2016 A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir

 

2016 A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir 


Vintage: 2016
Region: Oregon, USA
Winery: A to Z Wineworks
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Price: $15.99 (Should be able to find everywhere)
Rating: 90 Points
My Rating: 91 Points

The Review: Everyone give a nice warm "welcome back to the blog" to A to Z Wineworks! As you may have noticed, A to Z produced the first wine I ever wrote about, and today is the day I revisit their wines. While I've been on this drinking adventure, I've got a little side quest going. I'm on the hunt for quality Pinot below $20. Many wine professionals would laugh if I told them that because as I've talked about in the past, Pinot is super finicky and hard to make well, but I'm maintaining hope! So far, this one from A to Z sits on the throne.

Oregon is receiving quite the praise around the world for putting out incredible Pinots that are a lot cheaper than Burgundy Pinots. Whereas a $20 Burgundy isn't going to be all that good, you can buy some really solid Oregon Pinot for that price. These wines present lots of similar notes to some great Burgundy- a burst of freshness complemented by a complexity and depth that is often lacking in cheap Pinot. Usually, as you may have encountered, cheaper Pinots are thin and watery and are oftentimes "fruit bombs." While that's all well and good and there's certainly a time and a place for fruit bomb Pinots, it's traditionally presented with a little more complexity and depth.

The 2016 A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir is sourced from 50 vineyards from all around the state. It offers classic aromas of red fruits such as cherry, currant, raspberry, and fresh strawberries, as well as some blackberry and blueberry as well. There's a beautiful earthy undertone of mushroom (this is a good thing and is a classic aroma of good Pinot!), as well as tobacco and baking spice. The taste was light and fresh, with ripe fruit and a burst of bright acidity. There were juicy notes of blueberry, strawberry jam, some black cherry, and raspberry. On the long finish, it shifted into undertones of baking spices and hinted at that mushroomy earthiness. Another great element of this wine was the tannin structure. Sometimes in Pinot, tannins will be nonexistent, but with this one, the tannins were firm yet well integrated.

As a bit of an aside, A to Z is in the midst of cycling out the 2016 and restocking with the 2017. Funny enough, I've had the 2017 too and it was just as good. So, no need to worry about 2016 vs. 2017, both are great.

Oregon Pinot is my official Thanksgiving pairing recommendation. It'll complement lots of foods that are more herby and spiced, and will kick up even the blandest of poultries (I'm a turkey hater). Also, it's made in America. Why drink something from another country on such a fine American holiday? Cheers, and enjoy some of this unseasonably warm weather while you can.

drink what you like,

db

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