I got my shipment of Harry & David’s wine a few weeks ago. While I was ok with drinking the whites early, I wanted to let the reds sit in my wine cellar for an extra week to avoid any possibility of bottle shock. Thus please see below for my latest Harry & David Vineyards Pinot Noir review.
Pinot Noir Review Highlights
Let’s get right to the highlights of this Pinot Noir Review, or in this case, low-lights. I would not recommend this wine – unless you really like enormous Oregon Pinot Noirs.
- Color is a little darker and more opaque than you find with other new world Pinot Noirs.
- Nose shows sour cherry and a little bit charred with hints of wet leaves but with very little oak influence.
- The taste is rather unbalanced, with more alcohol on the palate than expected. Mouthfeel is definitely like most Pinot Noirs, but lacks the crisp acidity and bright fruits often found in my style of Pinot Noirs.
Pinot Noir Review Details
I’m taking you through this review in order of how I did this – to try to put you into my reckless approach to tasting a wine. If it sounds like I have ADHD, you may be on to something.
In the Glass
First, I poured the wine – a first glance at the wine in the glass showed a darker red than I personally prefer in a Pinot Noir. Then I remember that I needed to take a picture for my website. So, I spent just a few minutes digging the cork out of my latest cork container. On a completely irrelevant note, I have more than 2000 corks that I’ve been collecting for years. They are everywhere!
Next, I went back to the color of wine. It actually has a little more opaqueness and is slightly darker. Not quite, but almost as dark as a Cabernet Sauvignon. Then I looked back at the bottle, and realized that it was from Oregon. Ahhh – I thought…..Willamette Valley. Interestingly, despite it being a very up and coming area for Pinot Noirs, I have never been a huge fan. I find that they are a bit too intense. I prefer a bit more delicateness and brighter fruit flavors than I usually find in Willamette Valley. It was then that I thought that perhaps this Pinot Noir review may not be favorable.
I looked more closely at the bottle, finding the alcohol content, hoping it’s somewhere in the 13s….and somewhat to my surprise it sat at 13.7% ABV. Perfect, I thought to myself.
I swirled the glass and took a few intense whiffs – a tad burnt is the first thing I notice, as if the fruit sat on a the vine just a few days too long. Next, I sense a bit of sour red fruits – sour cherry seems to stand out along with a bit of wet leaves. It’s not unpleasant, but also not a delicate and bright fruit Pinot Noir that I have so enjoyed from Russian River Valley.
In My Mouth
I went ahead and took my first sip – the mouthfeel was all Pinot Noir – but without as much acidity as I crave in this varietal. Instead, it’s light to medium acidity seem to not balance with the rest of the wine. It’s not fruit forward in any way – and despite the low alcohol content, it tastes a little hot down my throat. The mid-palate is even more sour than the nose suggested, with very few if any secondary or tertiary flavors, despite being aged in french oak. The finish is also lacking, as it dies quickly, leaving just a bit of dryness from soft tannin, but not anything memorable on the palate.
I decide to let it sit few a few hours while I go to run some errands. I’ll see if there is anything more when I come back to it then.
The Acquisition Backstory
I acquired this Pinot Noir for this review the old fashioned way, I bought it only. I guess that’s not really old fashioned – old fashioned would mean going to the wine store and finding it on a shelf. In any case, you can only buy Harry & David Vineyards wines direct from the source. Why? Well, I wanted to try it – my first few bottles of Harry & David Vineyard wines has really been all over the map. Some very good, some not so good, and some right down the middle.
Food Pairings for this Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is usually one of my favorite wines to pair with food. I love how unique a Pinot Noir can be, and how it can amplify the food. However, I think this one lacks that bright fruit forward flavor that can so effortlessly pair with charcuterie, cheese, and poultry. I do think that wet leave flavor I noted above would pair well with mushroom based dishes, such as a mushroom risotto or chicken marsala. Enjoy!
Other Harry & David Pinot Noir Reviews
Don’t trust me? Take a look at some other reviews from some well known wine communities.
My Other Harry & David Reviews
Yes – I’ve started reviewing a bunch of them…here’s more for your reading pleasure!
- Harry & David Vineyards 2019 Oregon Chardonnay
- Harry & David Vineyards 2021 Oregon Pinot Gris
- Chardonnay Review: Harry & David Vineyards 2022 Oregon
- Harry & David Vineyards 2020 Oregon Merlot
- Red Blend Review: Harry & David Vineyards Royal Crest Red 2020 Oregon
Want to Try Harry & David Pinot Noir Yourself?
You will have to go straight to the producer for this one.
- Harry & David: You have to buy 2 – you get the 2020 and the 2021. I hope the 2020 is better than this one.