Mile High's Wine of the Week: September 17th
WildAire Cellars Willamette Valley Reserve Pinot Noir 2010
Regular Price:
$34.99
Sale Price:
$19.99
Sale End:
10/11/2015
Oh baby! We sure do love some Oregon Pinot Noir! This week we’ve got a beautiful Reserve bottle for your from a great little Willamette Valley winery, Wild Aire Cellars. This juicy and delicious effort showcases the brightness and levity that Oregon Pinot. The nose is delicate and floral with sexy scents of rose petals and violets. Then a further swish and sniff reveals layers of cedar, mushroom, and damp soil. A really classic Pinot Nose! The palate continues the theme with such subtlety and refinement. Soft flavors of dusty red cherries and raspberry puree make their presence felt while hints of wild strawberries and watermelon rind fill in the gaps. As you swallow you’ll notice that there are no hard edges on this 5 year old reserve Pinot. It is so approachable and so full of character that it is mighty difficult to resist. Pair this beauty with a simply prepared dish that showcases the bounty of farmers market veggies that our great Colorado farmers are harvesting now. Or grab a couple of bottles and hold them for Thanksgiving because this is exactly the sort of Pinot that will make your turkey sing!
On to the Tasting Notes:
Pinot Noir isn’t for everyone. The good stuff is expensive and always in short supply. So it’s such a pleasure to get our hands on a great bottle like the 2010 Wild Air Cellars Reserve Pinot. I opened a bottle of the Wild Aire and poured a generous tasting glass then I got busy with something else and only managed to return to my glass about 45 minutes later. So you can imagine my excitement when I went for that first swirl and sniff and discovered the most lovely Pinot Noir nose wafting out to greet me. It was so delicate and yet so persistent with sleek scents of roses, dried cherries, cinnamon sticks, and cola. As I went back for subsequent sniffs I got hints of wild foraged chanterelle mushrooms, glove leather, and damp soil too. After a nose like that I was thrilled to go in for my first sip and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The mouthfeel on the entry was light and soft and round. It began with notes of ripe red cherries then switched gears to reveal layers of blueberries, plums, and red currants. As those flavors slowly faded, I found that super cool hints of watermelon and cinnamon began to fill in their spots. The finish was supple and polished with a thoroughly feminine style that reminded me of why wines like this one have always been so appealing. It was such an easy wine to drink. The modest alcohol content and bottle aged character made each sip go down so smoothly.
Food Pairing:
It’s almost a shame to be featuring this great bottle of Pinot this far ahead of Thanksgiving (though it really isn’t that far off, is it?) because I feel like it would be such a nice bottle to have on the table for people who want something elegant and restrained to serve with their lovingly prepared bird. But we find great wines and we sell them. That’s the name of the game. So I’d suggest buying a few bottles in order to allow you to open one or two now and then a couple of more later. I think you’ll find that it pairs up remarkably well with simple dishes that showcase all of the super fresh veggies that are available at the farmers markets right now. Eggplant caponada comes to mind as great pairing for this one. So does a nice saute of mixed summer squashes topped with a little crumbled bacon and aged bleu cheese.
You MUST mention this special or print it out to receive the price on the above wine.
This price expires 10/11/2015 at 6pm and is limited to in-store quantities.
No rain checks given. Call (303) 936-0272 to reserve bottles with a credit card.