Wine Review - 2008 Mud House Pinot Noir: This Smells Like Kiwi Pinot But Wait A Second....
We purchased this wine as a clearance sale item which was regularly priced at $25.49. We paid $18 for the wine which on paper is a great deal. We brought this and a number of other selections home from our local NSLC. They are having a clearance sale on a number of wines many of which are at a significant discount. Yay!!
This Pinot Noir from Mud House Wines is produced in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. When we opened this bottle there was a slight 'poof' and some light bottle smoke came out. We decanted the wine for a few minutes but the first note we had was a very slight effervescence. Not too sure if that was intentional or not but it did not seem to linger and it did not seem to overly affect the wine (i.e. it was not a bad bottle).
The look of this wine is pure Pinot Noir. Light in colour and body, it is exactly what we would expect when you pour NZ Pinot Noir in a glass, no more and no less.
The nose is where this wine really shines. Our take on the smell is very different from what the bottle label describes as "Subtle aromas of berry fruit compote". We have to question whether or not they actually smelled this wine before writing the label or if there was a significant change while in the bottle. There are 'some' berries on the nose but mainly we get that deliciously funky, grassy, cocoa, and vegetal nose that we have come to love from Kiwi Pinot Noir. Berry compote....not so much.
The palate is a bit more controversial for this wine. The label mentions berries again and this time we can get it. However, another thing we normally love about NZ Pinot Noir is that they are normally not fruit bombs, but this one has a high level of residual sugar. The effervescence that we mentioned definitely dissipated but the next thing that hits you is the sweetness...a whole pile of sweetness. At 13.5% alcohol, the heat of the wine is spot on but the sugar is out of balance. This would have almost been better served being 14% and less sweet according to Chris, but Shannon didn't mind the sugar as much. Beyond the sweetness, which does drop off in the mid-palate, the wine turns quite tart at the finish. Both of us agreed that it is not the best way for a wine like this to finish. If it were drier the whole way through then that tartness would be less impactful but as it stands it is a short tart finale that we both did not prefer.
This Pinot Noir from Mud House Wines is produced in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. When we opened this bottle there was a slight 'poof' and some light bottle smoke came out. We decanted the wine for a few minutes but the first note we had was a very slight effervescence. Not too sure if that was intentional or not but it did not seem to linger and it did not seem to overly affect the wine (i.e. it was not a bad bottle).
The look of this wine is pure Pinot Noir. Light in colour and body, it is exactly what we would expect when you pour NZ Pinot Noir in a glass, no more and no less.
The nose is where this wine really shines. Our take on the smell is very different from what the bottle label describes as "Subtle aromas of berry fruit compote". We have to question whether or not they actually smelled this wine before writing the label or if there was a significant change while in the bottle. There are 'some' berries on the nose but mainly we get that deliciously funky, grassy, cocoa, and vegetal nose that we have come to love from Kiwi Pinot Noir. Berry compote....not so much.
The palate is a bit more controversial for this wine. The label mentions berries again and this time we can get it. However, another thing we normally love about NZ Pinot Noir is that they are normally not fruit bombs, but this one has a high level of residual sugar. The effervescence that we mentioned definitely dissipated but the next thing that hits you is the sweetness...a whole pile of sweetness. At 13.5% alcohol, the heat of the wine is spot on but the sugar is out of balance. This would have almost been better served being 14% and less sweet according to Chris, but Shannon didn't mind the sugar as much. Beyond the sweetness, which does drop off in the mid-palate, the wine turns quite tart at the finish. Both of us agreed that it is not the best way for a wine like this to finish. If it were drier the whole way through then that tartness would be less impactful but as it stands it is a short tart finale that we both did not prefer.
| Tasting Notes: | Score: | |
| Sight (0-5) | Perfectly fine looking Pinot Noir; light, thin and transparent. Nicely done as expected. | 4.0 |
| Smell (0-5) | Grassy, woody, toffee, mocha, berry notes. All good and very typical and welcoming notes. Love the smell. | 4.5 |
| Taste (0-10) | The taste is a bit more challenging. Berries show through for sure but the palate is overwhelmed by residual sugar and an overly tart finish. This is not terrible by any means but certainly makes the wine less memorable. | 7.5 |
| Total: | 16.0 / 20 (80.0%) |
Here is a good example of where that Quality Price Ratio can come back to bite a wine. At $18, this passes pretty well at a 16 out of 20, but at full price this wine would have dropped well into the 14 - 15 range.....not good. So, it is always a balance. How much is this wine really worth? From a consumer perspective such as ours, when you are north of $25 that value has to be front and centre. This wine skates that line pretty tightly.
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
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