2012 Backhouse, Pinot Noir $6.99

Product of California

Bouquet is quite delightful, blackberry and honey. Very jammy, nice richness and oak, as one of my guests astutely mentioned “you can taste the barrel.” Nice body and medium boldness, very enjoyable. Finish is a not my preference as tannins (scale of 1-10, I’d say a 5 in that winey bitterness some people regard as harsh) but perfectly fine when paired with food. This is a Pinot you can serve with a meal and respectably bring as a guest – as we did and enjoyed with braised (for hours, and hours, and hours, and hours, and hours, and hours, until it fell off the bone) short ribs. The tannin finish makes it just shy of guest worthy. Depends on who you’re having over and does it matter? We served it happily, but then again, I prefaced my service with a deference to experimentation.

This wine is delightful. I give it a buy again+

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