The score for 2012 Marcassin Vineyard Marcassin Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is 97 from Robert Parker and the tasting note - The 2012 Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard, which comes primarily from the Calera clone (although I suspect there are a few mystery clones in their plantings), always seems to remind me of a grand cru from Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits, particularly Morey-St.-Denis. Dense ruby/plum, its sweet nose of strawberries, black cherry liqueur, fresh porcini mushrooms and forest floor is followed by a dark, full-bodied, rich and concentrated wine that is supple, dramatic, and even flamboyant. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. The acreage on the 20-acre Marcassin Estate Vineyard is equally split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir parcels are planted with multiple clones, although the so-called Calera clone seems to have dominance over the others. All of these Pinot Noirs trend toward resembling grand crus from Morey-Saint-Denis in Northern Côtes de Nuits in Burgundy, given their forest floor, mushroom, sweet plum, currant and cherry notes. They are very sexy, lush and certainly capable of 10-15 years of cellaring, possibly longer. As we’re just coming up on 19 years on the 1996, Marcassin’s debut vintage, one thing that’s interesting is that the ripeness in their parcels is almost completely different each year, depending on the growing season. While some of the critics of these wines have claimed that they are relatively high in alcohol, the truth is that some are as low as the upper 13% range, and the ripest they have ever been tends to be just over 15%.