We recently reviewed two wines from Joe Wagner and his Copper Cane family of wines. They were the Boen Coastal Chardonnay and the Belle Glos Oeil de Perdrix Rosé. Both were revelations, as they elevated two of our least favorite wine types into something we loved, and subsequently bought. You can read about those here.
Here we’ll look at a few additional wines from Belle Glos, which is primarily know for Pinot Noir. The name comes from a homage to Joe’s grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner, co founder of Caymus. The emphasis here is on coastal vineyards throughout California, however the different areas and vineyards include very different soil types and climatic influences that require unique approaches to the winemaking. All of the wines are individual expressions of the Pinot Noir grape.
We recently had the chance to try three different Belle Glos Pinots, and the results were as good as expected.
2022 Belle Glos Balade Pinot Noir – 100% Pinot Noir, from Arroyo Seco in Monterey County. It is medium
ruby in color with berries, caramel, black cherry and light oak. Tannins are medium. On the palate the juice is rich and dense in fruit. It is medium bodied and very long. It is a beautiful wine. SRP around $60. Recommended.
2022 Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot – the vineyard is only 13 miles from the 
ocean, and faces west. Cool fogs and breezes dominate until August, when the Santa Ana winds begin. The wine sees new French oak. It is dark purple red in color, and the nose is complex with blackberry, bramble and lots of spice, including a full array of baking spice. Body here is medium and the tannins are milder. The finish is really, really long. Also recommended. SRP about $60.
2014 Belle Glos Taylor Lane Pinot Noir (Magnum): this is located in the new West Sonoma Coast AVA. It is only available in magnum, which is always fun. A library release is also always fun. In the glass the juice is a dark, dusty ruby in color. The nose brings dark berries and cherry, along
with menthol. The palate follows along those lines, with the addition of some savory notes. There is still brisk aid in this one and it is very long. Body is medium. There is a touch of bitterness at the end, but that blows off with some air time. This should be decanted for an hour or two, as all of these should really. They open and blossom. SRP $225 for the magnum on the Belle Glos site. We have seen it lower. Another recommended wine.
All three of these are top quality Pinot Noir. They are all rich and significant. You can’t go wrong with any of them and we suspect that goes for every Pinot Noir in the Belle Glos line. I guess we’ll have to try the rest of them and find out. These are worthy of your attention and your cellar.
A votre santé!
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