2006 Hendry Napa Valley Pinot Noir

Happy Saturday!  Well it's the first Saturday of February, which of course means it's "Cellar Saturday" when I get to raid the cellar for a bottle of wine that's had a bit more time to mature, a decade at least.  So tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2006 Hendry Napa Valley Pinot Noir that my boss gave me last year.  Now Napa is known more for Cabernet than Pinot, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a lighter garnet color, somewhat darker and with a bit more of a brownish tint than your typical Pinot,  The nose is classic Pinot, with a rush of ripe strawberries and plums overlaid with some mineral notes and a bit of smoke.  The taste is actually quite nice, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, strawberries, cherries, and currant, that transition to some notes of green cedar and basalt midpalate.  The finish was quite nice, with smooth tannins and a very nice, long dry finish that has nice acidity but doesn't have the harshness that some Pinots can exhibit.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very enjoyable Pinot Noir from a region that's really not known for the varietal.  This wine would pair with a variety of dishes, from lamb to seafood, but tonight I'm enjoying it with an old school seafood Newberg, a wonderful combination of scallops, shrimp, mussels and crab in a decadent sherry cream sauce served over puff pastry.  The acidity in this wine is perfect to counter the richness of the sauce.  Cheers!