2016 Wohler Bridge Pinot Noir

2016 Wohler Bridge Pinot Noir


Vintage: 2016
Region: Sonoma County (Russian River Valley), California
Winery: Wohler Bridge
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Price: $15.99 at Wegmans
Expert Rating: 91
My Rating: 91


The Review: Guys- big day today. I'm ashamed to have gone so long without reviewing a pinot, so I'm breaking out a Cali pinot for the first. Today we've got the 2016 Wohler Bridge Pinot Noir- a classic pinot noir from (arguably) the most prominent New World (not Europe) region.

Born in the cool climate of the Burgundy region of France (the most prolific and recognized region of pinots), pinot noir has long been ruining the hopes and dreams of winemakers. Known as "L'Enfant Terrible" and "the Heartbreak Grape," it's delicate nature, susceptibility to cold snaps/extreme weather, ability to somehow show off the tiniest of faults, and ridiculous growing challenges make this grape a game of Russian Roulette. You can get a gorgeous art piece with super complex flavors and ASTONISHING prices (I'm talking the cost of a car), or a heaping pile of crap. So... quite the risk/reward scenario here. If all goes correctly, you can end up with a beautiful and complex wine that showcases an incredible balance of fruit, earthiness, and pepper.

Today's wine comes from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. Probably the most classic/famous area for pinot outside of Burgundy, the RRV conveniently shares an almost identical climate with Burgundy and grows primarily the same grape varietals (pinot and chardonnay. This (and the seemingly endless amount of resources found in Northern California) allows the winemakers in the area to really crank out some of the most classic pinots in the world for moderately reasonable prices.

Alright, enough of the nerd talk (I won't take offense if you skipped that last part). On to the review. This wine, a nice garnet red in color, presented a lot of classic pinot aromas- tons of red berry, in particular strawberry jam, with some black cherry. Some of the undertones feature a cedar note and perhaps a little pepper. On the taste, you're once again hit with a fresh burst of red fruit and a tart cherry note. These initial fruit notes are balanced out with some depth and more complex notes of wet earth and black pepper on the finish. For all you readers who fear tannins, this wine (and almost all pinots) provide very light tannin. I'd say it's just enough to give it some more depth. Serve somewhat chilled and maybe even decant some (let it air out in an open-top container) which will soften any tannins and let the flavors meld even more.

If you've been wanting to try some classic pinots from a renowned region, here's your wine. And it's a bargain, so be adventurous! That's all for today, stay safe everyone.


drink what you like,

db

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