Anyone who has spent any wine time with me knows I am not a raving Pinot Noir lover. Actually, I don't really like Pinot to be honest. And even more specifically, I don't like cheap crappy Pinot.
I led a wine tasting earlier in the week on Pinot (email me if you want a copy of the tasting notes) for a friend's company, and it got me back to giving the Heartbreak Grape another chance.
The Four Graces
Willamette Valley, Oregon
2010
I actually tried this wine a couple weeks ago when a wine rep brought it in, and after tasting it I had to ask where to buy it. It is a well made, nice structured Pinot with wonderful earthy notes punctuated by cherry, cranberry and violets and a slight white pepper finish. At first the acidity was a bit startling, but once my palate got comfortable and then filet and lobster Oscar style was added into the mix it was the perfect sipper. That once shocking backbone of acidity really made it pop with rich food, just cleansing the palate without overwhelming the delicate lobster, yet still firm enough to hang with the steak. I could drink this wine with every meal.
The great thing about Willamette Valley Pinots is their Burgundy-style drive to make Pinots with finesse and delicacy that express terroir. The team at Four Graces does that nicely with this wine. They even go so far to put "Estate Crafted and Defined By the Terroir of the Willamette Valley", they know what style they want and they hit it.
One of the best parts of this wine was its price... $24.99 at Total Wine (or $22.49 with their pick 6 discount, and let's be honest, I always pick AT LEAST 6). This is truly a food wine with the ease of drinking alone.
Make sure to serve this at cellar temp, it drinks much much better with s slight chill to it. You won't hear me say it often, but mmmmmm, Pinot.
No comments:
Post a Comment