| Leo Bueno |
Last night I went to a local restaurant/bar and settled on a
coconut-shrip appetizer. I am trying to think and possibly learn more
about the relationship between food and wine, so I purposefully picked
the 2001 Mondavi Private Reserve Pinot Noir from the list of the few
products available as the accompaniment. I was not in the mood for a
white, so I figured the Pinot would be mellow enough to go with the
sweet-fish taste of the coconutted prawn.
To my surprise, I got a fairly dark red wine, uncharacteristic in
color. I could not gauge the nose very well, either because we were
out in the breeze, the small glass was totally full, or there was not
much of a nose to it.
Upon tasting, although acceptable, I sensed a fairly woody and
*tannic* wine inconsistent with Pinot. I wondered whether the waiter
had brought me the Merlot on the list. We went back and tasted from
the bottle the bartender supposedly poured and it felt just like the
stuff I got.
I looked at the bottle and noticed it was a generic Pinot, which I
understand to mean that it can have up to 25% of another grape blended
in. I guessed that the vintner must have added a generous amount of
something like Malbec to give the wine big color and backbone.
This morning, I looked at the Mondavi site and here is what it says
about this wine:
* * *
http://www.rmprivateselection.com/w...50&FromSearch=y
2001 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir, Central Coast
Varietal/Type: Pinot Noir
Region/Origin: Central Coast
Blend Percentage: 95% Pinot Noir, 5% Syrah
Suggested Retail Price: $11.00 [I paid $7 by the glass, by the way]
Winemaker's Notes
Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2001 Pinot Noir has a silky,
fruit-forward style. The vibrant red fruit, floral and allspice
character comes from grapes grown in the cool, foggy foothills of
Monterey County. Aging in small, French oak barrels adds spicy, toasty
nuances that continue through the lingering finish.
* * *
Based on the above description, it looks like I was off the mark on my
assessment.
However, I am wondering about a couple of things.
First, was my perception otherwise correct? In other words, was this
an atypical Pinot?
Second, is this a new stylistic trend?
Your thoughts please.
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| jcoulter |
Leo Bueno <REMOVETHISleobueno@usa.net> wrote in
news:af16k0ldkvlgraefap5keeldc0gevv4lgv@4ax.com:
>
>
> * * *
> http://www.rmprivateselection.com/w...50&FromSearch=y
> 2001 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir, Central Coast
> Varietal/Type: Pinot Noir
> Region/Origin: Central Coast
> Blend Percentage: 95% Pinot Noir, 5% Syrah
> Suggested Retail Price: $11.00 [I paid $7 by the glass, by the way]
>
> Winemaker's Notes
> Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2001 Pinot Noir has a silky,
> fruit-forward style. The vibrant red fruit, floral and allspice
> character comes from grapes grown in the cool, foggy foothills of
> Monterey County. Aging in small, French oak barrels adds spicy, toasty
> nuances that continue through the lingering finish.
> * * *
>
>
Leo, FWIW whenever I see "toasty nuances" I run as that seems to be wine
sales lingo for oak chips! Continuing through a lingering finish means
harsh edges.
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| Tom S |
"Leo Bueno" <REMOVETHISleobueno@usa.net> wrote in message
news:af16k0ldkvlgraefap5keeldc0gevv4lgv@4ax.com...
>
> Last night I went to a local restaurant/bar and settled on a
> coconut-shrip appetizer. I am trying to think and possibly learn more
> about the relationship between food and wine, so I purposefully picked
> the 2001 Mondavi Private Reserve Pinot Noir from the list of the few
> products available as the accompaniment. I was not in the mood for a
> white, so I figured the Pinot would be mellow enough to go with the
> sweet-fish taste of the coconutted prawn.
>
> To my surprise, I got a fairly dark red wine, uncharacteristic in
> color. I could not gauge the nose very well, either because we were
> out in the breeze, the small glass was totally full, or there was not
> much of a nose to it.
>
> Upon tasting, although acceptable, I sensed a fairly woody and
> *tannic* wine inconsistent with Pinot. I wondered whether the waiter
> had brought me the Merlot on the list. We went back and tasted from
> the bottle the bartender supposedly poured and it felt just like the
> stuff I got.
>
> I looked at the bottle and noticed it was a generic Pinot, which I
> understand to mean that it can have up to 25% of another grape blended
> in. I guessed that the vintner must have added a generous amount of
> something like Malbec to give the wine big color and backbone.
>
> This morning, I looked at the Mondavi site and here is what it says
> about this wine:
>
> * * *
> http://www.rmprivateselection.com/w...50&FromSearch=y
> 2001 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir, Central Coast
> Varietal/Type: Pinot Noir
> Region/Origin: Central Coast
> Blend Percentage: 95% Pinot Noir, 5% Syrah
> Suggested Retail Price: $11.00 [I paid $7 by the glass, by the way]
>
> Winemaker's Notes
> Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2001 Pinot Noir has a silky,
> fruit-forward style. The vibrant red fruit, floral and allspice
> character comes from grapes grown in the cool, foggy foothills of
> Monterey County. Aging in small, French oak barrels adds spicy, toasty
> nuances that continue through the lingering finish.
