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Wine Details
Price:
$15.90 per bottle
Description:
The delicate taste and velvety texture of our Pinot Noir is complemented by the robust flavour of Agria, a unique variety from Hungary. Agria projects a rich berry bouquet with muscat and lavender notes. Aging in old oak barrels enhances the floral complexity.
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Varietal Definition
Agria:
Agria is a little known varietal, native to Hungary, where it is alternatively known as Turan. The grape's chief attribute is its dark color, presumably a genetic benefit of having a Tenturier variety in its lineage. Agria can also claim the equally dark-pigmented Malbec and Kadarka in its bloodline. In Hungary today, it is often blended with Kekfrankos, to make modern versions of Egri Bikaver, the historic wine once known as 'Bull's Blood'. The tale of 'Bull's Blood' is among the most interesting in wine lore. It's said that in 1552, the heavily outnumbered defenders of the fortress of Eger drank the local wine prior to battle. The wine, believed to give extraordinary power, dripped down their faces and into their beards. The Turks, upon seeing their enemies, with what appeared to be 'Bull's Blood' coming from their mouths, retreated in fear. The original Egri Bikaver was traditionally made with Agria's more tannic and fiery ancestor Kadarka. Unfortunately, Agria despite having plenty of blood, falls short
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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."
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Muscat:
Muscat, thought to be one of the oldest grape varieties, is grown worldwide. It is vinified in a multitude of styles, from still to sparkling, and dry to sweet to fortified. Also called Moscato, Moscatel and Muskateller, it is a sweetly aromatic, fruity grape that has many genetic variations and colors. It probably originated in Greece but maybe the independent sultanate of Muscat in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula had something to do with it. Over 200 different varieties and derivatives to the Muscat family exist today. Muscat Canelli, Orange Muscat and Black Muscat are varieties most planted in California, which makes primarily still wine. More unusual is Muscat fermented to total dryness, which leaves greater alcohol levels and no residual sugar. Some Muscats are aged in oak to provide additional complexity.Today’s recommended Muscats represent many of these styles, so use the tasting notes and percent of residual sugar - listed if provided by the winery - to find a wine you’ll enjoy. The more sugar and the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the wine, though wines above 10 percent alcohol can also be somewhat sweet.
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