Noble nose…earth, compost, black plum, cranberry
Elegant essences…Select Arizona Costco locations are currently receiving shipments of four new Cameron Hughes wines, when I read the email containing this information I just about jumped for joy. I have enjoyed every Cameron Hughes wine that I have tried up until now albeit with differing levels of excitement. To be honest they’ve all been pretty solid, some have been outstanding; therefore I decided I’d pick up two of the new offerings on my next trip to Costco. Surprise, surprise, or maybe not but this wine is definitely an enjoyable glass though it does offer some twists. First off, it pours light-to-medium in color but smells deep, dark and earthy. Then comes the first sip and I’m greeted with wonderfully subtle flavors that dance with equally deep, dark flavors. A perplexing adventure to say the least. First off, the attack is a multilayered journey of stealthy blackberry, plum and strawberry that can seem lost behind a blanket of cloves, oak, leather and wood smoke. These flavors seem reverse from what I’m used to, but they are very satisfying here though they do lead to difficulties when pairing this wine. The mid-palate tingles with alcohol acidity that fades into chewy tannins then shifts the flavors of this wine as the finish sets in. The finish itself is short-to-medium in length and more savory than I’d imagined it to be. I expected the fruit to come out more in the finish, but it takes yet another step back letting the savory, dark flavors move up yet another notch. Sour cranberry and light strawberry are the two fruits that show up in the finish; but they are nearly eclipsed by licorice, leather, wet leaves, potting soil and oak. These “dark” flavors are run through by the lighter fruit flavors in a way that makes this “heavy” finish very pleasant. This is a medium bodied wine with an aftertaste of plums and cherries and a tendency to truly perplex the person drinking.
Overall, this is yet another enjoyable wine from a negociant I have come to trust where quality wine is concerned. Where does this one rate against those I’ve sampled in the past? Closer to the bottom than the top unfortunately. It might be that I’m still not adept at reviewing Pinot Noir, but this wine seemed just a little too robust for me. I expected a lighter glass with strawberry and cherry flavors backed up by hints of vanilla, oak, chocolate and tobacco. I didn’t get that at all. Plus this was a nightmare to pair with food. I failed on three separate occasions, and resorted to finishing the last few glasses without any accoutrements. As for rating this, I believe I paid 13 dollars for this bottle; and I think that may be a little steep. It’s a pretty good wine and still drinkable, but as far as QPR goes this is merely a fair QPR. I’d rather get the Kirkland Signature Russian River Pinot Noir at the same price or the Kirkland Signature Carneros Pinot Noir for 3 bucks less. Both of those are equally as enjoyable as this wine but have better quality compared to the price they are offered at. I still recommend this wine, but have to preface that by saying there are better wines out there, especially if you shop at Costco.
Cameron Hughes Wines
No comments:
Post a Comment