Review: Nobilo Icon 2010 Pinot Noir

I must admit I am not a huge fan of pinot noir in general. While I have had some pinots I liked, I tend to think it is weak in flavor & not bold enough for my preference. While New Zealand is known for its Sauv Blanc & Pinot Noir, I didn’t think it would be fair to only review Sauvignon Blanc; this lead me to Nobilo Icon Pinot Noir.

If you read my Nobilo SB review, you know it is my absolute FAVORITE SB from NZ, so I thought starting with Nobilo Pinot Noir would be good choice. The initial nose on this wine was intense; strong notes of cocoa & cherries, as well as a very prevalent alcohol smell (this wine is 15% ABV, so that wasn’t shocking). The color of this wine was absolutely gorgeous. It was quite dark for a pinot noir, a lovely cranberry color with a slight purple tint. After 10 minutes of breathing, the cherry smell was very dominant, but my nose was picking up on a dark cherry noir chocolate truffle smell…it was divine!

My initial taste of this wine was very tart. It had a warm mouth feel, and a surprisingly smooth finish for such a sharp bite in the beginning. Also, the flavor lingered for quite some time and it was very pleasant. Initially I didn’t notice but after a few sips, tannins became more noticeable and the tartness moved to the back of the throat. This wine had a very strong flavor palate for a Pinot Noir, especially considering my recent wine tasting in NZ where I drank quite a few pinots. After a few more sips, the tartness subsided slightly & I found this to be a fun wine to drink.

Day two didn’t change the flavor of this wine almost at all, which was unusual. It kept its tartness & fruit flavor, and although it a bit more sweet, it had a very similar taste to day one.

I will admit day three was the best! This wine became much more smooth, but still kept its flavor profile & a bit of the tartness, but was overall a much more pleasant wine. I would recommend breathing this wine for a little while, at least a few hours, before drinking.

Notes about Nobilo ICON Pinot Noir:

-15% Alcohol

-Prevalent cherry, chocolate notes

-Review for the 2009 (1 vintage earlier) makes this sound like a great bottle if you can find it!

And the 2009 was featured on the Today Show!

Notes about Nobilo’s ICON Line:

-The Icon label represents the pinnacle of Nobilo winemaking,and is made from only the very best fruit from our Marlborough vineyards.

-Nobilo Icon wines are rich, complex and full bodied, with excellent weight, structure and balance.

Icon wines may vary in character from year to year to ensure a definitive expression of each Marlborough vintage.

More Information:

-A fun feature on the Nobilo website is their Food Match section which highlights recipes they think pair well with their wines.

-Head Winemaker: Dave Edmonds. He was born in New Zealand, trained in New Zealand, took a short jaunt in California for a few vintages, but returned to New Zealand & is in his 10th year with Nobilo. His passion is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

-Nobilo has a Tasting Room in both Auckland and Marlborough, making it easily accessible to visit if you're ever in New Zealand, and I recommend it!