Strange Pinot

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:

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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.

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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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Reply to
Leo Bueno
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Leo Bueno wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

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.

Reply to
jcoulter

Any Pinot Noir that contains grapes _other_ than Pinot Noir is atypical IMO.

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)

Reply to
Tom S

FWIW, I completely agree

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 To reply, add "x" between letters and numbers of e-mail address.

Reply to
Vino

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.

Reply to
jeffc

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.

Reply to
Hunt

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

Reply to
Dana Myers

What you had was true, classic early 20th c. Burgundy. I do believe that prior to the 1955 DOC regs, it was quite common for Burgundy brewers to dump in considerable Rhone grape to fill out the insipid, wattery stuff they were bottling. They would also toss in a little white pinot if they got too much sirah or whatever in the mix.

Reply to
gerald

Not sure of what Mondavi selection is available in your area but up here in Canada, we have both Mondavi Private Selection and Reserve for Pinot Noirs from that winery. The Reserve Pinot is generally double or triple the price of the Private Selection in the stores here. I think you are referring to the one selling for $50 US per bottle.

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It is 100% Pinot Noir.

m

Reply to
mt

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