X Winery Napa Valley Truchard Vineyard Pinot Noir

After taking a few days off to enjoy the holidays — and recover from a cold — we’re back at it with at least a quick review tonight.

We’ve reviewed a number of wines from X Winery in the past and we’ve never been disappointed.  With tasty wines, cool labels and a commitment to sustainable production methods, what’s not to love about them?  And this Carneros – Napa Valley pinot noir continues the trend of wines we love coming from X Winery.

Black cherry and red raspberry make the backbone of the aromas from this wine, but there’s something floral in it too and that’s what makes it stand out from other wines.  On the palate this one is full, with big black cherry, berry and plum flavors.  This is a pretty potent wine, with 14.9% abv, but the alcohol is well-integrated and not as noticeable as you might expect at this level, which I attribute to the winemaking.  The mouth feel is nice, altough I would have liked the tannins to be a touch heavier.  The finish is full of plum, with a hint of tree bark.  Overall, it’s a very nice pinot noir.

There is one thing that some folks might not love about this wine, and that’s the price.  At $24.99 it’s a little more than our typical bargain bottles.  But that is the suggested retail price, so if you shop around you may find it closer to $20.

Wine: X Winery
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.9%
Rating: 89
Price: $24.99

Find X Winery Pinot Noir with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.