Have you been cooking or baking more while in social isolation? If so, what have you been making?
This weekend we made our own pasta, meatballs and marinara sauce and paired it with the 2016 Upper Bench Estate Grown Pinot Noir ($41.40).
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After several hours in the decanter there are aromas of cherry, cranberry and strawberry with subtle hints of new leather.
This is a medium bodied wine with medium acidity and medium tannins.
The palate offers bright and lively red fruit, with notes of cranberry and cherry. The mid-palate is herbaceous with eucalyptus and thyme, while the lingering finish softens and turns towards strawberry fruit leather.
This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir which was grown at 2.85 tons per acre. The grapes were harvested on October 30th, 2016 and fermentation was spontaneous with wild yeast. The wine spent 18 months in French Oak (30% new) and only 165 cases were produced.
I found that this Pinot Noir paired well with strong cheeses, like Applewood Cheddar, and it even went surprisingly well with a cinnamon pastry for dessert.