Mark West California Pinot Noir 2015
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir gives up expressive black cherry, black raspberry and bouquet garni notes with hints of forest floor, truffles and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, it gives a good amount of black berries and herbal layers with chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and earthy.
Mark West Winery's goal is to craft wines that consistently deliver enticing aromatics, a rich supple mouth feel, and classical varietal characteristics. The wines pair easily with food or for drinking alone. Their goal is to combine outstanding value and style in every wine they produce.
Jason Becker joined Mark West Winery as the winemaker in 2015. Pinot wasn't always in his plans. Jason originally set his sights on becoming an engineer. That is, until his first job at a winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. That's when everything changed. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2008 with a double major in Wine & Viticulture and Agricultural Business, Jason set out on a path that would ultimately lead him to Mark West. From cellar intern to barrel room technician to assistant winemaker, these stepping stones are what brought him to Mark West.
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.