Wine of the Week: Chloe Pinot Noir

Wine: Chloe Pinot Noir

Grape: Pinot noir

Region: Monterey County, Calif.

Vintage: 2013

Price: $9.99

Availability: Lee’s Discount Liquor

In the glass: Chloe Pinot Noir is a nicely dark crimson red with a semi-opaque core going out into a light garnet rim definition with light to medium viscosity.

On the nose: It has classic red berries with red cherries, freshly baked raspberry Danish and English currant preserve, then a fresh blast of cool minerals and fig leaf coming out of the glass.

On the palate: It is a lovely rounded mouthful of wine with red berries dominating the taste buds, but there’s a spice component that immediately gives us a hint it is from a warmer climate than Burgundy, France, where pinot noir is indigenous. Crushed red cherries, bramble fruit and red currants are present with touches of cranberry juice going through the spice-laden midpalate, into a nicely balanced finish redolent with soft tannins that are entirely unobtrusive.

Odds and ends: Chloe is the ancient Greek word for blooming, as in blooming flowers of the vine, which usually happens in June. It reminds us how fast the growing cycle of vines really is. Those barren twigs that first break buds in the spring, then flower in June and come full cycle in September with full ripe grape bunches amid incredibly verdant landscapes is not only an ancient vegetation cycle but also what makes the fruit of the vines so attractive. There are no other known beverages that undergo the same transformation from stem to finished beverage in such a short time, and all happening in a natural way.

Winemaker Georgetta Dane has a surprising story behind her, as she arrived with her family from Romania in 1998 and then started in the California wine industry from scratch, working her way up to being the proud owner of her own brand, of which all the wines are named Chloe. This pinot noir is made from fruit sourced from great vineyards in the relatively cool Monterey County appellation and that means a classic approach to this pinot, which would resemble a nice little Volnay village wine from Burgundy. This bottle needs to open a good hour-plus before consumption to let off some of the detectable volatile acidity, but then it softens up and becomes quite classic. It is superbly priced and a great value. Try it with a grilled pepper-crusted piece of salmon fillet. Drink it now through 2018.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.