Mark West Pinot Noir '06
The Nitty Gritty:
- Vintage: 2006
- Varietal: Pinot Noir
- Winery: Mark West
- Region: Sonoma
- Country: United States
- Price: About $10
- Rating: 89/100
- Tags: best value
By the time this review goes live, the 2007 Pinots may already be on the shelves, but I snagged a bottle of the 2006 a few months back.
There are two things I love about the Mark West winery and its people: their wines and their attitude. While I’m supposed to talk more about the former, the latter is really what makes their Pinot so great.
If you visit Mark West’s web site, you’ll see a refreshing change from the slick-looking, Flash-based sites many wineries have adopted. The site reminds me of Trader Joe’s or Southwest Airlines—these folks don’t take themselves too seriously, want you to enjoy the time you spend with them, and clearly get a kick out of what they do.
In accordance with the tagline on the Mark West site, their Pinot Noir really is a “Pinot for the People,” hands-down the best I’ve had at this price. Berries hit you at the nose and a taste reveals fruit — most particularly cranberries — and just a touch of vanilla, with an unbelievably smooth finish. The wine tastes just slightly alcoholic at first, but smooths out after it’s breathed for a few minutes. This is another to drink alone (by itself, not by yourself — though we don’t judge), but it will bring out the best in any pork or pasta dish. Be a little unorthodox and try it with poultry or seafood recipes, you crazy thing!
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College, completing additional study at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.(where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to that of the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Service). Her palate is ever-evolving but she includes California Zinfandels, Cotes du Rhone, and white wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley among her current favorites. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
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