Parducci 1999 Pinot Noir: Drinkable but not distinguished
Written: May 31 '01 (Updated May 31 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A lightweight all around, basically inoffensive
Cons: Not much there, there.
The Bottom Line: Sure, it's drinkable, but why bother? Mild fruit flavors disappear immediately into a very slight finish. A good wine, perhaps, for people who don't like wine.
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| QuietI's Full Review: Parducci Pinot Noir 1998 |
This Parducci 1999 Pinot Noir, like most of my wine experiments, was picked up at Trader Joe's for the very reasonable sum of $6.99. Now, when you're paying less than ten dollars for a bottle wine, you can't set your expectations too high. At best, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, this pinot noir had to stretch to meet even my low expectations. There is just so little to this wine that my tasting notes were ridiculously short. They yielded this assessment:
In the glass: A nice medium ruby red (as opposed to the deeper garnet), rather thin with skinny legs. The glass looks absolutely lovely when backlit.
Nose: Very light in the nose. Another one of those wines where I practically had to snort it to be able to detect anything. What I got was faint, but primarily fruit. On the plus side, I wasn't overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol.
Taste: Berries and more berries, chiefly raspberries. I kept sipping and sipping trying to find something else, and never could. This is not a strongly flavored wine, either, so it's not like you're being knocked over by the berry flavor.
Finish: It's nice, but again, there's not a whole lot going here. It's mildly warm, with hints of tannins, but it doesn't linger.
The folks over at Parducci wax rhapsodic about this pinot on the label: We've crafted a pinot noir with smoky, black cherry scents that dance on the surface of its medium-bodied, soft-and-velvety texture. This versatile wine can be paired with lamb, grilled fish, aromatic cheeses, vegetarian dishes... or even chocolate!"
I can vouch for it pairing well with chocolate. Basically this wine is so light-weight that you could probably drink it with just about anything. If you aren't into strong (or even discernable) flavors in your wine, this might be ideal for you. If you actually want your wine to taste like something, you can do better, even at this price: this same label's Petite Sirah is lovely.
Recommended:
No
Year: 1999
Winery Name: Parducci
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Designation: Vintner Select
Country: USA
State or Region: California
County or Appellation: Mendocino
Price: 6.00
Wine Rating Scale: Drinkable
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Epinions.com ID:
QuietI
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Member: Joan Hedman
Location: Chandler, AZ
Reviews written: 89
Trusted by: 70 members
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