A rich but focused wine, this Pinot Noir will probably age well.
Fruit on the palate is fresh and bright. Tannins provide much needed structure. Medium long, red fruit finish. But there’s depth, too, with a hint of spice and earth to add complexity.
Simply put — we liked it a lot. Great value and, of course, goes very well with Lamb.
PINOT NOIR – MARISCO THE NED MARLBOROUGH
$24.99
14% alcohol
UPC: 00626990160847
I’ve smelt gunpowder, but not tasted it … reviewers comments about gunpowder raised the stakes for the first bottle from Mystery Case #21.
The grapes are harvested by hand in different areas of Gualtallary (upper, central and lower) to bring the diversity of terroir to each bottle. The grapea are
pressed and fermented with native yeast in concrete with the purpose of obtaining honest wines.
This is about as light a pinot noir gets (12%). There is a medium bodied palate, and lovely fine tannins. The clarity of fruit is very evident. Red cherries on the finish.
One well respected reviewer said: “Outstanding in this vintage are red fruits belended with minerals, herbs, gunpowder and graphite for a very smooth and fresh in the mouth”
Sliders and veggies were on the menu for sharing. I will check the next delivery of gunpowder for a taste test comparison.
PINOT NOIR – ZORZAL TUPUNGATO
$17.49 regularly $20.49
12% Alcohol
UPC: 00813495010566
From the cool, coastal Leyda Valley in Chile. The winter was very dry. There was some minor rainfall in spring but this did not impact flowering. The temperatures were medium to high in summer. It was an early harvest which gave us a medium, smooth, dry, and soft wine; with a nicely balanced acidity.
Our initial impression was of being quite light in structure, but very quickly realized that it is extremely food friendly. It would go very nicely with white meats like duck, chicken or pork. We had it with pasta as part of a medley stir fry (grilled sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms).
PINOT NOIR – MONTGRAS RESERVA 2020
$18.99
14% Alcohol
UPC: 07804407002642
A hot brand in the USA, the Pinot Noir joins the Chardonnay that is off and running already.
Plush red and black fruit aromas, on taste there is a richness of fruit and oak and vanilla notes can also be found. It is perfect as a sipper or with your favourite oven or stove top or slow cooker recipes. We served it with Sausages – baked not grilled which made a great combo.
The Goddess introduced us to this vineyard back in February with the Cabernet Sauvignon. She thought she’d try us out with the Pinot Noir this Mytsery Case.
This is a classic fruit-forward, delicious and smooth Pinot Noir. Very smooth with a low acidity.
PINOT NOIR – BREAD AND BUTTER 2019
$22.99
13.5% Alcohol
UPC: 00850832004277
We started out with a traditional Pinot from Chile. Then moved up the mountains in Argentina for a Malbec, and then hopped over to Portugal for a blend.
What a Week!
There was no pushing the food around on the plate. It was all inhaled. The meals were hearty fare that were built to fend off the damp Fall and bring out the moody mysteries of the wine. I’m going to have to turn back the scales 5 kilos as well as the clocks.
The medium-bodied Pinot was silky with fresh red berries there to pick up the earthiness, Flashes of spice to perk up the acidity.
PINOT NOIR – UNDURRAGA GRAN RESERVA SIBARIS LEYDA VALLEY
$15.99
14.0 % Alcohol
UPC:07804315304722
A rich, solid blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet. It is bold, smooth, dry, and soft – spicy and toasty It has a fine balance between cool tannins and bold black fruits.
ALENTEJANO – CASA SANTOS LIMA QUID PRO QUO
14.2% Alcohol
$15.99
UPC: 05604424433014
Today, Argentina is a world leader in high-altitude grape-growing and Malbec is thriving at 1,000 to 1,500 metres in elevation. The benefit of altitude is cooler nights and large temperature swings between day and night of the kind most winegrowers never experience. Grapes do much developing in the final four to six weeks of ripening where the temperature is the determinant of any single component of flavour or aroma.
Since varying flavours and aromas are produced at different temperatures, the best wines need a vineyard with a range of favourable temperatures to capture all the desirable flavours and aromas. A good start is a nighttime temperature in the low teens followed by daytime highs in the mid to high 20s.
MALBEC – LA LINDA PRIVATE SELECTION OLD VINES 2018
$17.49 regularly $19.99
14.2 % alcohol
UPC:07791203001675
Dinner prep was stopped by the Grinder.
Our usual sip whist doing prep got extended because it really caught us off guard.
Lovely and dry, Pinotage is a cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir. This one, from the Coast Region of the Cape South Africa, is rich and intense.
So we carried on sipping and enjoying and then slowed down dinner (long slow stew the first night and a little left over for the chilli the next night) with extended sips over conversation.
Don’t let the silly label make you pass this one by. It’s most worthy.
the Grinder Pinotage
$13.99
14.5% Alcohol
UPC: 06009806160486
The Reviews are in:
Brazen!
Unabashed!
Wild!
Ravishing!
Complex but not complicated!
Of course they are!
Oh … are we supposed to be talking about wine?
This VQA Rosé is dry-to-off-dry, medium bodied with medium acidity and just a touch of drying tannins. Smooth palate and a uncomplicated finish.
50% Merlot, 29% Syrah and 21% Pinot Noir.
It will work with just about anything (so will our Gurlz).
Better bring more than a couple of bottles because it’s perfect for sitting on the patio listening to Gurlz adventures.
GROW WILD – RAVISHING ROSE 2020
$16.99
12% Alcohol
UPC: 00776545600776
A very good reason that it’s a FEATURED item – it’s good.
Jammy and Berry flavours in a great execution of flavour forward. Great depth and structure.
Fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Sonoma (19%), Monterey (59%) and Santa Barbara (22%) for this 100% Pinot Noir blend.
A suggestion: Drink this wine via smaller, freshly poured sips. Fill your wine glass up to no more than 10-15% if you want to taste more fruit. Experiment with it to see what happens as the wine breathes… fun!
Layered and velvety, it’s ready to drink and food-friendly. Think pork chops or salmon.
PINOT NOIR – MEIOMI
$21.99 regularly $29.99
13.7 % Alcohol
UPC: 00855165005076
Everything needs reworking .. from my eyesight to the salad.
Reach and Grab – How did we get to $72 for three bottles of wine?
Unfamiliar Store. Unfamiliar labeling. Reached for a white. Grabbed a Red. What I was thinking about was their Sauvignon Blanc (at a price $10 less)?
Once over my shock.
The Marlborough vintners have produced a wine that is smooth, with dark fruit flavours, juicy acidity, and fine tannins. There is a nice long finish to it..
This is definitely a food friendly wine. Try pairing it with slow-roasted lamb shanks , or just serve it with roasted winter vegetables.
We had lamb chops and tried a freeka/pomegranate salad. The salada kinda worked. The potential is there. The freeka should have been soaked and pre cooked to enhance the flavours.
Mud House Pinot Noir
$27.99
13.5% Alcohol
It’s fresh. It’s light. It’s Fragrant. Nice, but not offensively fruit driven. Pinot Noir with a touch of Chardonnay.
This one is ideal as an aperitif or, as we did, with an omelette with parboiled, then grilled, potato slices.
it was recently awarded a Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
ROSE – OYSTER BAY MARLBOROUGH 2020
$17.99 regularly $19.99
13% alcohol
UPC: 09415549805602
