(RECAP: It's Monday! What did you think of the Fleur? We had it Saturday night and the crowd gave it a thumbs up (Maxwell's comments are below). Comment and vote below. A new wine recommendation comes in on Thursday.)
Name: Fleur de Carneros Pinot Noir
Producer: Fleur de California
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: California
Price: $14.95
Stores: Sherry-Lehman (679 Madison between 61st and 62nd Streets) and Manley's Wines and Spirits (35 8th Avenue @ 14th Street)
Last Saturday evening a friend brought over a bottle of Fleur Pinot Noir, and it became the talk of the evening. In fact, the hostess called the next day to see where she could find it. This is the sort of moment we pounce on. We've already bought two more bottles, and we're taking them into the Test Lab.
Fleur is a Pinot Noir from the Carneros region in California, a stretch of land between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Carneros is ideal for growing Pinot Noir; ample coastal fog cools the valley warmth, creating a perfect climate for the finicky Pinot Noir grape, often considered the elusive holy grail for grapegrowers. A good Pinot should have bright cherry-flavoured fruit, soft tannins and ample acidity.
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
i love this idea! so Kitchen!
i saw this wine last week at September on ludlow street
i remember b/c i thought the label was SO pretty!
i'll definitely be popping in there tonight to pick it up!
i absolutely ADORE this idea!
An employee at a store on Atlantic Ave. (between Clinton and Henry) in Brooklyn recommended this bottle a few months ago. It has been sitting on my dining table since. I guess I was waiting for the right occasion.
Around the World in 50 wines is a fabulous idea. I am happy that I am here for its inception!
Fabulous idea!
We'll try it out.
BTW - luv your site.
their petite sirah is also very very good.
Went to Sherry Lehman and they were out of it, but out on Long Island our local wine shop (Domaine in Amagansett) had it and said it was a total find. They hoped the word didn't get out, they said, so that supplies would last.
We bought four bottles for our dinner with friends and it was delicious. I am no expert, but I would say it was super smooth and rich tasting from start to finish. Deep tasting as well. Very nice. Definitely a great wine for our meal of escarole soup, sweet sausage and salad.
Thanks, Jen!
stopped by September and picked it up
it was a bit more expensive than state, but, hey, a wine coffee klatsch is worth paying a few extra bucks for
we (the boy and i) also drank our bottle on saturday night
at first, i absolutley loved it, it was so fragrant and redolent of rose candy, herbs, with light berry overtones
we decanted the wine since it smelled a little tannic to me, and since it is a younger wine
i think this helped, but by the end of the bottle, i was convinced that i was right about the tannins
my teeth felt a little furry by the end of the bottle, but i still loved the flavor
if i ever bought this wine again, i would definitely let it sit for a while in my wine cabinet, let it get a little age to help mellow those tannins out
i saw the petite sirah that matt pointed out there too, and i think i might try that one next (if only b/c the labels are SO goregous)
Great idea Jen! I love the new format. After reading your description a friend happened to bring the bottle over on Sunday night to watch the Superbowl. Strange coincidence and strange pairing: Pinot noire and cheese dip? Uugh. I gave the cheese dip a pass for the gruere (sp?) which was very nice with the wine. So my diagnosis of Fleur was the following: Very light and fresh for a Pinot Noire with a gatherling level of complexity which snuck up on me. Very very tasty!
Hi Ann:
Are you sure that you bought the Pinot and not the Syrah? I don't recall the Pinot being particularly tannic.
I loved the wine; it was rich, smooth and delicious.
nope, it was definitely the pinot noir
i saved the label and everything
maybe it just didn't mix well with our dinner of stir-braised baby bok choy (i bought too many vege to stirfry, so it turned into a stir-braise!)
it just didn't sit well on my palate
but then again, i vastly prefer old world pinots, so that could be it as well, i've been drinking a lot of the 2003 pinots out of france which are very big and bold, but still incredibly well flavored with incredible noses while maintaining a lovely feel of rusticity (if that's a real word!)
i just like them better
this is my absolute favorite in the whole world of wine pinot noir (desc. taken form astor website)
Pinot Noir "Terres DorÊes", Jean-Paul Brun 2003
This red is full of lush red and dark berry fruit character and is still so recognizably Burgundy Pinot in character. A delight to drink today at such a reasonable price. (France)
and a huge bargain at only $14.99/bottle!
I bet it was the Bok Choy combo as Pinot Noir isn't an especially tannic wine but Bok Choy can be bitter so it could bring the few tannins out. The '03 Burgundies are an anomoly; one of the hottest years France has ever seen (can anyone say global warming?) made wines that are pretty Californiaesque,big rich and totally un-French in style.
I hand carried a few bottles home to Australia last June (2005). I opened the first bottle last month and it was definitely worth the wait! If anyone knows how I can source this in Australia, please let me know. Thank you, Fleur
I've seen it at the Greene Grape in Brooklyn. It's on Fulton Street in Fort Greene!!