Pros: Delicious, deep, consistent over many vintages
Cons: More expensive than others I know I really like
The Bottom Line: If you don't mind spending the money, this really is a fantastic wine. Despite discovering great Pinot Noir buys over the years, I still hold this as a favorite.
fishifishi's Full Review: Wild Horse Vineyard Pinot Noir 2005 750ml
I used to work at a restaurant that offered Wild Horse Pinot Noir wine by the glass, and that’s when I got hooked. Over the years, the price has crept up, but this wine has remained fantastic throughout the vintages, and it still one of my favorites.
Old Faithful
That’s what my boyfriend calls this wine, because we know that we’re always getting a good bottle of Pinot Noir when this is being opened. It’s a classic burgundy shaped bottle, with a cream and cranberry colored label of a running horse. The alcohol content is 13.9% by volume, and it usually runs us about $24 a bottle, less if you have the time to shop around (I spotted it in a Trader Joe’s for $19 awhile back). This wine is made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes from the Central Coast of California, harvested from a number of counties along the coast.
After freeing the bottle from its (real) cork, I know I will be pouring a deep ruby colored wine into my glass. The nose is actually quite faint, just a hint of fruit and not much else, leaving me a bit curious as what is to come (at least, my first few times drinking the wine, it did). It still is a curious thing to me that the wine can be so light in the nose yet so full on the palate.
Tasting the wine, it’s wonderfully rich, with raspberry and cranberry filling in around a mildly oaky taste-it’s not woody, but there is some definite earthiness to this wine, which I have found is more typical in California Pinot Noir than Oregon Pinot Noir. The aging of the wine for 10 months in 100% French oak helps. Throughout the mouth there is a spiciness hopping around, the white pepper really rounding out a surprisingly complex Pinot Noir.
This is a nicely full, flavorful wine without any overly sweet fruits, like strawberry, or acidity in the flavors. I have nothing against those styles of Pinot Noir, but they don’t tend to be my preference. I like the deeper, earthier, dark fruits of many California Pinot Noir and oftentimes well aged Burgundy. The softness provides a wine that you can just sip on its down, but the depth offers a great opportunity for it to pair with many dishes.
This wine goes great with a variety of foods-I have served it with steak and cheesy potatoes, and it matched well. It’s a great cocktail wine, as most Pinot Noir is, and accommodates cheeses, mildly salty snacks, and lamb or poultry.
Over the years, I have discovered many other tasty Pinot Noirs for the same or lesser price; this doesn’t make me like my Wild Horse any less, but however it is getting harder to convince myself to buy it when I know that there are $17-$19 bottles that I enjoy quite as thoroughly. This is still a treat wine, admittedly more for sentimental reasons, but it never fails to deliver a nice California Pinot Noir. However, I have noticed that many stories are now carrying the 2006 vintage, and I am not sure how this will measure to the 2004 that first hooked me in, and the 2005 which has kept me happy. I will definitely buy some more 2005 if I can find it, but otherwise, it’s on to see what the 2006 can offer me!
For more information on this winery and their products, visit www.wildhorsewinery.com
Winery Name: Wild Horse Varietal: Pinot Noir Designation: Central Coast Country: USA State or Region: California Price: 25.00
Wine Rating Scale: A must - sensational
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