> * * *
>
> Based on the above description, it looks like I was off the mark on my
> assessment.
>
> However, I am wondering about a couple of things.
>
> First, was my perception otherwise correct? In other words, was this
> an atypical Pinot?
Any Pinot Noir that contains grapes _other_ than Pinot Noir is atypical IMO.
> Second, is this a new stylistic trend?
Unfortunately, it may be. I've been seeing more and more odd blends lately,
ala the "Super Tuscan" phenomenon (which I don't care for either, BTW).
"Bigger is Better" seems to be the motto of many winemakers these days, as
they trample all over the delicate nuances of Sangiovese and now (from what
you're telling us) Pinot Noir.
I have no problem with big Cabernet family wines. It'd be pretty difficult
to overwhelm Cabernet. Same for Chardonnay, which I've seen blended with
Pinot Grigio to reasonably good effect (Cline). Zinfandel doesn't seem to
suffer any for blending - even with the likes of Petite Syrah. I draw the
line at Sangiovese and Pinot Noir though.
Tom S (The Wine Curmudgeon)
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| Vino |
On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 17:00:01 GMT, "Tom S" <toms@dontspampacbell.net>
wrote:
>
>Any Pinot Noir that contains grapes _other_ than Pinot Noir is atypical IMO.
FWIW, I completely agree
>I have no problem with big Cabernet family wines. It'd be pretty difficult
>to overwhelm Cabernet. Same for Chardonnay, which I've seen blended with
>Pinot Grigio to reasonably good effect (Cline). Zinfandel doesn't seem to
>suffer any for blending - even with the likes of Petite Syrah. I draw the
>line at Sangiovese and Pinot Noir though.
>
Several points. It has always been my understanding that PS is blended
with Zin to make a heavier bodied wine. Right, wrong, or sometimes?
Sometime back I had a Chardonnay-Viognier blend. I don't remember the
label or what the proportions were, but there was more than just a
touch of Viognier in the blend. I sort of liked it but it was more of
a novelty than anything else. I also recently had a Chardonnay with a
small proportion of viognier blended in. The presence of the viognier
was obvious. I liked it for sipping but don't think it would make a
very good food wine. Lastly, there is a small Washington State winery
called Thurston Wolfe that makes a Pinot Gris/Grigio-Viognier blend
that they label PGV. I found that one to be interesting and will
probably get it again if I can find it.
Any thoughts on any of these? Is viognier becoming stylish as a
blending wine or do I have a severely limited perspective based on
what I see around the Seattle area?
Vino
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| jeffc |
We had a Mondavi Pinot one time and we hated it. First time I can really
say that about a Pinot. I know this info is pretty vague, but FWIW.
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| Hunt |
In article <fMM0d.521$n%3.112862@twister.southeast.rr.com>, nobody@nowhere.com
says...
>
>We had a Mondavi Pinot one time and we hated it. First time I can really
>say that about a Pinot. I know this info is pretty vague, but FWIW.
Mondavi tried Pinot back in the late 70's and used the UC Davis plan for great
extraction, creating some tannic monsters. I tasted their first batch after
over 20 years in their cellars, and it hit me like a young Bordeaux. The
program was soon dropped, but Pinot was always a favorite of R Mondavi, so he
tried some years later with Carneros fruit. Most that I have had, has been
good CA PN. This brand is, I believe, below their Coastal line, and, as such,
is an entry level wine. I would not expect much of it. That said, however, I
just read Mark L's TN's of the Woodbridge CS - another line that I am not a
fan of. After that bit, however, I WILL not turn down a Woodbridge CS at the
many functions that we attend, as it seems to be a favorite of a lot of
charities, in AZ. Even if it doesn't live up the the TN's, I can always blame
it on the cheap, thick, small glasses!!!! :-}
Hunt
PS back to Mondavi PN's: the regular and the Reserve Carneros have proved to
be nice CA PN's - not Rocioli, but nice.
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| Dana Myers |
Hunt wrote:
> PS back to Mondavi PN's: the regular and the Reserve Carneros have proved to
> be nice CA PN's - not Rocioli, but nice.
Ahh... Rochioli... I was there today, picking up wine for a
friend, and was reminded (a) how superb their wines are across
the board and (b) how great a sense of humor the staff has.
I asked "so, you put Coca-Cola syrup in this when it's fermenting?"
and, with a smile, was told, "we tried Pepsi and it wasn't as good".
Also had a pleasant visit to Amphora and Bella.
Dana
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