2007, French Maid, Pinot Noir
2007, French Maid, Pinot Noir, approx. $11
I needed a bottle of French Pinot Noir to go into Coq Au Van I was trying to cook for the first time. Par usual, I was watching the Food Network and saw this recipe and wanted to give it a try. Knowing that the wine was going to be used for cooking, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money yet I didn’t want something in a jug either. Since the dish is of French origin and calls for Pinot Noir, I headed to the Heinen’s Bin 75 section in search of a moderately priced bottle. I found a display of this wine with a deep red label. The wine attendant mentioned they have been selling a lot of this wine since they put up the display (or rather, put a nondescript crate in the middle of the wine area and placed a number of bottles of this wine). In short, both the wine and recipe turned out quite excellent. I am not a traditional Pinot fan, but the wine was very drinkable with a mild, light fruit with no strong bite or after taste. It had a very good mouth feel as I was preparing the dish. My wife even enjoyed the dish (but didn’t have the wine) which I was glad since both the wine and recipe are going on the buy/make-again-list!