I decided that the first day of autumn deserves a beautiful bottle of local wine. I’ve been craving a juicy red. Since we had temperatures in the high 80s today, I opted for a lighter bodied red wine than I normally keep in my collection. I set my mind to Pinot Noir, and that was it. I needed a glass.
I settled on this bottle of 2008 Cloudline (I found it at Costco for about $13). I was hesitant to pick up a Willamette Valley Pinot for under $20, but my bank account wasn’t budging. I took a chance, a gamble. I’m very glad I did.
Cloudline Cellars is located in McMinnville, Oregon (not too far from chez VinoNerd) and run by the very same people who seriously helped develop the Willamette Valley into the major Pinot Noir region that it is today. The consulting winemaker for this label is Véronique Drouhin-Boss – the Drouhins have been making premier wine in France for generations, and they also make some of my favorite domestic Pinot.
It is no wonder that this bottle is silky, smooth, uninhibited, and wonderfully balanced. Raspberry and strawberry notes entice the nose and palate. Bright acidity leaves my mouth watering for more. Hints of mushroom, toast, and red berries linger on my palate. This is a beautifully well rounded, high quality bottle for a small price tag. I will most definitely be picking up more bottles from Cloudline.
I drank this wine with a very simple vegetable dish – fresh veggies cooked with garlic, onion, ginger and soy sauce served over a scoop of quinoa. The pairing was really nice – the wine held up to the vegetal flavors in the dish, and nothing tasted out of place. The earthiness of the quinoa brought out a really nice nutty quality in the wine that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Delish!
What’s your favorite light-bodied red?
