2009 Leyda Pinot Noir from Chile

We had this wine tonight with pasta and pork chops with peppers. This light red was a nice compliment to the tangy and well seasoned pork chops. The color was brick red. The nose and the flavor profile started with lots of cherry. As it opened the cherry dissipated and strawberry and blueberry emerged. After opening for an hour or so the blueberry and cherry disappeared completely, and we were left with strawberry and plum! This wine also had a nice forest, mulch component and a little bit of spice. I bought this at Ashes for maybe $12. It was recommended as a Burgundian pinot. Honestly, when we first opened this wine I wasn't too sold on it as Burgundian. However, as it opened it developed more of the delicate complexity expected of a French burgundy. This is a very nice wine for the price. Also, it will be even better in a couple of years. I really love having this style of wine around because it is sooooo food friendly. I'll probably keep this around (or set some aside).

2007 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne

Hello everyone!! Last night we had roast chicken with snow peas, garlic and aromatic vegetables. It was delicious! We had this French Bourgogne with it. It was light cranberry in color, and fairly transparent. It was somewhat aromatically challenged with bits of raspberry, current and strawberry on the nose, with maybe a hint of smokiness. On the palate red current and raspberry with a little mulchy, earthiness. The tannins were soft, but present, and the acidity was very light. Not one of my favorite wines but a nice light red that went very well with the chicken. This is a French burgundian style pinot noir as opposed to the much bigger and bolder new world style pinot noirs. Like rose wines I find that although some of these very light reds are not my favorite sipping wines, they are pleasant and very nice with lighter foods, especially when you just don't want to have a white wine. Because of that they do have a home in my wine rack. This wine is fairly simple for a pinot noir and lacks the complexity of other French pinot noirs that I've had in the past. That being said, it it what it is. It's a pleasant (under $15 a bottle) burgundian style French pinot noir. Would I buy it again? Maybe. Or maybe I'll try something different. It would be a good wine for Thanksgiving dinner. I would by far perfer this wine to a nouveau beaujolais (very grapey!) with my turkey.

2009 Ropiteau Vin de Pays D'0c Pinot Noir (French)

This wine is from a winery established in 1848 in the South of France. It's one of the wines we picked up at Total Wine in Atlanta for $9 a bottle (I just wish I had bought more). We had it with a black and blue salad, but it would have been better paired with the classic duck. Pinot noir is very food friendly and is a good choice when you want a red, but not one that is too heavy for the food. When first opened it had this unique blend of cherry and strawberry with a bit of dry leaf aroma. As it opened over the course of an hour or more, this wonderful leafy, forrest aroma developed and the tannins emerge, giving the wine more structure. It has a very nice balance of acid and tannin and the fruit forward characteristic develops into something more subtle and complex as it opens. I really like this wine. It's one of my favorite pinot noirs ever. I can't believe I paid $9 a bottle for this. I don't know if it's available in Knoxville, but I think I'll look for it.