Hartley worth mentioning

Hartley-Ostini “Hitching Post” 2006 Pinot Noir “Cork Dancer 6.1” (Santa Barbara County) – Very difficult when first opened, with a whiff of must. This eventually blows away, but the wine left in its wake is ungenerous to the extreme. Roughshod berries, trampled and faded, with the aroma of an old pickup truck are about all there is, though the wine does show hints of blossoming an hour or so down the road. I’d suspect a very low-level cork taint, but the wine’s performance – improving over the course of a dinner – doesn’t quite match that suspicion. (1/09)