Welcome to the fourth in our quick refresher series on Wine 101! We led off with Riesling, and now we’re hitting our first red, Pinot Noir!
Quick Facts on Pinot Noir:
Pinot Noir is the lightest of the red noble grapes, and is incredibly finicky to grow. When made well, it’s delightfully earthy, and carries beautiful flavors of cranberry, red cherry, mushrooms, and spice.
Color: Red
Style: Dry
Body: Light
General Characteristics: Light, Raspberry & Clove, Cranberry & Mushrooms
Notable Regions: Australia, California, Chile, New Zealand, Oregon, France (Burgundy)
Rapa Nui Reserve Pinot Noir 2014
Last year’s recommendation was a bit of clunker, and so there was a mid-year audible to Clone 5 Pinot Noir. Hopefully, Rapa Nui Reserve Pinot Noir doesn’t end up in the same camp. After all, Chile can make good Pinot Noir, and they have Easter Island heads on the bottle (which is a horrible reason to assume this wine is good)!
Sight: A consistent light brick red color from end to end with light rosy edges.
Smell: The nose is a mix of cola, strawberries, and tomato with hints of molasses. Spicing like cloves and cinnamon come through as well, and touches of alcohol burn slightly through. There’s an interesting herbal smell coming through, like sage or rosemary.
Sip: The body is rather full feeling given how it looks. There’s a lot of strawberry, dried herbs, and cola. There are touches of blood orange, a peaked acidity, mushrooms and sour cherries well. Smokiness is present as well. There’s a bitterness here that is almost overwhelming.
Savor: The ending smoked, fruity, and a bitter herbal flavor, almost like wormwood.
If no one had told me what I was drinking, I could have been convinced that Rapa Nui Pinot Noir 2014 was actually a vermouth. The strange hits of herbs and cola flavors tasted as though someone had sucked the sweetness out of a sweet vermouth. If that were the case, this might be fun, but as a Pinot Noir, it’s just a mix of so many random flavors that just don’t work together. If you’re having your first taste of Pinot Noir, I’d highly recommend something other than Rapa Nui Reserve Pinot Noir 2014.
Verdict: Cola, Bitter, Dried Herbs, Strawberries, Tomato
Rating: 61
Price: $7
Bio Bio Valley, Chile
Alternate Recommendations: Clone 5 Pinot Noir and Mark West Pinot Noir