2015 Essence Pinot Noir Review
Pinot noir is one of those wines that has such a wide range of tastes that it is often hard to narrow in on what it is you like about it. You can have one from Burgundy that is full of earthy goodness and mild fruit flavors while one in California can have wild ass tannins and spice notes that stick to you like herpes. Pinot noir is actually one of the oldest grapes that humans have worked with and is also the grape for one of my favorite wines - Burgundy! Yes, Burgundy wine is Pinot Noir. Your best Pinot Noir wines tend to be found in France but there are some other countries that can put up a good fight.
I've had some incredible pinot noir wines from the United States though, namely California and Oregon. I was willing to take a chance on this because my homies at Wine Spectator gave it a 91. I did not know much about this vintner, and still don't because I'm lazzyyyyy. Because you have all watched my video on decanting / aerating you know that a pinot noir should air for 30 mins.
After pouring it I did a quick taste and it was pretty tart - it definitely needed some time to itself to get use to its new surroundings. After 30 minutes I took a big ol' sniff and the wine had come to life. While the nose had an earthy scent (soil, leaves on da ground) the taste was definitely on the fruitier side. Muh palate was full of berries and dark cherry that had a very unexpected bitter finish - almost like pickle juice. It didn't taste like pickle juice but it was that level of tart. I wish I was better with words but I went to Auburn.
I think this would be one hell of a wine to sip with a cheese plate or some snacks - I think it's a bit too light to pair with a mighty meal. This is definitely an entry level pinot noir that will give you indication if you're into it or not. The $28 price tag is a bit of a turn off but it's not terrible - definitely had some wayyyy worse wines at that price.