Pinot Noir is one of the primary wines for a Thanksgiving pairing.  With a slight touch of tannins, a bright body, and a variety of smells and tastes ranging from red fruit to earthiness, pinot noir makes for a good pairing choice with turkey and all the trimmings. The problem with pinot noir is that its a truly temperamental grape, which makes for a heck of a difficult wine to get on the cheap.  Does Black Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 manage to overcome the difficulties pinot noir can have, or is it worth continuing to look?

Sight:  Bright magenta, with a very thin body just barely leaning into purple.

Smell:  Super bright cranberry jumps up off the top, pulling in some underripe cherries, a hint of dusty earthiness and mushrooms.  The smell is incredibly bright, and has hints of strawberry licorice and burns slightly.

Sip:  Bracing to a fault,  just incredibly acidic.  The tartness pervades the entire palate, causing an initial pucker, but the body is light.  The entire texture ends up being severely out of balance.  The flavor is full of underripe red cherries, red plum skin, currants, and cranberries.  There are earthy notes as well with hints of dark chocolate and forest floor.

Savor:  There’s a nice amount of powdered bittersweet cocoa and underripe cherries / cranberries.  Only slightly tannic.

Black Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir has a nice nose, but is overwhelmingly bitter.  Normally brightness in wine isn’t a bad thing, it adds to its ability to work with food.  However, in this case, the acidity is just overwhelming to the point that it’s bracing.  Finding good pinot noir under $10 is hard, but not impossible.  For your guests on Thanksgiving, look to Mark West, Lucky Star, or Barefoot (if you’re looking on the cheap), but Black Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir should be a last resort.

Verdict:  Acid, Cranberries, Earth,  Underripe Cherries
Price: $7.99
Lodi, California
Trader Joe’s