Fromm the cellar

Fromm “La Strada” 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Towering, for sure, but more of a concrete edifice than a true work of architecture. There’s dark fruit with concentrated aromatics, black earth, a fine and very adult appeal to the head as well as the heart, but there’s also layer upon layer of structure (almost all of it a silkily ripe tannin), and while it does not overwhelm the wine, it dominates it. This is not a pinot for zinfandel lovers, as so many modern interpretations are, but it just might be a pinot for Bordeaux lovers. (2/09)

Fromm “La Strada” 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) – Intense and brooding, with a mille-feuille of tannins enveloping the dark berry fruit. There’s acidity, too, and the wine’s no modernistic leaden monster, nor is it particularly thick or hard, though a physical sensation of depth is its primary characteristic. But I’d consider drinking rather than holding this wine, and even then with the right, structure-scalpeling food. (2/09)