This Anderson Valley Pinot Noir by the producers of Duckhorn (link) was a surprise. After guessing the aromas and tastes, I had my guesses confirmed by my friend the wine steward. At least until I read the website.
To me this deep scarlet wine smelled a little like cherry, cinnamon red hots and vinegar. Balsamic vinegar to be exact. Now, one normally doesn’t proceed with tasting a wine that has a vinegar aroma – but I was persuaded to try by my friend. After all, its what he picked to go with dinner.
It tasted like cinnamon red hots, dark fruit and balsamic vinegar. But it was the flavor of balsamic vinegar on mozzarella from the ladies who lunch lunches… Something altogether not unpleasant. In fact, the lingering sweet spicy finish had me wanting to drink more.
It’s a red wine that doesn’t need food. You could sit and sip it while watching golf (as we did, while waiting for dinner to finish – despite me detesting golf). I would have preferred outside by the fire pit watching the sun set and enjoying the play of color with the wine.
Instead, we finally settled down with my friend’s homemade pasta sauce. The sweet and spicy Italian sausage brought out the fruit of the wine. In fact, several bites in we realized it was a blackberry flavor not a cherry.
The garlic brought out the cinnamon bark (he explained it was not cinnamon red hots as I said). And then we picked up something herbal with the garlic butter on the sourdough bread. We decided it was oregano.
Why was this a surprise? Well, for one my friend rarely buys this expensive of a bottle of wine for just weeknight dinner. This is definitely a date night wine – or as he put it “Friday night with your best girl.” I’d agree – I’d love to have this wine again with his sauce, or even a nice steak.
Final Thoughts
The other surprise – according to the website – the notes we both had are completely wrong. I blame his supplier. The blackberry taste is right – but should have gotten breakfast tea and leather. On the nose mushroom, cherry and penny royal. (link)
Now the Goldeneye Ten Degrees Anderson Valley is supposed to have the cinnamon, sage, cherry, and blackberry. (link)
So, what does this tell me? Well, I guessed the flavors and aromas without knowing anything about the wine – I got what he was told I should get. Does that mean I’m wrong. No. Does it mean the rep was wrong – no. It just goes to prove that what everyone smells and tastes is different – and now I need to persuade him to get a bottle of the Ten Degrees to see how it goes with his sauce. What do you get when you try it?
