Gnarly Head Pinot Noir 2009 Wine Review
Type: Pinot Noir
Color: Brick Red
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Country: United States (California)
My love of Pinot Noir rages on. I was very excited to try the Gnarly Head Pinot Noir 2009. Their Gnarly Head Chardonnay 2009 has been my favorite wine of the year thus far so I had my hopes high. Unfortunately the Pinot didn’t floor me as expected.
Gnarly Head Pinot Noir 2009 is a big dark red wine that provided me notes of cherry and spice on the nose. This is a medium bodied Pinot that is dry upfront and has a flavor profile of dark fruits like plum and black cherries.
I didn’t find it to be very well balanced and that was a turn off for me. The complexity was very straightforward and lacked finesse. Additionally the finish was a bit too dry for my liking.
At the end of the day the Gnarly Head Pinot Noir 2009 was just alright – there was nothing to write home about with this bottle.
Hate to say this but to enjoy quality Pinot Noir you must spent $20+. It is a temperamental grape in the vineyard, but producers that get it right present a great bottle of wine to consumers. California has been doing an exceptional job with the grape and the 2009 vintage was very good. In Oregon, 2008 was great. Some Pinot Noirs to consider: Meiomi, Bouchaine, Bearboat, Penner-Ashe, Sokol Blossor, Erath Estate Collection, and Cooper Mountain. Pinot Noir under $20: Cartlidge & Browne and McManis.
thanks for the heads up