Lost Tribe: Issue Two.
Alright, here we are...the start of a new month. I, for one, am just hoping for fewer "wait, what happened??" moments this month, but we'll see. Cheers to cautious optimism!
Last month we picked two California Cabernet Sauvignon's and tried a bunch more throughout the month (two more I liked were the 2018 Decoy Limited and 2018 Banshee).
For this month I decided to continue with US wine, but move on to Pinot Noir, mainly because I watched Somm 3 (it's about Pinot Noir). Pinot is a notoriously difficult wine to grow because of its thin skin, susceptibility to disease, and need for very particular climatic conditions (which all feels very relatable). Andre Tchelistcheff (an important wine guy) is quoted as having said "God made Cabernet Sauvignon, where as the devil made Pinot Noir."
While the US isn't best known for Pinot Noir, as of late, wine makers have been figuring out how to produce high quality wines. I decided to anchor myself with California and Oregon Pinot before moving on to the serious business of Burgundy.
Last thing before we get into this months wines - tasting notes. In general, Pinot Noir is known to have a higher acidity, moderate tannins, red fruit notes and a light to medium body.
Comparisons are helpful: Cabs have high acidity (but typically not quite as high as Pinot), high tannins, dark fruit notes and medium to full bodies. If you have any Cabs left, try drinking it side by side with a Pinot.
And with that, on to this months wines!
A to Z Wineworks - 2017 Pinot Noir
Price Point: $22
Tasting Notes: Rose petal, pomegranate, raspberry, spice and oak
Music Pairing: I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers
Wine Enthusiast gave this an 89, which is good enough for a $20-ish bottle. For me, this is a strong contender for a "We made it to Wednesday, do you want some wine with dinner?" bottle. Also, an important consideration is that Coach Pop (you know, the Spurs head coach) is a co-owner of A to Z.
In all seriousness, this is a good everyday wine. You'll be hard pressed to find other Oregon or California Pinots that are this good at this price point. That being said, for a little bit more money you can find some really good stuff.
Again, comparison is helpful. I enjoyed this and it was a good benchmark to compare the next wine to. Let us know what you think.
Price Point: $38
Tasting Notes: Strawberry, raspberry, dark cherry, earthy
Music Pairing: Ghost Town - Kanye West, PARTYNEXTDOOR
Ratings only matter so much, but this one scores around a 91, for reference. You can read more about the 100 point scale here if you are interested. In short, its basically the same as the 100 point scale we know from school, right down to its inherently biased nature.
This wine is from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma, CA which is just a few miles from the Pacific. That's important because the fog from the Pacific drops temperatures over night and extends the growing season.
If A to Z is the wine to celebrate a Wednesday, this one is good for celebrating special-ish occasions. You know, something like a monthivesary or hitting your fitness goal for the month but not quite as important as getting a new job or closing on a house.
Tell us if you like it.
