 |
|
Wine Details
Price:
$40.00 per bottle
Description:
A sleek and sexy wine, the 2004 benefited from a rare combination of full ripeness and excellent acidity. You will certainly smell the characteristic explosion of black and berry fruits in the nose, but plan to be surprised by the fantastic level of tartness and acidity that is evident in the structure of the 2004 Pinot Noir. Good acid in a Pinot Noir makes it a fantastic dining accompaniment, and this wine will match with everything from salmon to elk tenderloin. Harvest 2004 was punctuated by a heat wave that got the grapes fully ripe, but the acid didn't have much time to dissipate, so the resulting wines are really special in that regard. We think you will enjoy the wine young--full of generous fruit character and verve, and the levels of fruit and acidity hint at an amazingly long cellaring capacity for this wine as well. As usual, we believe 5 years in the bottle will be a rule of thumb for Clos Pepe Pinot Noirs. Another really nice wine from the Santa Rita Hill's own Grand Cru: Clos Pepe Vineyards. Blend of 115 and 667 Clones from hillside plantings. 14.4% alcohol and 1/3 new French oak barrels for 11 months. (SHIPS IN FEB 2006)
|
|
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."
|
|