Maxem Wine UV Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019
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Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
Maxem is a single vineyard Pinot Noir from the celebrated Ulises Valdez Vineyard using the historical Calera clone. Energetic aromas of pomegranate, wild blueberries, rhubarb, bergamot, blood orange and Earl Gray tea lead into a tension-filled palate of crunchy red berries, wet stone, river rock and dried purple flowers delivering a liquid wonderland for the senses. Harnessed by the cool climate of the terroir, the fruit’s natural acidity sits on the finish for what seems like days, all wrapped in a luscious texture that defies logic and will have your palate swooning with delight.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Produced from 100% Calera Clone, the 2019 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard is a barrel sample, set to be aged for 15 months in French oak, 75% new. Medium ruby-purple in color, the nose gives up bold scents of warm blackberries, mulberries and black cherry compote with hints of violets, dark chocolate and cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is generously fruited with a velvety texture and great freshness, finishing long and perfumed. 250 cases are due to be made.
Barrel Sample: 94-96
Other Vintages
2021-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
In Latin, MAXEM has the distinction of meaning “best of the best.” It also combines the names of the owner’s two children, Max and Emma. With the iconic Ulises Valdez Vineyard as their source on the Sonoma Coast, Sam and Nancy Kaplan make Pinot Noir from the historical Calera clone and Chardonnay from the equally acclaimed Wente clone. Sam is a highly regarded winemaker; Nancy a professional chef with her laser palate, has an equal say. MAXEM wines represent some on the most exciting wines produced in California today and have received rave reviews from the wine industries top journalists.
The grapes lend themselves to the style of wines Sam & Nancy both love: exquisitely balanced with bright acids and high tones yet richly textured and possessing full depth of flavor. After nearly two decades of helping others fulfil their dreams, “Now it’s our turn”. They have been lucky to work with some of the best in the business. Sam, in his winemaking career, has been on the ground floor of some of Napa Valley’s most exciting wine projects in recent history, helping to plant vineyards, build wineries and cement reputations with wines that speak of the unparalleled sites in which they’re grown. Nancy, as a chef, spent years in top restaurants in New York and Napa Valley, honing her craft and her palate beside celebrated chefs who demanded nothing less than perfection. The result is that MAXEM crafts top quality, site specific wines in very small amounts.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.