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Archive for the ‘Pinot Noir’ Category

On my latest trip to replenish the wine fridge I purchased both a pinot noir and a chardonnay from Rodney Strong Vineyards.  For dinner we were serving a roast pork tenderloin and a red onion quinoa salad.  Instead of selecting a white to pair with the pork I decided to reach for the pinot.  It turned out to be the perfect pairing.  Rodney Strong Pinot Noir 2008 from the Russian River Valley in California  is a pretty ruby red color that gets progressively lighter towards the outer edges until it’s almost clear.  It is produced from pinot noir grapes but there is 2% syrah mixed in.  It is aged in 100% french oak barrels giving a more flavorful taste profile to this wine.  It has a sweet, strawberry and vanilla aroma and intense cherry and strawberry flavors with a hint of cinnamon.  This red wine is very well balanced and medium bodied.  There are subtle tannins present and a good acidity.  Rodney Strong Pinot Noir is almost 14.5% alcohol and is an excellent value at under $20 per bottle.  I will definitely be purchasing this wine on a regular basis!

Last week I dined at Le Bernardin,  one of the top five restaurants in NYC and one of only a select few to be awarded three Michelin stars.  For foodies everywhere this is culinary heaven and the epitome of fine dining in the Big Apple.  I was given the wine list which was quite literally a book-pages upon pages of every varietal you could imagine.  Being that Le Bernardin is known for their fish and seafood dishes I knew it would be quite a challenge to select wines that would not only please the six other guests at the table  but would also complement every-one’s meals, especially when everyone agreed they wanted red wine only.  My two picks for the evening were both Pinot Noir from the West Coast.

Our first selection was Brick House Les Dijonnais Pinot Noir 2007 from the Willamette Valley.  This wine was very light red in the glass, so much so it had a pretty dark pink hue at the edges.  The aroma was of sweet red berries which led into  flavors of strawberries and raspberries.  A slight spiciness was detected on the back end of each sip.  This pinot is 13.4% alcohol and had pleasing acidity which led to a long and crisp finish.  It didn’t overpower my starter choices of smoked salmon topped with caviar and salted cod salad with white gazpacho sauce.  This wine retails for under $40 and has been rated 92 points by Robert Parker.

The second Pinot Noir was Lynmar Estate 2006 from the Russian River Valley.  This was my favorite of the two.  Darker ruby in color, it had more body and more intense aroma and flavor.  The nose was earthier with cherries and strawberries.  There was a higher concentration of  fruit flavors with more pronounced spiciness,  but overall it was extremely well balanced.  This pinot noir is slightly higher in alcohol at 14.4% and is available for under $45 in stores.  My main course was served with this wine-black bass with a sauce of ham and green peppercorns.  The combination of the sauce with the wine seems a bit unconventional but the wine didn’t detract from it at all.

Pinot Noir proves to be an extremely versatile red wine that can work for any occasion and can compliment almost any dish.  Oregon is becoming  a top producing region with most wineries using sustainable methods of production and organic grapes.

I have spent the last two days shopping Hoboken’s various wine retailers to see what new selections would catch my eye.  At several locations Mark West Pinot Noir 2008 was prominently featured so I decided to see for myself what this much respected red wine had to offer.  Produced in Graton, Sonoma County, CA by Mark West Winery this pinot noir has a lot of bang for the buck and won’t empty your wallet.  Their focus at Mark West Winery is to create affordable wine that anyone can enjoy by retaining the same elements and quality of a pricier pinot.  After two nights of drinking heavier, more tannic cabernet sauvignon this wine was a most welcome change.  It had a beautiful light translucent ruby color in the glass and a mouthwatering strawberry aroma.  The palate was very fruit forward with concentrated cherry, raspberry, and strawberry flavors with some spiciness from it’s oak aging.  I paired this wine with three different  cheeses: brie, Port Salut, and aged gouda.  It paired well with all of the cheeses and would be the perfect red wine to pair with just about any dish.  I am not surprised that Mark West Pinot Noir won it’s category in a blind tasting.  If you prefer a lighter style red wine that is full of fruit but not too sweet you will really like this pinot noir.  It is a delicious and versatile red wine and is available for under $13.