Mark West makes affordable and widely available Pinot Noir for Constellation Brands. Weird isn’t in their wheelhouse. But weird this is.
Pinot Noir is typically slightly translucent and ranging from pale rose to light ruby in color. Why do we want one that looks like Malbec?
Blackberry and chocolate aromas are atypical for Pinot Noir but the hint of mushroom had me thinking maybe we’re still in the Pinot universe. But no such luck. It’s a mouthful of promiscuous vanilla, sweet berry and cola tarted up to feel like you’re swallowing a milkshake. Yes, I exaggerate a bit but this takes smooth and creamy to a new level. Thankfully they brought it into balance with enough acidity, although it isn’t quite integrated with the fruit. The mercifully short finish continues the vanilla theme with soft, powdery tannins.
Full bodied, concentrated, and so cumbersome I couldn’t wait to be done with it.
If you like bloated, exaggerated wines with sweet oak flavor, and you’re put off by tart, thin, bottom shelf Pinot Noir, this wine might appeal to you. Anyone who loves Pinot Noir will wonder why it exists. But it’s an excuse to listen to George Michael’s Careless Whisper if sweet and smooth is on the menu.
In the wine world we tend to think of the geography of wine as organized into canonical regions or sub-regions—Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Barolo—areas around the world well-suited for wine grapes with long traditions of making great wine. But the more I travel the more I think this is a bit misleading. Wine grapes require soils and weather conditions conducive to growing and ripening grapes, and talented winemakers and viticulturists willing to experiment. But those conditions exist in many pockets throughout the world despite being outside the canonical wine regions.
Case in point—Briceland Vineyards in Humboldt County. Few would think cold, wet Humboldt County in coastal Northern California near the Oregon border would be ideal for grapes. But this is a mountainous region full of microclimates with inland valleys that suck warm air from Central California. They not only make good wine here at Briceland; they make world class award winning wine, about 2000 cases per year, out of their rural, hillside property near Redway California.
Briceland was started by Joe Collins and his partner Maggie Carey in 1985, the second winery in Humboldt County. Joe Collins had a hand in planting most of the early vineyards in Humboldt County starting in the mid-1970’s and is a legend in this area. Joe and Maggie retired several years ago and turned the winery over to Maggie’s son Andrew Morris and his wife Rosie after a long apprenticeship. They are now riding the wave of increased interest in local wines here. They were kind enough to invite us over to taste through their lineup (and share a killer Peruvian appetizer of grilled beef heart called Anticuchos de Corazon as prelude to grilled lamb.)
When I asked Andrew the most important thing he had learned from Joe Collins he said “what a great wine should taste like.”
Lesson learned. These wines are delicious and distinctive.
Below are my notes for some of the wines we tasted. My favorite was the 2014 Syrah from Ishi Pishi Vineyard. Since I reviewed that wine last year, I’ll focus on the Pinot Noir, the varietal for which they are best known, after brief notes on the others. (See this additional review for still more wines in their line up.
Arneis Spirit Canyon Vineyard 2017
The white grape of Piemonte, Italy, Arneis is found only occasionally in the U.S. These grapes are grown along the Russian River south of Ukiah. Aromas of ripe pear, orange zest, and white flowers leap from the glass. The palate is crisp but with a slightly oily texture and piercing acidity showing bitter herbs on the finish. Distinctive and a bit fleshier than the versions from Piemonte I’ve tasted. 88 pts.
Zinfandel Dark Horse 2016
Made from Mendocino fruit, this is light and juicy on palate, the red plum nose decked out in leather and tea with even a floral note. If you think you don’t like Zinfandel try this one. It’s utterly original, a far cry from the sweet and spicy versions from further south. Lean but soft on the palate, smooth reticent tannins with crisp acidity, and with a lovely fresh halo framing the experience, a wine so friendly you’ll want to put it on a leash and take it home. 90 Pts.
Syrah Ishi Pishi Vineyard 2014
These grapes are from a relatively warm vineyard despite its northern Humboldt location, in an inland valley that pulls heat from central California. Smoked meat, dark berry, black pepper, dense, dark, sinewy and structured on the palate with great acidity. A nice bit of grain on the tannins with a jolt of electricity at terminus, a multi dimensional wine showing many sides. See my full review here. 92 pts.
