Sonoma Cutrer Russian River 2012 Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a demanding grape and only grows well in the right conditions, climate, soil and proper care, perhaps that is why the grape is favored by most. Pinot Noir, the Nobel grape from Burgundy, comes from a region in France known for crafting coveted wines made from this grape varietal. In addition, the Champagne region in France, uses Pinot Noir, which is the main grape used in crafting their sparkling wines. There are other areas that Pinot Noir has been grown successfully, such as Oregon, New Zealand and of course California. In fact Oregon makes some outstanding Pinot Noir’s and I have a few of them coming up in future posts to discuss. I should note that the flavor and aroma of Pinot Noir’s are very different from France vs. California, in part due to the delicacy and complexity of the grape and its growing conditions.
The 2012 Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Pinot Noir is a very good offering from the winery. The color is a clear and bright ruby red, somewhat translucent, giving off aromas of fresh fruit, black raspberries and cherries with traces of spices, cinnamon and vanilla. The wine is smooth, very neat with rich fruit flavors, tangy acid and fine tannins that round out a nice finish. Quality is consistent as I recently tasted the 2010 and did not find much of a difference, but did like the 2010 just a bit more. I suggest that you visit the Sonoma Cutrer website and you will find out some interesting information as well as recipes and some food pairings.
Cheers!