Cole Cellars Pinot Noir: Flying Solo at the Wine Shop
And the Poetry of Wine with Leftovers
Welcome to week five of the Zero to Vino project.
Wine of the Week: Cole Cellars Pinot Noir
Well, a landmark week: I purchased this all by myself. No help.
I started reading a book this last week titled, Wine Isn’t Rocket Science. It’s visual, graphic, and easy to understand. Plus, I had to smile when one of the “characters” in the book has the same name as my father.
This book has been a great introduction for me. I’ve taken copious notes. And I went armed with this information to Wegman’s.
Not gonna lie: I still kinda hoped that I could just have someone tell me what to drink.
Well, Brandi wasn’t there. Denise was already helping someone. And I only had five minutes to pick out a wine before I had to hightail it out of the supermarket and pick up my daughter from work.
I knew that I was making pesto and pasta with chicken and a salad. And we’ve had a series of white wines in the past few weeks, so I decided I’d look for a Pinot Noir.
I tried to steer clear of something too cheap looking. Some of the wines have that impression. I saw one with a clean, beige label and elegant, wine-red script that read: Cole Cellars.
Pretty boring. But also classic.
And I grabbed it. I actually appreciated the American sounding name. I’m not always sure how I feel about American wineries being named “château” or some French word when it’s in the US. But I get it, wine culture is French.
Still, I value authenticity. Originality. I don’t like colonial houses in Phoenix. I don’t like adobe houses in Pennsylvania. I hate it when American soccer teams name themselves something like “Real [Fill in the blank with a City name]”. Just be real, Real Salt Lake.
“Cole Cellars” seemed to be happy being itself.
Also, I liked that there was a cork.
And here’s the scoop:
First Impressions
Since I bought this wine on my own, without help, my impressions were my own. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t have information, guidance, or help on the wine. In other words, no one had told me what I was supposed to smell, taste, or think while drinking it.
Winemaker vs. Catania
Cole Cellars: An expressive Pinot Noir which shows hints of herbs and spice on the nose, with layers of bright cherry and strawberry fruit on the palate. Lovely fresh acidity, with a floral lift on the finish. Great on its own or when paired with a variety of cuisines.
Catania: Huh. I really want to get this. I really do. I think I taste
nail polish removertannins. (?) I taste something, but I still don’t have enough knowledge to describe it, other than “wine.” I don’t know if I love wine while I’m drinking it. Not the way I love tiramisu. But, boy, I loved the shit out of this wine after. I can taste it still. Hours later. And yeah. I think I’d like more of it tomorrow.
Virtual Help
One of the great things about publishing this experience on Substack is getting help. My circle of friends, I’m sad to say, is very small. That’s a part of leaving Mormonism. You leave a lot of your friends in some way or another. Some of them stop talking to you altogether. A lot of them still communicate with me, and I communicate with them, but it’s strange and tight.
Almost like the astringent feeling I get when drinking this Pinot Noir.
I’m not trying to make anyone feel sorry for me—because Substack has offered me a wine-loving community that is passionate and helpful! Meg Maker gave me a useful hint—when the wine is cold, then the strong flavors of the alcohol are “elevated.” Good to know.
So, on our third day of this Pinot, I took it out of the fridge about 45 minutes or so before we ate.
And what a difference that made!!!!!!
I can’t tell you precisely what I tasted. I can only say that I did. There were moments of sweetness. Bitter. Spice. Complicated (compared to my usual beverage of choice: water) but lovely.
There is hope for me yet.
Confessions and Reflections
I’ve mentioned it before. I’ve never been drunk. And, I don’t know if I want to get drunk, drunk. As in, I don’t want to get black-out-vomit-everywhere-drunk.
But I’d like to have another glass of wine.
The thing is, I don’t have a table. I sit on the floor for dinner. It’s a long fucking story that I don’t want to tell right now (don’t worry. I’m sure it will come up sooner or later). Just know that I eat dinner sitting on the floor. While watching Jeopardy.
And I admit that as much as it feels appropriate to be drinking a potent potable during Jeopardy, it also feels like both Jeopardy and wine with dinner are dulled when combined. (Plus, I’m shit at Jeopardy when I drink a little wine.)
Wine. It would be fun with people. It would be fun with friends. With laughter, music, and a fresh-flower centerpiece.
And since I’m just sitting on the floor, and sucking at Jeopardy, why drink two glasses of wine. Wouldn’t that be a waste?
That Being Said
On Monday, the owner of my favorite bookshop was at my place of work. I chatted with him. He complimented a poem I had written (without knowing I was the author, so that felt really nice). We talked about how it was indirect yet erotic, and it was, so my poem had been a success. (I know, this sounds like a strange conversation. But things like this are a part of your life when you like to write poetry.)
Indirect, yet quietly erotic. I loved that, because I love subtlety in art. Over-the-top eroticism, even though I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t dabbled in it, is fun but frustrating. There’s no poetry in it.
Which brings me back to wine.
Rating
That evening, I drank the last of my wine with leftover soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. It was a simple meal. The wine felt less complicated than it had with the pesto. This time, it was more subtle.
It didn’t need laughter, music, or a fresh-flower centerpiece. It wasn’t over-the-top or needy. It was perfectly fine with me sitting on the floor.
Simple and poetic.
I was in a good mood. I might have been slow at Jeopardy, but who cares? The wine made me merry and relaxed. Maybe next time I will pour myself a second glass.
Love this one. Chilling red wine reduces fruit and floral aromas and flavors and emphasizes the tannins, mostly, along with the acidity and alcohol. In other words, you get more of a sense of the structure and texture of the wine versus its flavor. Pinot noir is a lower-tannin grape variety (versus, say, Cabernet Sauvignon) so it's a good choice for you if you have a hard time with the drying sensation that tannins create. Tannins bind with protein in your mouth, which really helps when you're drinking red wine with meat or other protein-rich foods.
I noted that you said you "took the wine out of the fridge 45 minutes early." You actually don't need to put your red wine in the fridge when you get it home from the store, (unless you live in the tropics or its 100F in your dwelling or whatever). You can just put it in a cool spot in your kitchen until you're ready to open it. If you want to hold a bottle longer term, choose a spot in your house that's cool but not necessarily cold (a basement, interior closet, etc.); ideally a place that doesn't fluctuate in temperature.
I love "Wine Isn't Rocket Science" and have often recommended it! It's written by the French wine educator and personality Ophelie Nieman. I first spotted this book at a winery's tasting room in the Languedoc about ten years ago. It was in French, and I bought it on the spot. It was later translated into English, and I bought that, too, and they sit together on my bookshelf. The illustrator, Yannis Varoutsikos, is also excellent; he has done other books like this one, for Coffee, Whisky, and more.