Syrah Dark Horse Vineyard 2015
A cool climate Syrah from this biodynamic vineyard in Mendocino. Dark berries, smoke, black olive and underbrush on the nose. Juicy tart red fruit and lots of hi-toned acidity on the palate, with a bit of citrus on the finish. Very soft tannins but they linger. 89 Pts.
Pinot Noir Rhonda’s Vineyard 2014
From an organic vineyard not far from the winery with about 1000 feet of elevation. Bright red cherries with clove, herbal notes, and dried autumn leaves, a dense aromatic background giving the wine an exotic aura. On the palate it’s really structured and long with firm tannins for Pinot Noir. It opens taut and sinewy but with plenty of fruit power to sustain an easy, elegant grace, even as the vibrant layers of crushed rock minerality and energetic acidity emerge to meld with the drying, spreading tannins. It maintains a wonderful halo of fresh, tart fruit around a savory core throughout the finish.
A calm implacable center bound tightly in a skin of nerve and pulse. The wine marries nicely with this quietly exotic album from Take’ Dake’ and John Neptune, but especially track 2, “In the Hollow” at 6:05. 92 pts.
Pinot Noir is one among many varietals that grow well in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Styles range from the spare, elegant, high acid style in the Central Okanagan Valley near Kelowna to the richer, spicier versions on the Naramata Bench on the warmer, southern shores of the lake. Howling Bluff’s Century Block Pinot, winner of several awards including a Silver Medal from Decanter’s World Wine Awards, is certainly the best Pinot Noir we tasted in our two week visit to the Okanagan Valley and one of the best wines overall.
Intensely aromatic with smoke and truffle layered on the strawberry jam, aeration shakes loose herbal notes, a very distinctive aroma profile.
The palate turns darker with black cherry and smoke and reticent, well-integrated cedar. Mouth-coating with a glycerin texture, very fine tannins provide a peppery bass note for layers of soft fruit that maintain extraordinary purity and freshness on the finish. There is plenty of acidity but it’s not a nervous nelly, and no hint of sourness.
This is a complex, multidimensional wine, sensual but with a sophisticated reserve, fresh and generous yet cerebral, its pace deliberate, delightfully dignified.
And the resonance with K.D. Lang’s Upstream had my sensors gently pulsating.
Founded in 2008 by Alex Krause and John Locke, this Santa Cruz winery with a downtown tasting room makes interesting, low-intervention wines that sometimes fly under the banner of “natural” although they use a bit of sulfur to protect the wine. They look for old vineyards that are well farmed with the balance already in the grapes said Alex.
This Pinot Noir from the hot, Antle Vineyard in the Chalone AVA has a gorgeous nose—raspberry, rose, clove, and wet stone with a touch of wild herbs. In the mouth it opens with taut, top note tension giving the wine energy right from the start. Light bodied but quite firm and sinewy, the tannins enter early giving the wine expansion as the dynamic finish launches. The finesse is on the finish which becomes playful oscillating between mineral notes and bristly textures.
Lean intensity, acerbic and tense yet engaging and playful. Finding music that was playful, light on its feet but lean and tough was a challenge. Bonnie Raitt’s Good Man, Good Woman came through
Technical notes: 18 months in used French oak and demi-muids, sulfur added at bottling and after malo. A mix of Heritage Swan and Chalone clones, on granite and limestone soils.
This is the wine that launched Birichino. It’s their only wine harvested by machines to crack the skins and the juice is left on the skins overnight so it’s a wine on its way to orange.
Another expressive nose. That’s a theme here. Aromas of lemon, apricot, white flowers, mint and hints of honey, are pretty and alluring. But don’t be fooled.
On the palate it’s angular up front showing grapefruit, but acquires a lovely glycerin texture midpalate keeping the surging acidity in check. Medium weight with a soft, smooth underbelly, only to reveal a tide of bitterness, an emergent diorama of ruin at the end of the midpalate. The finish is textured, chalky, but with that layer of glycerin providing contrast. An undercurrent of apricot surfaces to play with with the bitter notes. A distinctive, multi dimensional wine, sarcastic with its pretty nose and bitter hints on the palate, a mercurial chameleon, flamboyant, whimsical and cruel. Its Bohemian Rhapsody.
