O.P.P. Other Peoples Pinot 2010

OPP_PinotThe 2010 O.P.P. Other Peoples Pinot Noir (Andre Mack of Mouton Noir is a negociant, he does not grow grapes, he buys them, so these grapes were other peoples Pinot grapes) is sourced from 3 vineyards in different areas of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. 40% of the grapes came from the Roserock Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, another 40% are grown at the Hyland Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA and the final 20% from the Kalita Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA and these Pinot vines are all the 777 clone. High end Pinot Noir is all about the right clone grown under the proper conditions, each clone has differing characteristics and each vineyard adds their own nuances. The 2010 vintage in the Willamette Valley was long and cool, just the right conditions for growing Pinot Noir grapes. The wine was aged for 8 months in French oak (30% new oak barrels, the rest used barrels) and here something you do not normally see in under $20 wine, they listed the names of the French Cooperages (barrel makers), Francois Freres, Sequin Moreau and Tonnellerie Vernou. French oak is the best oak available for aging wine, the barrels are very expensive, over $1,000 each, the forests where they source their wood, the wood aging procedures, the thickness of the staves and the charing of the inner barrel are extremely important to the aging process and these Cooperages are among the finest in the world. Nothing that I have written so far suggests a Pinot Noir that should sell in the $18 range. O.P.P. is part of a line of wines from Mouton Noir, a project put together by Andre Mack, Andre was a Sommelier at French Laundry, Napa and Head Sommelier at Per Se, NYC. He has operated at the highest level of the wine industry and you would expect him to offer a line of wine produced at impossibly high standards for impossibly high prices. And while he does have a high end line of wines, the Mouton Noir wines are impeccable made boutique wines that sell for prices ordinary wine drinkers can easily afford. There are is no shortage of excellent under 20 buck wines on the market today, but these wines take it to the next level. The alcohol content is 13.4%.

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The color is pale cherry red with a bit of a cough syrup look to it. The nose is ripe cherries, a light touch of herbs and soft spearmint chewing gum spice. This is a light bodied, delicate, layered Pinot Noir. It tastes of cherries, with astringent oaky spice, a light slap of minerality, a faint array of herbs and mix of exotic spices. The tannins are soft and sweet, the acidity is right in the pocket, giving this Pinot plenty of structure and length. This is one of those wines were you take a sip and let the flavors unfold. The finish, again, is delicate and lengthy.

The O.P.P Pinot is a serious Oregon Pinot Noir, the label says fun, but the juice in the bottle says real deal. Tasty, delicate, nuanced and layered and a flat-out bargain. What else can you ask for in a Pinot Noir. If you are interested in finding out what Oregon Pinot Noir is all about, O.P.P. is a solid way to start and you would be hard pressed to find another Oregon Pinot this good at price anywhere close to this ($18 to $20).

 

 

 

 

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Don’t tell anyone, but there is absolutely no correlation between the cost of wine and the quality of wine.

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