Episode 143: Biltmore Reserve 2008 Pinot Noir

Posted by Jeffrey L. Cohen in Featured Articles, Red on 03 23rd, 2011 | no responses

North Carolina Wine TV Review
The Biltmore Reserve 2008 Pinot Noir is made in North Carolina from Russian River, California grapes. It has a classic Pinot Noir nose of strawberry and cherry, and it also has a hint of pipe tobacco. This wine is very tannic, bone dry and very acidic. It definitely needs food to improve it. It tastes of strawberry, cocoa, coffee and oak. Although it is well-made and well balanced, it does seem to be over-oaked. This is a young wine that could do with some time in a cellar. Wine provided by the winery for our review.

Price: $25
Availability: Directly from the Winery and select wine shops

Rating: according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

About Biltmore Reserve 2008 Pinot Noir (from the winery):
This Pinot Noir thrived in the cool climate of California’s Russian River Valley, resulting in a complex expressive wine with an elegant, almost delicate mouth-feel. Strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, and well-integrated oak aromas give way to supple fruit flavors.

About Biltmore Estate (from the winery):
The most visited winery in the United States isn’t located in Napa Valley. It’s at Biltmore in the mountains of North Carolina, where approximately 1 million visitors stop by to sample award-winning estate wines each year. The first vineyards at Biltmore were established in 1971 in an area below Biltmore House. French-American hybrids were planted initially, with vinifera plantings following in a few years. Inspired after several years of experimenting, William A.V. Cecil, then president and owner of Biltmore, decided that a winery was the natural outcome of ongoing research and a logical extension of his grandfather’s intention that the estate be self-supporting.