Mark West Pinot Noir (2007)You would never guess by the unassuming bottle and its lack of pizazz that the people behind this Coastal Pinot Noir are planning a revolution. But more on that below, let's talk grapes and locations.
Mark West Winery
Pinot Noir
California
Pinot Noir is a red grape variety that is best known as the grape of Burgundy, France. These iconic French wines are often light in color with moderate acidity, and flavors ranging from cherry and strawberry to smoke and truffles. Prices can range widely from cheap, large sourced table wines to exclusive age-worthy, single vineyard bottles. Annually the Hospices de Beaune holds a charity auction that sets the price-level for many of the region's wines at the Hôtel-Dieu with its tiled roof and Flemish inspired architecture.
Being a well-traveled grape though, it is also responsible for some excellent wines in Oregon and New Zealand to just name a couple locales. Oregon's Willamette Valley, a the same latitude as Burgundy, is well known for excellent, fruit-forward vintages. The cooler growing climates found on New Zealand's south island produce wines with higher acidity and depth of aromas and flavor. They are becoming more and more distinguished as rivals to the Burgundian big guns. Pinot Noir is the third most planted grape in this new-world wine country, behind Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
All this taken into account, we can not exclude California's best sites for this grape which include the Russian River Valley, Carneros, and other cooler coastal areas. This bottle of Mark West is labelled as simply "California," meaning the grapes can be sourced from any region in the state. Per the tech sheet for this vintage, this is the blend: 58% Central Coast, 14% Mendocino County, 12% Sonoma, 2% Napa, and 14% Other. Such a blend wouldn't necessarily imply the style of wine, but given the Mark West rallying cry - Pinot For The People! - one could expect something that appeals to a wide spectrum of drinkers.
Appearance: Clear and darker than any French Pinot Noir. Cranberry red in color -very bright.I really enjoyed this bottle more than I had expected. Being that it wasn't sourced from a particular location and cost less than $12, I wasn't expecting anything mind-blowing. While it certainly isn't wine Nirvana, it proved to be better than my assumptions, which is extremely pleasing. Looking for additional information on the wine, where it was from, and the winery itself I never expected to find a manifesto!
Nose: Clean nose with some development, as indicated by more earthy/vegetal aromas. Black cherry, raisin, plum fruits - almost fruit that's been gently stewed. Licorice, vanilla, and spice. Mushroom, soil, and a funky cabbage aroma are behind the fruit, and create a nice sense of depth. This is a little more complex than the average fruit-bomb you'll find along the west coast.
Palate: Dry with acidity and alcohol edging the high end of medium. Tannins are noticeable on gums and around teeth, but don't cling harshly. Flavors of tart fruit - cranberry, crab apple - and light oak. I'm hesitant to say, having been so long since I've tasted it, but there's a slight hint of bacon to this wine as well.
So what's this uproar of communism-inspiring Pinot Noir all about? As I mentioned, the bottle was quite unassuming however taking a look at Mark West Winery's website you get quite a different feel for the goals they've set. Between their cause and manifesto they well illustrate that by buying better grapes - sometimes regardless of source - and investing in better wine rather than large fancy productions they will provide quality Pinot for any occasion. They are self-described revolutionaries, and you can almost hear a crowd cheering after the line "For too long we have waited for affordable Pinot."
So what does this all prove? Unequivocally that appearances can be deceiving. A hodge-podge California Pinot Noir might be just what you're looking for, and isn't necessarily inferior to Burgundy, Oregon, or New Zealand wines. A $12 bottle might prove to be a great buy as well when compared to some of the higher price points found in those regions. And certainly, a conservative yet elegant label might just be a front for a radical group of Pinot-Power vigilantes. You just never know - so why not give it a try?
Cheers!
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