by Ethan Johnson
August 27, 2006

Normally, I am all about the white wine. Reds generally come off as too "vinegary" and drinking wines at room temperature (which in TX means 85F) gets old fast. We threw a wine and cheese bash last night, and naturally, most of our guests were red drinkers and didn't get with the program to help thin out our massive collection of whites. So I dug deep into the cellar to appease the thirsty masses:

Producer (Vineyard): Parducci
Varietal (Grape type): Pinot Noir
Vintage (Year): 2005
Country: USA (California)
Color: Red
Cost: Inexpensive ($10 USD)

Swirl and Sniff: Dark red. I took the advice of some random Google search result and chilled the bottle for about an hour in the refrigerator before the party. This adds "structure" to the wine (see below) but the down side is it detracts from the "nose". I got some deep berry vibes after practically inhaling the glass.

Taste: I got a dark berry vibe off of this. Again, normally I'm not "about" the reds but I was really blown away by this wine. It was fun to sip and swish it around and contemplate the "presence" on my palate. Our guests went WILD for this wine (one went so far as to claw the label off of the bottle for future reference - I gave her the cork that contained the vintner's name and URL), so make a mental note for your next wine/cheese affair.

Pairing: I paired this with "stuff". We made a TON of food for the party, and I noshed around indiscriminately. The wine held up against pretty much everything, including green grapes, apple slices, and pears. Havarti cheese worked out well with this, whereas Swiss was a bit awkward.

Rating: When it comes to this wine, I would (and you may):

• Buy a case of for regular enjoyment
• Buy a bottle or two for occasional enjoyment
• Ask for when dining out or at a party
• Settle for if your preferred wine is not available
• Politely decline and never drink again, ever

This is a great, inexpensive wine to keep on hand for either yourself, or any red-drinkers you may invite over in the near future. I think I'll buy two bottles next time for my "cellar", one for me/us and one to share. But next wine/cheese party? At least three.

If you do give this a try, please let me know how your experience compared with mine. Thanks! <EM>

(The Totally Unpretentious Wine Reviews Index may be found here.)