For this blog post I will be using Lesson 12 out of Drink This Now. This lesson focused on the effects of aging Pinot Noir. I bought a bottle of 2017 Mirassou Pinot Noir to test.
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Central Valley, California
Country: United States
Year: 2017
Price: $10
First Impressions
The first part of this lesson was to open the wine and immediately drink a glass without letting it age at all. I found the wine very easy to drink. It was well balanced, with prominent fruit flavors and a light body. The color was light and clear, and the aromas were mainly dark fruits with light floral scents, but the taste was mild and slightly sweet. I could pick up some of the darker berries but also some sweet fruit. The mouthfeel was rather watery and neutral. in total, it was well balanced and easy to drink, but I was not impressed by the complexity. It didn't really have any subtle flavors or seem sophisticated at all, just a very basic one note wine.
Two Hours Later
After the first tasting, I let the wine rest for two hours with the cork off, allowing the wine to oxidize on contact with the air. Once the resting period was over I poured another glass to record and differences to the initial tasting. The aromas still predominately dark fruits and some bitter berries, but the floral notes had mellowed, almost disappearing completely. The taste was similar to the original, but a bit more complex and distinct. The young wine had many flavors intermixed, but I was able to tell them apart more easily after the aging process. At this pint, I tasted the wine with some crackers and aged sharp cheddar to see how they would pair. The food and wine did pair well together, but it didn't really add anything new or enhance any flavors in the food or wine. After the first resting period there was some improvement in the wine, the flavors mellowed and became more complex and distinct, giving the wine slightly more depth than its bland first impression.
Six Hours Later
After the second tasting, I let the wine sit open on the counter for another six hours. It was now dinner time, and I wanted a meal that would pair with the wine and add additional flavors and make it taste better than my first impression around lunch time. I saw that the lesson recommended a beef dish for pairing, so I made a beef tenderloin with roasted veggies. After letting the wine age throughout the day, in addition to being paired with a full meal, I was blown away by the difference in the wine. It was much more developed and complex than served fresh and on its own. For such an inexpensive wine, I felt like I had added a ton of value to the wine. It tasted like a $20-30 bottle, rather than the $10 it had actually cost. Aromas were pretty much identical as my second test at lunch time, but the taste had developed and changed a fair amount. I was able to pick up new smokey and buttery flavors in the wine, which complemented and enhanced the flavors of the meal. The wine had good balance and developed a new complexity with hidden flavors that only came out with time and proper food pairings. From now on, I will start aging my red wines, or at least decanting them, before drinking them.
