Review: Block 45 Pinot Noir California
Bottom Line: Who knows what the hell happened here, but it wasn't good. Skip this vintage - unless you're a masochist. $15
The Rest Of The Story: After a long line of wines that have landed somewhere between decent and great, this:
We've had the 2005 vintage of this wine several times and liked it enough to buy a case of it. We couldn't find jack about this winery online back then - and we still can't. Best guess is that it's produced by a private label outfit who sells it all to Whole Foods...
We've had the 2005 vintage of this wine several times and liked it enough to buy a case of it. We couldn't find jack about this winery online back then - and we still can't. Best guess is that it's produced by a private label outfit who sells it all to Whole Foods...
Whatever the background, we saw the 2008 vintage (again, at Whole Foods - and only at Whole Foods) and decided to give it a whirl. No idea what happened to the 2006 and 2007 vintages - if there even was any produced in those years - but more apropos, we've got no idea what happened to this wine.
Damn! It's BAD - astringent, ugh, yuck, phloohey. The nose fools you in with a slightly funky, but otherwise pleasant nose. Then, splat, it craps in your coffee mug. Perhaps a small rodent with a full belly fell into the fermenter during crush. It's got none of the characteristics of common flaws (TCA, brettanomyces, etc.) to suggest that it was a bad bottle or somehow damaged outside the vinification process. Instead, it's out of balance with a strong sweet component (what are those little marshmallow candies called? Tweets?) and a slap-you-in-the-back-of-the-neck finish.
Ouch. Brutal drink.
