Carneros Creek Pinot Noir

Hello:

Today's featured win is the 2005 Carneros Creek Pinot Noir - Carneros Reserve ($22.00).

I joined friends at Toscana Restaurant in Concord, CA - the east bay area, for an Italian dinner. We chose the Carneros Creek from the nice wine list, noticing that the wines were priced very reasonably - about a 50% markup, as opposed to the 200 - 250% that is standard.

The Pinot was chosen because two of the three people were having fish and one (me) the pork chop special. As it turned out, the wine was an excellent selection for the fish, not so for the pork dish, which had a very heavy dark sauce and wild mushrooms. A Cabernet or Shiraz would have been a better pairing.

That being said, the Carneros Creek Reserve is a very nice wine. I would classify it as a mild wine, low in acidity and tannins, with a nice, light fruit bouquet. My two companions both had nice things to say about it.

The Carneros Creek website http://www.briarcliffwines.com/carneroscreek.php (a division of Briarcliff Wine Group), had the following information about this wine:

"Tasting Notes: Ruby in color, the wine shows jammy cherry pie aromas with subtle spice in the background. A lush texture up front, with subtle French oak leads to vivid, condensed red cherry flavors which linger in the finish. The wine shows fruit that is at once lively, youthful, and evolved, with a supple tannin structure beneath. Extended time in barrel has integrated the wine, which is drinking nicely now, and will continue to evolve for three or so years to come."

The only thing on which I would differ is the description of "vivid, condensed red cherry flavors" - I would call them mild and pleasant.

This is a wine I would serve with seafood or creamy cheese, and would be a nice wine to drink without food accompaniment. It's not a wine for red meat (few Pinots are), but it is a nice, smooth, pleasant wine that is sure to please most wine drinkers.

What do you think?

The Wine Saver