Mile High's Wine of the Week: November 19th
Highflyer Sierra Madre Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
Regular Price:
$37.99
Sale Price:
$19.99
Sale End:
11/30/2015
SOLD OUT - PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR NEXT WEEK'S SPECIAL
Let’s make this simple. The 2011 Highflyer Sierra Madre Vineyard Pinot Noir is freaking fantastic! It is totally extravagant with such intensity of flavor that it is going to rock your bird on Thursday! This tiny production, single vineyard California Pinot is showing so well right now after a couple of years gently aging in the cellars at the winery. The nose bursts with sexy aromas of violets, crushed cranberries, cola, and cinnamon. Boy is it pretty! And that’s not all. A warm, plush, spicy palate awaits. Densely packed flavors of candied red cherries, raspberry preserves, and strawberries macerated in brandy gently begin to unfold with your first sip. Then, as the wine continues to open up, it offers layers of candied orange zest, cedar, anise, and crushed pepper. Being a 2011, this Pinot is aged to perfection with plenty of ripe fruit, spice, and secondary character all wrapped up in generous mouthfeel that displays none of the hard edges often associated with younger wines. Buy this one with confidence, folks. It’s going to treat you right!
On to the Tasting Notes:
Over the last few years we’ve become better acquainted with the wines from Highlyer. They produce a range of beautiful, small production, hand crafted wines and we totally love them. A couple of months ago we tasted some samples of different Pinots that they had in stock at the winery with the hope that one of them would be a good fit for Thanksgiving. As soon as we got to the 2011 Sierra Madre Pinot we knew that the search was over.
I ordered as much of it as I could get my hands on and, now that it’s here and I have a nice big glass of it in front of me, I’m so glad I did. It opens with a classic California Pinot nose of cinnamon, crushed berries, toasty oak, and sweet vanilla. The first sip is lush and modern. It offers plenty of fruit on the entry highlighted by candied cherries, raspberry puree, and blood orange juice. Then, as the palate continues to unfold, notes of anise, cola, cinnamon, crushed pepper, and Tahitian vanilla gently come into focus. The finish is long and plush with very good spice but no hard edges. It is nice and modern without being overblown or boozy. All in all, it is exactly the kind of wine that I use as a benchmark when I’m evaluating other domestic Pinot Noirs.
Food Pairing:
I think that you are going to be smiling when you pour the 2011 Highflyer Sierra Madre Pinot Noir on Thanksgiving this year. It is big and bold enough to stand up to all the rich sides and gravy but it’s not so intense that it will overpower the delicate flavor of the bird. Can you tell that I’m excited about this one?
You MUST mention this special or print it out to receive the price on the above wine.
This price expires 11/30/2015 at 6pm and is limited to in-store quantities.
No rain checks given. Call (303) 936-0272 to reserve bottles with a credit card.