Wine Review - 2011 Baron Philippe De Rothschild Pinot Noir: Thin And Tart French Pinot
We were provide this wine from Baron Philippe De Rothschild and recently also reviewed the Merlot. We have had a lot of Pinot Noir this year from all over (mainly New Zealand) which has led us to decide that we like green and grassy Pinot. The fuller bodied fruity Pinot Noir (like California or BC) is nice but the vegetal notes are where it is at for us. Though the Wall Street Journal did put out an article called What Happened to New Zealand Pinot Noir? which outlines the challenges Kiwi wines have on the world market. All of which makes sense. That said, we still like this wine.
This wine looks like a Kiwi Pinot in the glass. It is very light in body and colour and at 12.5% is right where we would expect this grape to be. There does not seem to be a lot of French Pinot Noir in this price range ($14 locally) that follows the lightness that the Kiwi versions do. Overall, it looks nice and reminds us that Pinot Noir is a lighter cool climate grape.
The nose is dry and somewhat reserved with a little bit of fruit and floral notes but a lot more earthy or woody notes on top of that. Not oak per se but dirt, not barnyard....just dirt. Though because it is so muted it is not a bad thing. The best way to characterize this wine is to say that it is like bringing a radio in the library. You're sad that it is not gonna be loud.
Though this wine is a lighter bodied wine, the flavours have a lot more fullness than you would expect which is nice. The wine is very tart, though. The acidic nature of the wine means that the body brings a little more balance than you might think would be there, but it is still tart. There is a velvety texture to the wine which is nice but the tartness overwhelms that on the finish. If it were less acidic it would be really great.
Overall, this is an okay Pinot Noir though there is not enough of the complexity and vegetal notes that make us stand up and take notice. We would consider this to be a middle of the road and approachable wine that will make someone's first foray into Pinot Noir enjoyable. For those of us with a bit more bottles under our belts it is a little too simplistic.
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
This wine looks like a Kiwi Pinot in the glass. It is very light in body and colour and at 12.5% is right where we would expect this grape to be. There does not seem to be a lot of French Pinot Noir in this price range ($14 locally) that follows the lightness that the Kiwi versions do. Overall, it looks nice and reminds us that Pinot Noir is a lighter cool climate grape.
The nose is dry and somewhat reserved with a little bit of fruit and floral notes but a lot more earthy or woody notes on top of that. Not oak per se but dirt, not barnyard....just dirt. Though because it is so muted it is not a bad thing. The best way to characterize this wine is to say that it is like bringing a radio in the library. You're sad that it is not gonna be loud.
Though this wine is a lighter bodied wine, the flavours have a lot more fullness than you would expect which is nice. The wine is very tart, though. The acidic nature of the wine means that the body brings a little more balance than you might think would be there, but it is still tart. There is a velvety texture to the wine which is nice but the tartness overwhelms that on the finish. If it were less acidic it would be really great.
| Tasting Notes: | Score: | |
| Sight (0-5) | Light coloured and textured wine with a watered down cranberry juice colour. Perfect nice looking Pinot. | 4.0 |
| Smell (0-5) | Dry with a touch of fruit and notes of earth and dirt. A little too reserved. | 3.75 |
| Taste (0-10) | Some balance of fruit and acid exists in the wine though the velvety mouthfeel is overwhelmed by the acidic finish. Some fruit comes through, say strawberries, but it is still too acidic. | 7.75 |
| Total: | 15.5 / 20 (77.5%) |
Overall, this is an okay Pinot Noir though there is not enough of the complexity and vegetal notes that make us stand up and take notice. We would consider this to be a middle of the road and approachable wine that will make someone's first foray into Pinot Noir enjoyable. For those of us with a bit more bottles under our belts it is a little too simplistic.
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
Lol, dude.. This is a 2011 pinot noir - it has to be aged to develop the complexity in the tannins.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, this wine is NOT light bodied [LOL!].
Refrain from postulating reviews, thank you.
Anonymous.
Not sure we would age this wine. It doesn't have the structure for aging in our opinion. That said, we found it to be light in colour and in body. Swirl it and you will see what we mean. Thanks for the feedback.
ReplyDeleteWe're gonna uncork one this evening at dinner, and see how it tastes. Gonna decantate it an hour in advance to let the wine breathe a while before pooring a glass.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a really good idea. Let us know how it tasted after the time open.
ReplyDeletetried this wine last Sunday and was really pleased with how it tasted. Trying to source a bottle locally now.
ReplyDeleteVery cool! Let us know how the search goes and where you are in the world.
ReplyDelete