Bouchaine
2013 Napa Valley Carneros Estate Pinot Meunier
Pinot Noir •Bouchaine Estate - Blocks 9 & 10
California: Napa Valley: Carneros
Mission Briefing
pi-no moon-yay
Oh, boy do have something really special for you today, dear Operative! Bouchaine invited us into their cellar, and we went right for their most intriguing wine.
Hey, we’re spies, we can’t help it!
Today’s Bouchaine 2013 Napa Valley Carneros Estate Pinot Meunier is supremely delicious and unique enough to make it a real conversation piece. All while being totally approachable and fun.
This wine has deeply aromatic waves of ripe strawberry, Bing cherry, red plum, cured meat, summer forest floor, soft spice, dark chocolate and coffee bean.
A torrent of juicy flavors flood the palate, with Bing cherry, ripe strawberry, red plum, cherry juice, cranberry, smoky cherry, toasty oak and brown spice.
About the Pinot Meunier grape ~ Pinot Meunier is a variety of black wine grape most noted for being one of the three main varieties used in the production of Champagne, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pinot Meunier plays a behind-the-scenes roll and is credited with adding richness and body to Champagne.
By acre, Pinot Meunier represents about one third of all grapes planted in the Champagne region of France. The varietal is a cousin of Pinot Noir and traces its roots back to the 16th century.
Bouchaine is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Carneros District. They were making wine in this region - where Burgundian varietals thrive - long before the region earned its reputation for producing the great Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays of Carneros today.
Please enjoy this intriguing, beguiling, and very delicious wine with our heartiest recommendation!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Perfect gem-like ruby hues, with perfectly even coloration from core to edge. After you swirl the wine, tall, skinny, tightly-spaced tears run slowly down the glass. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Ripe strawberry, Bing cherry, red plum, cured meat, summer forest floor, soft spice, dark chocolate and coffee bean. |
| Taste: | Bing cherry, ripe strawberry, red plum, cherry juice, cranberry, smoky cherry, toasty oak and brown spice. |
| Finish: | Bright and juicy on entry, then plush, medium tannins spread a softly grippy feeling across the palate. |
| Pairing: | Enjoy this wine all on its own, reveling in the similarities and the differences to Pinot Noir, but also try it with grilled pork loin with cherry chutney… or grilled salmon… or hickory smoked bacon burgers. This is a flexible wine that pairs like a Pinot or a Merlot. |
What the Winery Says
Winemaker :
- Varietal
- Pinot Noir
- Vintage
- 2013
- Appellation
- Napa Valley, Carneros
- Abv
- 14.1%
- pH
- 3.60
- TA
- 5.64 g/L
- RS
- <0.5 G/L
- Aging
- 10 months
- Barrels
- 25% new French oak
- Bottling date
- August 6, 2014
- Production
- 643 cases