California, Pinot Noir

100% Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir grapes, hand sorted, and partially destemmed. Aged in 70% New French Oak and bottled un-fined and un-filtered. The resulting wine has an impressive nose with spice, dried herb, black cherry and dried currant flavors.

"The red fruit aromas of the Aqua Pumpkin typify the region’s style: strawberry, raspberry and cherry notes, with a slight woodsy touch. It’s medium-bodied, with light tannins." -The Winery

"Aqua Pumpkin was the brainchild of former Wild Horse employee, Tom Williams. During the crush of 1986, a very sleep-deprived Tom Williams fell asleep at the employee break room table. When Tom awoke he was greeted by the juxtaposition of children's crayons - aqua and pumpkin. Finding the thought of an "aqua pumpkin" amusing, Tom drew a picture and wrote text to his creation - Aqua Pumpkin was born. Through the years this bottle stood guard over the commissary." -The Winery

"A bright Pinot Noir filled with aromas and flavors of cherry, raspberry and red currant. This wine is beautifully subtle and multi-layered with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, leather, cedar chest, vanilla and a gossamer of California Bay Tree. Wonderful structure gives this wine weight and silky power from start to finish. The acid balance causes a gentle fruit flavor jig on your tongue just after you swallow. Combining both elegance and boldness, this wine is wonderful straight out of the bottle while having the concentration and complexity to age. At release, this wine has a brooding depth that will open up over the next five years to reveal a stupendous wine and will please for decades." -The Winery

RATING FOR PREVIOUS VINTAGE
Rating: 91 Points
Wine Spectator April, 2007

"Rich and complex, showing layers of firm, ripe black cherry, plum and wild berry fruit that's well-structured, with the flavors sailing on through the finish. With good tannins and fine balance, this should provide lots of fun drinking over the next five years. Drink now through 2011. 800 cases made." –James Laube note: Jim must not be a Clapton fan because he fails to mention that the wine is named after the song "Badge" written by Clapton and George Harrison

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine Volume 29 Issue 12: October 2005
Score: 88 GOOD VALUE
"Sweet, black cherry fruit and hints of milk chocolate in the nose make for an inviting beginning here, and the wine's medium-deep flavors run true to promise. A bit of finishing coarseness comes up after a nice sense of suppleness on entry, but there is room for a few of years of improvement, and service with food in the near-term will be of real help in smoothing its way."

"Now in our third century of crafting classic wines, we honor the passion of our winemaking pioneers with wines that embrace the future and speak eloquently of Beringer's rich heritage. From grapes grown in California's Central Coast, a climate that resembles France's Burgundy region, this bold Pinot Noir delivers ripe fruit flavors, a touch of spice and a lingering velvety texture." -From Beringer Vineyards

Rating for 2005 vintage:
Wine Spectator May 15, 2007
Rated: 92
"Creamy textured with smoky mocha laced oak wrapped around a supple core of raspberry, blueberry and blackberry flavors, finishing with lots of depth, richness and concentration. Drink now through 2011." James Laube

Appealing for its raspberry, spice and fresh forest floor aromas and chunky cherry, plum and anise flavors, which finish with minerally tannins - Wine Spectator

"Bruce Wayne Winery is named after two of our founders, Bruce Walker and Wayne Hansen. This Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is sourced from premium vineyards. Having received extended barrel aging, this fruit driven and elegant limited release wine is a fine example of the Russian River Valley terroir and the Pinot Noir varietal." -The Winery

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine September 2006
Score: 93 points and 2 "puffs"
"Unlike its close siblings, this wine is not specific as to its clonal origins, but the kinship among all three is crystal clear in their shared emphases on sweet, seductive and keenly defined fruit. Fully ripened and attractively juicy in character and never so much as hinting at heat, it has plenty of mass in the mouth and shows off the varietal's fine velvety feel, and its careful adjuncts of oak and milk chocolate serve as lovely enrichments to its unstinting themes of sweet cherries."