00/Case for 12x Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County at Talisman Wine
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 12 - Wednesday, Jun 14
NV Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir
3 bottles for $74.99 $25/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $249.99 $20.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
NV Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County - $50 = 16.65%
NV Pinot? That’s a tough sell…
@losthighwayz
CT shows the same label entered as '18.
Producer website shows this bundled in with '17 releases.
Seems like the NV CT entry is likely one and the same as the '18 and the bottling listed on the site.
@losthighwayz @rjquillin
My first thought was that the NV was erroneously leftover from the Miss Stella offer but the description does say…
@losthighwayz @rjquillin perhaps the winery will tell us what vintages. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a multi vintage wine…
@chipgreen @losthighwayz
Don’t think so, since NV is in the trade section on the producer’s site, and there are other, earlier, cuvee entries there as well.
Hope the rats tasted this over a couple of days to get a sense of how much life this has left!
Oof. Casemates making me feel old… I loved Jackie Chan Adventures growing up, and now I am a real adult that buys wine… Guess I need to find that Horse Talisman and recover my youth! Or maybe the Rabbit to go back in time??
Here’s my labrat review. I’m on mobile today so I can’t post the graphic
Had it sitting out for a bit before I had a chance to open, so it was slightly cooler than room temp.
Bright ruby on the pour. Like super bright right. Light and delicate, not much for legs.
Immediate sip after the pour was a little muted and slightly hot. Let it sit for a few minutes and it started to open up. I tend to like really funky pinots overall, so let that be the baseline for this. I didn’t look it up, but I’m 90% certain we had Talisman at some point in Sonoma, but I can’t for the life of me remember. The bottle itself looks very familiar.
Nose is getting more loamy, which is a positive to me. Flavor is a dark red fruit I can’t quite put my finger on,maybe something like a ripe plum and a cherry? A hint of allspice on the finish. By the end of the first glass white pepper starts to come out a bit. It meets all the baseline things I look for in a solid Sonoma Pinot, overall very pleasing.
I’d highly recommend having this at cellar temperature. Having left it out too long feels like it’s holding the wine back a bit.
I’ll be very curious to see what the price point is on this. We’re drinking this on Friday night, and I don’t plan on editing the notes for the morning, but I’d expect this to be around $30 a bottle for the small option from Casemates. I would be very happy to get a case of this if it comes in below that price point for summer drinking. This is great having on the back patio on the cooler spring night here
@rmm989 you’re in luck re: the price!
Here’s my ratting!
LabRat for Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir
All right, since it is graduation time, let me introduce you the Talisman as if it were a student.
The Talisman Cuvée No. 7 Pinot Noir definitely crosses all the Ts and dots all the Is. The bottle is a nice weight, good dark color, and classic shape for a good quality PN. Nice cork as well, all cork cut straight from the bark, no foil (to obey the latest trendy trends), and the nice Talisman logo on one side of the cork.
I opened it Friday night for a dinner party that started with a triple cream type of brie cheese.
In the glass it is clean and of a beautiful transparency, a classic PN transparency. Color is garnet, brick even, with a beautiful orange hue.
Just opened I can smell strawberry, rhubarb jam, rhubarb leafs, bubble gum, and a hint of cut grass.
In the mouth, a bit of alcohol rushes as soon I sip the wine, but it disappears fast, to leave space for strawberry and straw. A light body PN, as they used to make more often, well balanced, very dry.
Friends arrive, so we start with the cheese and they give me their impressions of this Talisman. On the nose they add ripe red cherries and cranberries; in the mouth, pleasant, well balanced, a bit of acidity, cinnamon and a light cranberry juice. It pairs well with the heavy creamy cheese, having no problem cleaning the mouth.
After appetizers, and more than two hours later, we try again. Things haven’t change much: still strawberries and rhubarb on the nose, a little more spice in the mouth, but very, very subtle.
We opened, along with this Talisman, a 2007 Nysa Wineyards PN which was on sale here as a vertical more than a year ago. The minerality and structure of the Nysa was much more pronounced, making the difference between the Nysa and the Talisman quite clear.
I’m trying it while writing this, in the morning after the party, after a twelve hours rest for the wine. First impressions stay there: still strawberry (a little more jammy this time), rhubarb, a bit more bubble gummy smell, a bit of a hearty earth smell I can’t pinpoint: maybe mushroom? In the mouth, strawberry jam, rhubarb, and straw are still there, but some spices are coming up – a bit more of cinnamon, a hint of black pepper, maybe some licorice. I still can’t detect minerality.
Verdict: if this Talisman was a student, I’d say it is a very good student, with a good structure. Very diligent, prepared for class, and aware of the difference between this and that. It is a very good execution of the California Pinot Noir tradition, one that I won’t mind spending 25/30$ retail for. But – there’s always a but – this student will not surprise you with a jolt of creativity. As I said, it dots all the Is and crosses all the Ts, but it lacks, in my opinion, that je ne sais quoi that makes good wines great ones. If you are in the market for a good example of Cali PN well done and executed, get it. If you’re looking for some more fun and funk, skip this.
/giphy fat-humbling-tick
