Primaterra - Pinot Noir

                   

Name: Primaterra
Varietal: Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir)

Region: Trevenezie
Country: Italy
Year: 2019
Price: $9.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Distinctive aroma of red berries, blackberry, raspberry. Excellent versatility thanks to its good drinkability and refinement over time. Medium bodied, lively, elegant, and with good freshness.

Flavors/Aromas: (Pg. 150) This lighter bodied, soft-tannin red has become very popular with its spicy and fruity flavors, such as cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla.

My Review: After the Pinot Noir/Cinsault snafu from a couple of weeks ago, I was really looking to get a bottle of the former to make up for my error, and I happened to come across a good one at a tasting that I bought on the spot. Now looking at the price listed above, you might be concerned, as with how famously difficult Pinot Noir is to get right, a bottle for only $10 is bound to disappoint. Thankfully, not only does this bottle buck that trend, but it might just be the best Pinot Noir I've had yet! Right from the first smell it's a berry surprise, with cherry and blackberry aromas being readily present, and raspberry soon appearing once the taste buds took their first turn. This added more variety to the light bodied, low tannin drink that I was expecting, creating a delightful concoction that was easy on the tongue, even with a bit of undesirable acidity in the back of the throat. However, what really set this apart was the mushroomy earthiness that appeared later; its reserved nature softened the tongue and brought my mind to vividly marshy landscapes. As someone who has never really gotten behind Pinot Noir to this point, Primaterra has taught me what makes this venerable variety truly special.

Food Pairing: I had this with a prestigious Marie Callender's Beef Pot Pie, which I thought would work well with a lighter red wine such as this. Upon pairing, the berry flavor diminished somewhat, allowing for even more earthiness. This combined with the pie ingredients, reuslting in a deeper and more diverse feel to the whole package, with the residual berries still appearing to make everything pop!