Wines I Bought This Week (02/07/21)

This week was all about pinot noir for me - and it wasn’t even on purpose. Pinot Noir is a finicky grape that can be oh-so-delicious or oh-so-yikes, so it’s always an adventure trying out new ones. Now, I’ve always wanted to try pinot noirs from all these regions, so it was just my luck while browsing the Paris Paris wine shop that I came across these 3 beauties. 

First up - a pinot noir from Oregon. The one I got is from Willamette Valley, famous for their high quality pinot noirs. Division Pinot Noir “Un” 2016 is said to have notes of raspberry, an earthy spiciness and a longer finish than most pinot noirs. It was aged for 10 month is mostly French oak before bottling which likely adds that spice flavour. The producers believe that this is their best vintage yet and I’m super excited to open up this bottle and dive in!

Next, I picked up a pinot noir from Germany. The Pinot Noir grape there is called Spätburgunder (isn’t that fun to say?). Now Germany is usually known for its top quality rieslings, but the Pinot Noir grape does pretty well in some of those southern regions. This particular one (Pfeffingen 2017 Spätburgunder) comes from the Pfalz region and is said to have straightforward notes of cherry and strawberry with hints of vanilla and pepper. I think this will be a very easy drinking red, and I plan to chill it for maybe 10-20 minutes or so before I open it up. 

Lastly, we have a pinot noir from Patagonia, Argentina. I still can’t believe my luck that I found this. Ever since I went to Patagonia 4 years ago, I’ve been absolutely obsessed by the breathtaking wonder of mother nature. And on the Argentina side, the Patagonia region is also home to some vineyards. Keep in mind, since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere here, that means the further south we go, the cooler the temperatures (which means more acidity in the wine). This pinot noir is from Chacra Vineyards (2018 vintage) and is made without any added sulfur, hence the name Sin Azufre. I cannot wait to open this up and close my eyes, pretending I’m back in Patagonia.