Mark West Pinot Noir

Let’s just call this Ol’ Faithful. Even in my non-red-drinking-days, I would drink this red. It is probably hands down one of the most well-liked reds I’ve come across. If you’re having a party and trying to decide what red to have on hand, you can’t go wrong with a bottle or four of this guy.

It’s a smooth, easy to drink wine. It stands alone or pairs well with Italian, with beef or even dark chocolate.

Technically, Mark West doesn’t really taste like a traditional Pinot Noir. And that’s probably why so many people like it so much. It’s not aged in oak and it doesn’t have that somewhat “earthy” taste that a lot of PN’s have. If you’re a wine traditionalist, maybe you won’t like it based on principle alone. I don’t really have any peculiarities about how a wine is supposed to taste so I’m not complaining, I’m just drinking.

Tasting Notes:

Wine Name: Mark West Pinot Noir

Grape: Pinot Noir

Origin: California

Price: Matt picked this up at Costco because he knew I liked it – not sure what he paid for it. Generally, this goes for about $10/bottle. (Although I once paid $17 for it because I was in a sketchy liquor store in TN and this was the only bottle I recognized. But that’s another story.)

General impressions: Easy to drink, jammy, smooth, no bite to it

Recommendations: “Pinot for the people!” A red for people who don’t like reds, and a red for people who do, a party red to keep on hand, pair with chocolate cake, with a heavy salmon steak, a big plate of spaghetti or a filet. Or just chase it with a handful of chocolate chips, like I did.

Would you buy it again? Again and again!