This is a private label wine produced for Safeway. I bought it because it has an AVA listed on the bottle unlike most under $10 wines. At least the grapes come from the Central Coast a portion of which is conducive to growing good Pinot Noir. But at $10 a bottle rest assured the grapes are not from the best sites. Pinot Noir for under $20 is difficult to find; under $10 well it’s highly unlikely.
So did it meet my low expectations? I suppose.
Candied black cherry with hints of freshly turned earth in the background, and some green, herbaceous notes form an unremarkable nose. The palate is soft and smooth, and shows a bit of sweetness, with just enough acidity to refresh. Medium weight with shy tannins that don’t provide much length, it’s low energy and ordinary but drinkable and if you must have Pinot Noir this will calm your nerves.
This happy little ditty from K. T Turnstall “Suddenly I See” captures the mood of this wine.
Bogle is one of the most consistent large producers, excelling at making varietally-correct, affordable wines. They are one of the few budget producers who use real oak barrels rather than oak substitutes to age their wines. But they gained their reputation with Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon, not Pinot Noir. Yet even this notoriously difficult grape, seldom an aesthetic success in the lower price range, comes off well.
Exuberant cherry, smoke, cinnamon and tobacco leaf aromas give the nose some interest and complexity. The palate is simple and glossy lacking the suppleness and nuance of more expensive wines. But fresh fruit, bright, lifted acidity and very fine tannins that maintain a subtle, supporting presence give the wine plenty of structure and a medium length finish. Nothing to blow you away or turn you away, a good, middle-of-the-road, everyday food wine that will pair with just about any dish—at a very good price for Pinot Noir.
Technical Notes: 11 months in French and American Oak, fruit from Russian River Valley, Monterey, and Clarksburg.
Dierberg is one of the most consistently excellent producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Santa Barbara area. But in addition to their two cool-climate, coastal vineyards from which their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are sourced, their Star Lane Vineyard sits several miles inland in sun-drenched Happy Canyon, enabling them to grow Bordeaux varietals and classic, California-style Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are what they’re known for but their taut, sage-inflected Cabernet Sauvignon and this Sauvignon Blanc are stand outs as well. Wines made from grapes grown in the Star Lane vineyard are sold under the Star Lane label.
Winemaker Tyler Thomas is obsessed with a granular understanding of his vineyards and that attention to detail is evident in both wines under review.
Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard Santa Maria 2014
From grapes grown in their Dierberg Vineyard located on the Western side of Santa Maria, this wine reeks of carnal, libidinous sensuality, starting with a warm kiss but finishing with some light, good-natured S and M.
A heady elixir of crystalline black cherry, strawberry, tarragon, and crushed rock, melds with freshly turned earth infused with faint barnyard aromas, all yielding a nose redolent of every imaginable possibility. As the wine sits in the glass, crushed rock shaded with subtle smoke becomes more apparent.
In the mouth, this is a robust, nearly full bodied Pinot Noir but it’s light on its feet with vibrant acidity framed by a mineral background. Tobacco leaf emerges at midpalate; dried cherry on the finish. Although the introduction is soft and luxurious, the tannins enter early and firm up the experience giving the wine an underlying, steely, taut line that locks in a trace of severity. Soft and silky, but etched with gravelly luster it manages to embody exotic mystery, refined intimacy and playful vulgarity—a wine for all occasions.
Technical Notes: 20% new French oak for 14 months, 25% stem inclusion.
Star Lane Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016
This is a pretty, focused, generous wine showing lemon, guava and some lurking jalapeno. But as you drink down the glass, vestiges of petrol seem to be hiding there giving this wine a reckless moment.
On the palate, an expansive, enameled opening quickly finds a seam of tense minerality leading to a clean, fresh finish, with a slight rasp in the texture giving the wine angular momentum. Good length with a saline character at terminus.
The gentle, cosmopolitan polish becomes provocative and strident, a wine of extremes that resonates with the haunting character of the octaves in the chorus of Pearl’s Dream by Bat for Lashes.
Oregon Trails Wine Company is a brand developed by AWDirect, a wine conglomerate which handles everything from sourcing grapes to designing labels.
If this wine is an indicator they don’t skimp on the winemaking. This is a solid Pinot Noir from an excellent vintage at a good price that captures well the flavor profile of Willamette Valley.
