Wine review: Blackstone Winery 2005 Pinot Noir

Blackstone Winery 2005 Pinot Noir (front)

Source: Flickr

Blackstone Winery 2005 Pinot Noir (back)

Source: Flickr

Rating

Well priced

Winery

Blackstone Winery

Vintage

2005

Grape

Pinot Noir

Where

California, USA

Price

$9.00

Buy at

Trader Joes

This wine is good for...
a house party
weekend fun
relaxing at home
a holiday

Jon says... Well Priced

Smooth and mild at first with some spiciness kicking in later. It’s got some good flavors of raspberry and blackberry and some pepper and coffee at the end. But it’s generic. This bottle reminds me of merlots and lighter cabernets from throughout California. Sure it says Monterey of the label, but it could be from anywhere. This wine has an image crisis. It can’t decide whether it wants to display the distinct coastal pinot noir characteristics or if it wants to cater to the masses. So it tries to do both… but can’t do either really well.

Ted says... Well Priced

Monterey is one of my favorite cities in CA; its mid-coast location puts its climate right in between sunny LA and cool San Francisco, and this wine tastes just like that. It starts off like a cool-climate pinot noir but finishes like a warm climate one. Slightly tannic, this wine finishes smooth and could be drunk on it’s own or with a light dish, like some grilled chicken.