Blindly Sailing on a Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2001
Marlborough
$26.99
Shane’s Notes

When I came across this bottle of wine, I almost fell on the floor laughing. We recently drank a bottle of Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc, and I thought it was one of the best SB’s I had ever tasted while Jen didn’t like it. When I mentioned that Andrea Immer mentioned that New Zealand might one day produce excellent Pinot Noirs, Jen laughed. I couldn’t wait to have a blind tasting for her with this New Zealand Pinot!

Jen’s Notes: Light, tart cherry fruit aroma and color is transparent red. Sweetness on palate entry and finishes tangy. Pretty good mid-palate juiciness. Light, tart cherry flavor and light cola flavor, tingly on the palate, slightly smoky. I like it.

Jen’s Guesses: Definitely Pinot Noir, possibly French, costs around $30.

Shane’s Notes: Intensely fruity aroma, classic pinot aromas, a touch funky. Palate is a bit closed and watery. As it opened, nice light fruit flavors. Good mid-palate concentration. Quick, rough (possibly tannic?) finish. Light cherry and cranberry flavors.

Not a huge Pinot fan but it’s fairly well done. Almost great but not quite there. I would have guessed between $25 - $30 and wouldn’t have been able to tell New World vs. Old. Not fruity enough for New, but not quite funky enough for Old. Missing complexity.

When I revealed the bottle to Jen, she stared at it for a minute and then good naturedly (I think) presented an upraised middle finger to me. We laughed and discussed the wine. We both agreed that it was a good effort for the price but that it didn’t quite rise to the level of greatness. We also agreed that New Zealand Pinots just might be worth exploring in the future.