Review: 2003 MacRostie Carneros Pinot Noir

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We picked up the 2003 MacRostie Pinot Noir at Cork and Bottle back during their spring clearance sale. It was only $14.99 (regularly $27.99). Since it was on clearance, and a 2003 vintage, we knew we had better drink it soon. MacRostie is a Sonoma winery with vineyards in the Carneros region. They try to use sustainable farming practices and were just certified as Sonoma Green Business.

This was a surprising wine. We first opened it on Friday night and tried to enjoy it with a Papa Murphy's pizza. Something didn't work right thought – maybe the sauce was too tangy? – but it was a bad pairing. Almost everything goes with pizza, so that was surprise #1. (In this case I blame the pizza and not the wine.)

I was initially disheartened by the wine, but again, I think it was the pizza pairing. I thought it was dry on the back of the throat, more dirt than earthiness, and not very much fruit at all. I poured another glass well after dinner and was pleasantly surprised (surprise #2). There was more earthiness, as well as some nice cherry fruit.

We didn't finish the bottle so we sealed it up and stored it in the refrigerator. We remembered it last night so we tried it again. We were a little wary – 4 nights is a bit extreme for us – but this was the third surprise. The wine was actually better. In fact, it had taken on sort of a chocolate quality. I grabbed some dark chocolate pieces to compare and it was quite a nice pairing.

The MacRostie was an easy-to-drink Pinot Noir (pizza aside) that I'd buy again. I'd be interested in trying a more recent vintage.

Our overall score: