Friday, April 29, 2016

Trader Joe's $4 Emma Pearl Pinot Noir returns!





Famous Last words: I was at a Hillary Fund Raiser this week and they were pouring it.


"There is too much fruit and too much alcohol to be an old school Pinot Noir, but the Emma Pearl does drink well. At 5 bottles for $20, the Emma Pearl would make an outrageously good party wine, if you have a wedding or a reunion coming and want to impress on the cheap, it is hard to do better. When TJ’s sells out of the Emma Pearl Pinot, it is gone for good, it will not be available at this price again"
Clever Girl Reviews by Erin
 http://instagram.com/clevergirlreviews

 "I don’t drink a lot of red wine in the summer, but we’ve had some dips in the normal temperatures enough for me to start craving it again. The Emma Pearl 2013 Pinot Noir is light bodied and a nice easy wine for a BBQ or simple dishes. At first I thought the wine was off like it had gotten too hot and turned vinegary. Turns out it was just a little to chilled and it got deeper and plusher once it warmed up some.

The Emma Pearl 2013 Pinot Noir  is 14.5% ABV so you might want to reserve this one for the weekend. We chilled this wine down to 55 degrees, but it showed better slightly warmer. We used standard red wine glasses for tasting and our trusty Vinturi to make sure it was ready to drink right away. When I opened the bottle I got a massive note of chocolate and raspberry. The wine is a dark violet with a light red brick rim."

 Full Review at this link:
http://www.cheapwinefinder.com/25846/emma-pearl-pinot-noir-2013/


Tasting Notes
Name: Emma Pearl
Vintage: 2014
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Region: California

A red wine. Clear and bright with medium intensity. Deep ruby color at the core graduating evenly to crimson at the margins (translucent at the core). Very long legs, which is in line with the 14.5% alcohol listed on the bottle.
On the nose: Clean and no issues. When I opened the bottle, poured and smelled straight away the first thing that hits is the alcohol, almost to the point of being over bearing. It is a medium (-) intensity wine . Cherry with a hint of raspberry and cranberry. Definitely appears young on the nose and lacks some complexity. Some hint of clove and minerality. Smells a little like rain on cement. I also get a little orange peel – like something bitter (almost like smelling the remnants of your glass of Cointreau the next day).
On the palate: Dry. Lively cherry/strawberry with a hint of smoke. Some oak coming through but not overbearing. Medium to Medium (+) tannin levels and and medium (+) alcohol, which detracts from the smoothness usually associated with a lot of Pinots. Medium (-) body and and medium to medium (-) intensity. It lacks balance – a quick blast of fruit but then lacks depth. Short to medium (-) on the finish, although, I do get a little (and I mean a little) licorice/aniseed.
Overall observations: reasonably drinkable. Has a good amount of fruit up front. I would probably pair this wine with pork or something with a fairly high fat content. Would work fairly well with charcuterie. I think it is reasonable, given the price but $4.00 would be pushing the outer limits of this wine.


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