Wine Tasting 2 due 3/27/22

 WINE TASTING 

Wine Information

Mark West Pinot Noir

Varietal Pinot Noir

Modesto, California

United States

2019

$7.99

Online Review

Vivino.com reviews this wine to have flavors of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, plum, oak, vanilla, and also mentions of a cola-like taste. The reviews note this wine to have a mild flavor, smooth tannins, leaning towards the acidic side, and more dry than sweet. Many of the reviews referenced this wine to have great value since the price is so low, and it received 3.6 stars overall. The website also mentions that this wine pairs best with meat dishes including steak, chicken, veal, and game meat.

https://www.vivino.com/US/en/mark-west-california-pinot-noir/w/779298?year=2019

Wine Folly

The wine folly website notes that pinot noir classically has flavors of cherry, raspberry, mushroom, clove, and hibiscus. It says that pinot noir is usually mildly dry, has a medium body, low tannins, medium to high acidity, and 11.5-13.5% ABV. It states that pinot noir usually pairs well with meat dishes including duck, chicken, and pork and mushroom dishes. 

My Review

When smelling this wine prior to tasting, I noticed heavy notes of blackberry, cherry, and plumb. The wine smelled acidic, and I noticed it had a very light red color and looked very thin. When tasting the wine, I noticed flavors of cherry and plumb but a vanilla flavor overpowered all else. When reading the online review and seeing others noting flavors of "cola" I couldn't agree more. I did not realize that is what it tasted like when drinking it, but looking back "cola" is a very accurate flavor description. I thought that this wine tasted higher in alcohol than it was (the bottle stated 13.5% ABV) and it was very bitter. I thought it had a medium body and very soft tannins, almost unnoticeable. I was not a fan of this wine; it tasted thin, bitter, and I did not care for the strong vanilla flavor. I paired this wine with my sushi dinner, since google said pinot noir goes well with sushi, and did not care for the pairing. I am not sure if all pinot noir wines would pair poorly with sushi, but the vanilla flavors of this wine did not enhance the savory flavors of my meal.