Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Oregon 2007 Pinot Noir, $32.99-$50.00, 92 points, reminds me of a sherry, with an almost coppery-red color, a more "sticky" mouth feel, an aroma of spicy plum, and a near perfect balance of juicy flavors ranging from dark cherry to hickory smoke, with a finish of pleasant heat reminiscent of a twenty year-old scotch whiskey without the medicinal quality, or the kick.
I've not had any wine like this before, and found it delicious, unique, and it paired perfectly with a smoked-paprika dry-rub Tenderloin.
When the price is right, I'll be back for more.
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Copyright 2011 Dennis Tsiorbas. All rights reserved
Dennis you caught my interest with the 20 y/o scotch reference. Nothing provides me more satisfaction than the lingering smoke of a good 'peaty' Islay scotch. To find a wine with such characteristics is very uncommon and I don't find it surprising this is a unique wine for you. Very interested in the "sticky" mouth-feel you described. Hoping the price is right on this wine sometime while I'm around during December/January. Thanks for this review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ben, your perspective is always different, and I think that is how Einstein came up with relativity, and that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad that we won't see you for another two months, but "it is what it is."
Be good,
Dennis
I really enjoy Sokol Blosser wines overall, but I gotta say, I'm not sure I'd dig the peaty scotch part (although I might not get that). However, if I run across it, I'll still pick it up because their wines are always really good. I really like the Meditrina, which I think is a blend of Pinot, Syrah & Zin. Yeah, weird, but the last time I had it (several years ago), it was pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteClaire, this is the only Sokol Blosser I have been able to find, but even after being open for four days I'm still enjoying this; the four days is the result of an unnamed person who stopped by and we just kept opening different bottles of wine just for the exploration of PNs. Let me know if you ever get around to attesting to or rejecting my description as: "a finish of pleasant heat reminiscent of a twenty year-old scotch whiskey without the medicinal quality, or the kick." By the way, the one bottle we finished at one time was the Murphy-goode.
ReplyDeleteHehehe...I will let you know! However, so many wines...
ReplyDeleteWow, you had a Pinot open fo 4 DAYS? I'm amazed that it held up.
Claire, maybe you can answer this, but do Pinots, in general, breathe better than most red wines? I don't have a lot of experience with that, but it seems the better ones are like the "Energizer Bunny". Thanks for the help.
ReplyDeleteDennis
Well, Pinot is generally a lighter wine, so many don't really open up that much over time like the bigger reds do. They just don't require the air as much. I don't know if that's because it's a thin-skinned grape or not. That's my opinion, at least, & note I said many, not most. I very, very rarily decant Pinot.
ReplyDeleteI use to experiment with decanting a lot...today, not so much. I really enjoy tasting a wine develop on its own. Having said that, there are some monsters out there that are opened up several hours & double or triple decanted before I tasted them. (I learned to ask that question.) When someone tells me that after I've fallen in love with the wine, I tend to listen to their advice. That doesn't mean I actually DO it. You see, using a decanter means I have another dish to wash.
I hope that answered your question....if not, I hope you at least enjoyed my novel.
Claire said: " I really enjoy tasting a wine develop on its own."
ReplyDeleteThat's perfectly said, and thank you for the good "read".
Sincerely,
Dennis