A pure Pinot Noir from the Loire, this seven-year old wine called out to me at the Hurley Ridge Wine Store near Woodstock recently. It was the last bottle on the shelf, but provenance is generally good at Hurley Ridge and at $19, I felt that it was worth the risk for a Vins De Pays from a renowned Sancerre/Pouilly-Fume producer – especially in such a strong vintage.
The color was delightful: a bright translucent red, with a light brick. The nose was cheerfully fresh, with a bing cherry aroma, and some spicy notes poking in around the corners. The solid cherry followed through on the palate, with some minerality but also a deft kind of earthiness, if that makes sense. As the wine slipped down the throat, I got a sense of rose petals too, though perhaps that was just the wine’s color subconsciously influencing my perceptions. Failing to finish the bottle on Saturday night, we returned to it Sunday. Not surprisingly, the fruit had dissipated considerably, but it was still holding on, and the balance was just as solid as it had been 24 hours earlier.
Overall, this was a delightfully intriguing Pinot Noir. While it lacked the subtleties of grand Burgundy, and the heft and forward fruit of many Californian examples, there was nonetheless a real purity to it, something of an earthy, rustic purity. Were there more on the local shelves, I’d be back to buy them.
Anyone else have experience with this wine?