So tonight I am hearkening back to my time in the Pacific Northwest, where spring salmon season was always accompanied by a raft of lovely pinot noir from the Willamette Valley. Unfortunately, I now live 2,000 miles from the northwest and I have to make certain, shall we say, sacrifices.
So tonight, for a wine on the lighter side of this horrifically hot and humid evening, I've decided to open a bottle of 2010 Parducci Small Lot Blend Pinot Noir from Mendocino County, Calif. And it's certainly a lighter wine, with a bright ruby color in the glass. The nose is very interesting, with hints of cedar, tart cherry, grass and a tiny bit of pepper. The taste is somewhat fruity at the outset, giving way to a floral taste midpalate and finishing with a good bit of tart fruit that reminds me of firm strawberries that just haven't quite ripened, but then it quickly transitions to a taste of strawberry jam.
Overall, I would rate this wine at about 6.5, perhaps it's too young, or perhaps I've been spoiled by Oregon pinots, but it just doesn't carry a lot of body, or even some lighter sophistication that would make up for it. At least it was pretty inexpensive, I think I picked this one from Wineshopper.com for only $8! Thank goodness I found some more Copper River sockeye to enjoy with this, tonight I've prepared it on an Alder plank, with some curried couscous and steamed purple asparagus. The richness of the salmon really does pair well with the tart fruit of this wine, and given it's so light on its feet it's not a killer on a hot summer evening!
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