Rowland Cellars USA
Cenay
Rodgers Vineyard
Pinot Noir
Napa Valley
American Canyon, California
2006
13.5%
$29.00 -- Whole Foods, Austin, TX
Color: Light to medium red
Nose: Strawberry, cherry, peppermint
Body: Light
Front: Cassis
Middle: Vanilla, spice
Back: Cedar, a little heat
Burns clean?:
Cap: Cork
I think I'm just too picky about Pinot. After having the Amour Fou, perhaps, I can't go back. This isn't bad, by any means, but I'm not sure it's worth the price. Two things: it was better after being open for an hour or more, and it was better with chicken curry and cream of broccoli soup. The aniseed, in particular, brought out nice things in the wine. If you like a bright style in this grape, with plenty of fruit and not overwhelming complexity, you'll dig it.
Looking back at the last few weeks, I can't help but notice a certain negative tone to things around this blog. Is it the economy, making me demand more for my crappy dollar? Is it that I'm getting older, and so my tastes are getting more complex? Is it that the holidays make me overly experimental? Or is it that Pinot Noir is hard to make?
