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| Husch 1992 Reserve Pinot Noir |
I was kind of nervous at first. When the waiter poured the wine it was distinctly brown. I think he saw the look on my face because he told me that if I left it to breath, it would probably be quite nice. He was right: after only a few moments the wine turned from chestnut brown to a sort of brick red. The flavor progressed to become a very light, round, warm wine with minerals and a hint of pink pepper. It retained the slight tannic bite at the end.
I always like to compare old wines (when I get the chance to have them) to their original descriptions. This wine certainly changed from when it was bottled in 1994 after a 20-month period in oak barrels (this was Husch's first reserve pinot noit). They said that it tasted of cherries, violets, and cinnamon with a long, softly tannic finish.
If there are any bottles out there to try, I highly recommend it. Let it sit for at least an hour before tasting.
Sounds wonderful. I didn't know that old wines could change color after they rest. Hope you had a great birthday!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they usually do change color. On the other hand, I've never had a wine that was quite this brown before (I think meaning it was at the end of it's mature life). The Silver Oak that my uncle brought was a little brown looking but after a few moments the brown seemed to separate into a thin ring around the top of the wine while the rest was red and he mentioned that this meant that the wine was quite mature, but could have rested for a few more years (due to the band being thin instead of thick). I will have to ask my uncle what he thinks.
ReplyDeleteOther than still having the cold that will not die, I had a lovely birthday (although I missed the usual friends and family). Thank you.
LOL. i love imagining your expression when you saw the brown wine. i like husch. sound vineyard. i urge you to try bryce. oregon. great pinots. limited supply. nice.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the brown was quite a shock at first. I bet it would have been pretty amusing to watch.
ReplyDeleteI generally like Oregon Pinots so I'll definitely look around for Bryce next time I'm up that way. Thanks for the recommendation!