For most Northwest wine lovers, the great state of Oregon produces some of their favorite Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines and there’s no mystery as to why. Oregon is a world class producer of both of these varietals and has done a stellar job with them so far.
King Estate has a label called Acrobat that helps them meet a lower price-point – which in this economy, is a good thing.
2009 Acrobat Pinot Gris – W.E.P. Rating: 90%
Technical Data:
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- TA: 0.57 g/100ml
- pH: 3.28
- Residual sugar: .54%
- Production: 30,000 cases
- Fermentation: 100% stainless
- Aging: 100% sur lie for three months
- Price: $11.99
Nose: Green apple, lemon zest, spice with kiwi, honeydew melon and mango.
Taste: Definitely get a nice combination of green apples that have been hit with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. Get some very nice pear, kiwi and baking spice notes coming through on the finish. Good mouthfeel and overall acidity make this a very nice drinker.
2009 Acrobat Pinot Noir – W.E.P. Rating: 90%
Technical Data:
- Alcohol: 13.0%
- TA: 0.545g/100ml
- pH: 3.56
- Production: 18,000 cases
- Fermentation: 100% Stainless – punched down 2-3 times per day
- Aging: 6 months on French Oak – 15% new, 21% one year, 30% 2 year and 34% 3 year.
- Price: $18
Nose: Dried cranberries, cherry-sauce, white pepper, star wars action figure, rhubarb and white peppercorns.
Taste: I definitely get the peppered cranberry action coming through right off the bat. Bright acids and young tannins do bring a bit of the “pucker-action” that I’m sure many folks won’t like, however, to me – it makes this a very food-friendly wine. While it is showing rather young right now it is still in many ways quite approachable. A good effort and one that I’d like to taste with another year or so in the bottle.
On the web: http://www.kingestate.com/wine/#acrobat
