About the Wine: Pinot Noir is the mildest of the three red Noble grapes and it is the only one of the three that is commonly recommended to drink with turkey and other poultry dishes. That said, Pinot Noirs can vary widely in taste. My experience is that the grape has very little flavor of its own and is strongly influenced by terroir. French Pinot Noirs tend to be earthy, layered and fairly mild while Chileans are heavier, drinking more like Merlot or even Cabernet Sauvignon depending on the vineyard.
About THIS Wine: Sebastiani is from Sonoma County California, a region that is not as prestigious as Napa Valley but also not as overpriced. The wine has a light red color that is just about right for a Pinot. I lingered over the nose for some time with this one, trying to identify exactly what is was I smelled. My coworker said he smelled hints of smoke and chocolate. There are no right or wrong answers in identifying wine odors. It is all very individual and subjective. But I did not smell the things my coworker did. I eventually realized that what I smelled was mist. This wine smelled like a foggy morning in the country. The smell is quite pleasant, but not at all what I expected. The palate delivered with heavy flavors of jam, red licorice, and blackberry that gave way into a spicy finish that I would not have expected from this varietal. It is heavier all around than most Pinots and I would not recommend it with white meat. It is a good sipping wine and would also go well with lightly seasoned red meat. Beef sirloin pops to mind as a perfect match for this wine.
Overall Impression: This one is tough. Objectively, it is an excellent wine and well worth the price. It drinks more like a Cabernet Sauvignon than it does like a Pinot. The heavier taste means that it is probably not the best choice for a dedicated Pinot Noir drinker. For someone who likes red wines in general this is a good value.
No comments:
Post a Comment