The focused nose shows strawberry, clove-inflected cherry, and the distinctive crushed rock aromas found in Oregon Pinot Noir. There is a slight leafiness when the corked is popped which turns to dried mushroom notes with aeration. The barest hint of background oak highlights the fruit.
Fresh strawberry and dried mushroom hints also show up on the simple but polished palate. Medium bodied and supple, with an extended, juicy though lean midpalate, the medium length finish features very fine tannins that come on slowly adding some taut energy to the wine, supporting a refreshing, candied fruit top note.
Glossy but balanced with nothing pumped up, this is real comfort wine. Relaxed, soothing and tender like Katie Melua’s The Walls of the World
During our recent visit to Lubbock, where most of the Texas wine grapes are grown, we dropped by Pheasant Ridge Winery not only because it was highly recommended by people in the know but more importantly because the winery is the subject of an intriguing story of paradise lost and regained. While tasting through their line up, an affable, mustachioed gentleman kept moving in and out of the tasting room performing various chores. This was the legendary Bobby Cox who is largely responsible for getting Texas wines on the wine map. He joined us for a lengthy chat about Texas wine.
Pheasant Ridge was founded by Cox and his wife Jennifer in 1978 and was one of the first wineries to be fully committed to growing v. vinifera grapes, the species out of which most of the world’s best wines are made. Cox soon began winning national awards for his Cabernet Sauvignon that stood head and shoulders above anything else made by the handful of Texas wineries then in operation. Unfortunately, in the 1990’s, financial troubles forced him out of the winery business although he continued to consult with other wineries and vineyards to advance Texas winemaking. Fortunately in 2013 Pheasant Ridge was put up for auction and the winning bidder Bingham Family Vineyards brought Cox back to handle the winemaking and viticulture, eventually agreeing to split the assets and turn ownership of the vineyards, production facilities and brand over to Cox. The legend is back in business.
When talking to him about what grows well in Texas I mentioned that most people think Pinot Noir is too finicky to grow well in the short, hot, humid growing season. In fact, we had not come across any Texas-grown Pinot Noir in the tasting rooms we had visited. Cox smiled and said, “hold on, I’ve got something to show you.” He brought out this bottle of Pinot Noir he had made in 1993 just before losing the winery. Quality Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a few from California are age worthy, but only the very best will hold up for 25 years or more. Not only is this wine still drinkable; it is gorgeous. “It’s so unexpected” Cox exclaimed. “It’s just a unique site”, pointing to the European vineyard spacing, mix of clones, and and iron rich, low PH soils as contributing factors.
Whatever the explanation is for this unique wine, it was the most impressive of the hundreds of Texas wines we sampled.
Still deeply colored and just beginning to develop a copper hue on the rim, the nose is a heady elixir of dried cherry, old leather, mint and clove against a fresh earth background that reminded me of forest floor after spring rains. The palate is still vibrant and juicy upfront, cherry with chocolate hints, utterly seamless transitions unfold from the round, rich opening through a calm, sleek midsection to the lengthy, slow-fading finish showing sour cherry and orange peel on a frame of fine, powdery tannins.
A tranquil wine, nothing hurried or edgy but dignified and soothing
Aged in new French oak.
Score: 93
Price: $120
Alc: 13.1%
The tartness on the finish that seems to stand out too much was magically integrated by this perfectly matched ballad from K.D. Lang
How about some pyrazine punch? Pyrazine is the chemical compound that gives wine vegetal, green pepper aromas. In modest amounts, especially in some white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc they can be pleasant. But it’s usually considered a flaw in red wine unless it’s handled very carefully. In this wine it’s the dominant aroma note and is quite distracting. Lurking behind the green pepper is some cherry aroma but that’s set against a chemical note that’s also unpleasant. This is just careless winemaking.
The palate is a significant improvement. It’s soft and medium bodied, with a simple, candied cherry flavor. Fresh, crisp and juicy in the mouth, it finishes with a tart, citrus note. ‘
There is something to be said for Pinot Noir at this price and the wine is refreshing but it’s hard to recommend a wine with such unpleasant aromas.
Pair with something bright and zippy like Kylie Minogue In Your Eyes
Mark West makes affordable and widely available Pinot Noir for Constellation Brands. Weird isn’t in their wheelhouse. But weird this is.
