Yeah, that's a very valid question, Charlie. It probably should be "Recommended with Reservations giving deference to bottle variation." The fruit actually is vibrant and delicious, but is quickly overwhelmed with the reductive finish of this particular bottling. And I confess, I have a soft spot for the RO bottlings from Brian. If this were the only bottle of this wine I'd tasted, the grading would have been different. But since I've had some decent bottlings of this vintage of the Loring RO, I decided to err on the more forgiving side. My next and last bottle may not rate so highly.

The '08 was Brian's last access to the RO vineyard, if I recall correctly. It's a shame his last effort with that vineyard did not turn out as well as his prior efforts. My very first shipment of Loring Pinots included the RO (maybe '02 or '04, don't recall) and I loved the RO the most.
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BEB

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd