Chilean Pinot Noir spices things up without being hot

Reserva Pinot Noir (2008)
Agustinos
Pinot Noir
Bío Bío, Chilé

Typically I turn to France or Oregon for Pinot Noir. Both are well known for distinctly different products, old and new world styles respectively. When I'm in the mood for "dirt and mushrooms" I lean towards Burgundy. When I'm looking for an uncomplicated burst of fruity cherry and strawberry I look to the Pacific Northwest. Both places offering so many different options in regards to producer, vintage, et cetera, I rarely find myself checking out Pinot from other places.

The wines produced in California - Carneros and Monterey come to mind - have always struck as being a little to "hot" or out of balance in regards to high alcohol. This presumably is an effect of all that glorious sunshine which produces riper grapes with higher sugar that yeast gobble up and convert to alcohol. So of course when presented with a Chilean Pinot Noir at my local Whole Foods I immediately presumed the same would be true - it's hot and sunny there, so it probably comes through in the wine as overpowering alcohol.

Well, as it were I fall prey to misconceived conclusions too sometimes - and I love being proven wrong. In hopes that this Pinot would do just that I took the bottle to the store's counter-centric Osteria eatery, ordered some dinner, and started tasting.

Appearance: Clear and incredibly pale, with a ruby red hue. Imagine coloring something with a crayon or colored pencil very lightly.

Nose: Clean and youthful with subtle aromas including cherry, spice, strawberry, and earth. Spiced aromas include cinnamon, cayenne, and paprika. Neither aroma grouping was overwhelming or pronounced, but the light fragrance is very pleasing.

Palate: Dry, medium body wine with slightly less than moderate tannin, acidity, and intensity. Nothing, including the alcohol, was out of balance with the other parts. Flavors include soft oak, strawberry and cherry, tart fruit, and a touch of mushroom.

This wine presented both earthiness and fruit on the nose and palate - more interestingly though it also boasted a new level of spice that I've not experienced in other Pinot Noir. Aside from not pouncing on you with high alcohol this wine offers a unique complexity, adding to the stand-by characteristics of the grape.

The wine was also great with everything I had for dinner. Oven roasted seasonal vegetables, pan-seared salmon, and some hard cured Piave cheese from Italy were all very well paired. The roasted carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini complimented the wines earthy notes while the touch of fat from the salmon was great with the soft acidity. The cheese was particularly good, balancing tart flavor and aromas with a perfect level of fruit and acidity from the glass.

If you enjoy Pinot Noir, but find yourself stuck between France and Oregon, try and get your next bottle from California or Chile. Even New Zealand has made quite a reputation for their complex, savory Pinots! Ask your wine sales person about what characterizes different brands and vintages, and you should easily find one you enjoy.

Cheers!

Oregon blend offers great value and quality

River Rock Red (NV)
Rock Point
63% Syrah | 37% Cabernet Sauvignon
Oregon

This wine was brought to my attention by a customer I was talking with recently at Western Reserve Wines. It was part of their "10 Under $10" feature for January and February, and having enjoyed Rock Point's Pinot Noir I thought I'd see how this red blend compared. As an added bonus since the blend isn't listed on the bottle I got to test myself and see if I could figure out what it was. Here are my notes:

Appearance: A clear red wine, ruby hedging garnet red in color, medium intensity - text is visible and mostly legible through glass.

Nose: Clean, with some development from oak aging. Intense non-fruit aromas of oak, tobacco, and earthiness paired with fresh dark fruit notes of plum and black cherry. Also some subtle hints of licorice and smoke.

Palate: Dry wine with medium acidity, body, and tannins. They grip on the tongue mostly, and roll away after a couple moments. More non-fruit flavors reminiscent of nuttiness, oak, and vegetation. Fruit is dark but softly spiced - blackberry, black cherry, and plum. Very smooth finish.

This was an amazing wine given the cost - much more complexity than I would expect from a $10 bottle certainly. A good example of using both old and new world styles, the fruit and earth tones are balanced very well on both the nose and palate. And while the wine is smooth enough to drink on its own I think it would be well paired to food as well. Definitely a great buy!

Cheers!

stop hating on rosés!

Les Jamelles Cinsault Rosé (2007)
Les Jamelles
Cinsault
Pays d'Oc, France

So Valentine's Day is this weekend, and like so many others I'm writing about rosés. Other than their pink color - gotten from letting the juice sit on the red skins very briefly - I don't really know what other relation or connection can be made to this holiday, but I do know one thing - I'm sick and tired of people trashing rosé! Now that might seem a little stand-offish, but seriously, these people need to knock it off. And apologies if you're one of them, but keep reading friends!

Let me say that I get the perception that some people have - "All rosés are sweet, and I don't like sweet wine." Thanks to Sutter Home, American minds have been tainted by gallons and gallons of White Zinfandel, and now anytime someone sees rosé that's their first thought. They clearly had a brilliant marketing team behind them to get that kind of product association, and if White Zin is all you drink then cheers to you too!

However, for any non-sweet drinkers, it's time to cut rosés some slack and belly up to the bar, so to speak. Oh, and just because it's pink doesn't mean it's a girly wine either - in fact this bottle of Cinsault might be one of the "manliest" pink wines I've had!

Appearance: A clear wine, pink in color near salmon. Pale in intensity.

Nose: Clean, with medium intensity, and youthful aromas. Apple, raspberry, cherry, and pomegranate dominate the nose. Some stony minerality, strawberry, and rose round things out.

Palate: A dry, medium bodied wine with zingy acidity - mouth watering and refreshing. Medium intensity flavors of red cherry, apple, raspberry, and soft oak. Very slight fruit tannins that only linger for a moment.

Being a high-yielding, thick-skinned grape that is drought resistant, Cinsault is a big performer in the South of France (southern Rhône, and Languedoc-Roussillon regions) and it has also found a home in Africa, Australia, and the US. Typically blended with other local varieties it is a deep red wine that boasts a lot of fruit, and smooths other harsher wines out.

It is also used to make some outstanding dry rosés, wines that southern France should best be known for. With crisp, refreshing acidity these wines are perfectly fit for seafood and warm weather. This bottle of Jamelles was the perfect fit for a mushroom and Gruyere pizza I got at Fire Food & Drink, a local favorite. The wine cut through the saltiness, and complimented the earthy mushrooms and sweet caramelized onions splendidly.

Historically rosés are meant to be dry - white Zin was a lucky mistake - and can range from light and easy to very complex wines. For the doubters out there I can also recommend rosés produced from Grenache, Sangiovese, and Syrah. Here are some of my favorites:

Barnard Griffin Rose Of Sangiovese (WA)
Trentadue Winery Grenache Rose, Monte Lago Vineyards (CA)
Tsantali Roditis (Greece)
Château Pavie Macquin Rosé (BDX, FR)

Hope this has inspired - or at least goaded - you to run out and find a rosé to try. Sure, I maintain not everyone is going to enjoy them, but don't write them off before you've tried them all!

Cheers!