Now we're talkin'. Susanne is one of my favorite wine Reps. and my favorite German national because, besides being a fun wine nerd to talk to, when she comes by with wines to taste (and to get me to buy and then scramble to sell) they are always good and one or two are always spectacular ( though sadly many are a tad pricey). Today she did not disappoint, she brought in a wine from a winery I love--R. Merlo from Trinity County CA (their unfiltered red Zinfandel is one of my favorite wines ever). We tasted their Pinot Noir which she declared to be an "ahwsum vine" and quite inexpensive for a California Pinot (around $15).
Now California Pinot Noirs are known for having a distinctive style, a style that is derided by the French and some Oregonians as the "cherry soda style". This...is...(kinda)...unfair. Okay, granted, some California Pinot Noirs are painfully light and fruity with all the tannins and minerality of grape juice. But if you have a wine-maker who knows what they are doing, you can get just enough structure to support the lovely fruit bomb of the this easy drinking varietal. And somebody at R. Merlo knows what they are doing. This wine has muted the fruit flavors of cherry and plumb (yes there is some cherry soda to the flavor but cherry soda tastes good, so there)to bring out the earthy structure. They also age it in oak for a year so there a some really fun spice and nut notes. Oddly, it has the heaviest mouth feel of any Pinot Noir I have ever tasted which unlike the negligible viscosity of most Pinot's it's almost a jammy experience which seems to be trademark of R. Merlo. All-in-all, just a lovely wine.
I bought a case and I look forward to selling it. Though I'm begining to think Susanne comes here because she knows I'm a sucker.
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