ALPHA ESTATE | Ecosystem | Pinot Noir | Single Block | 2014
pinot noir
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Tonight we are going to review a wine from Greece – Ecosystem Pinot Noir Single Block 2014 from Alpha Estate. It is a single-varietal pinot noir wine from the Amyndeon plateau, situated at the 660m altitude in north-western Macedonia, in the so-called “Turtles” sub-region. Pinot noir is not a Greece speciality, yet, Alpha Estate is famous for its international varietal and blend wines, that’s why we’ve decided to give it a go. Pinot noir is rightly considered the most difficult grape to grow, and as a result, the most difficult wine to make and what makes pinot noir wines special, is the fact that it can conserve the terroir of the region in a way no other grape variety can. But enough theory, let’s move on with the tasting and find out just how good this wine is.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
Visual
Quite clear and transparent garnet color, with bright ruby hues toward the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with ripe red fruits: ripe red cherry, sour cherry, redcurrant, dried cherry tomato, redcurrant jam, wolfberry, rose hips, pomegranate, cranberry, almonds and some delicate hints of raw veal meat.
Gustatory
The wine is dry, with moderate alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannin. It tastes firm but lean, tannic and fruity at the same time, with a quite nuanced acidity. This is a seedy, meallow and crisp pinot noir wine, which feels expressive and elegant. The wine has a fair overall balance between the fruit and the wood and a very nice harmony between all its elements.
Aftertaste
It has a medium-plus finish and an balanced, a bit tart and a bit bitter aftertaste.
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This is definitely a great Wine of Greece and the overall rating says the same, with 91.1 points scored it is right there, among the best wines we’ve tasted so far. Please click on the chart icon on the left in order to get to the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines we’ve tasted to date.
Conclusion: this is a wine that has yet to reach its prime form – it is definitely on the rise, therefore a couple more years of bottle ageing would do just fine. To be honest, this is not a typical pinot noir wine, yet a very well made one. The wine was aged “sur lies” for eight months, followed by 12 months of oak ageing, and it did age well, with the right balance between wood and fruit. We would recommend to pair this wine with meat dishes that are rich in jammy or umami flavours, like for example a tournedos fillet rossini with foie gras and truffles or some balsamic pork chops, as the fruity-savory flavours in the wine will complement almost to perfection those sweet and meaty notes in the dish. Enjoy!
WineStatistics tasting results:
ALPHA ESTATE
Ecosystem | Pinot Noir | Single Block | 2014
grape: | pinot noir |
overall rating: | 91.1 |
conclusion: great | a must try
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(c) The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. There are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.
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