theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

Pinot Noir "Cactus Hill" Sonoma Valley Estate

Reserve Pinot Noir "Cactus Hill" Sonoma Valley Estate Wine Details
Price: $30.00 per bottle

Description: On the nose this wine offers a lot of spicy red fruits, rosemary, violets and rubbing spices. On the palate it has a medium to full weight with well-integrated acids and tannins. The rich mouthfeel is backed up by notes of roasted meats, rosemary, cherry pie, bay leaf and bing cherries. Long and smooth on the finish, this wine deserves a couple hours in a decanter to really show its stuff. In the cellar it should hit its stride in about three years.

Varietal Definition
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."


Reviews




Back to Nicholson Ranch information