Wine blogging Wednesday #17

Since this is my first WBW, I will explain to my readers what it entails. Every month or so one wine blogger picks a WBW theme and everyone chooses a wine that fits the theme and posts it for discussion. Its a great idea and helps people learn what's out there in the world of wine. The current theme is New Zealand Reds brought to us by The Cork Dork where you can check out other entries too. The wine I have chosen is a Pinot Noir from the Central Otago region. I know, not very imaginative, but the wine makes up for it.

Rowland, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Wild Thyme Vineyard, 2003
~$25.00

I cooked up some pork chops and mushrooms to serve with this wine and they paired beautifully. Pinot Noir is tough for me because I think that you have to spend a fair amount of money to get anything interesting so because of my budget I usually get disappointed with the varietal although this wine was awesome for $25 and reminded me why I love Pinot Noir when I can find a nice one.
Color: Dark ruby purple with clean sharp edges.
Nose: Classic New World Pinot Noir up front, with some earthy old world lingering after it opens up a bit. Strong cherry and pipe tobacco and lots of ripe fruit and slight crushed pepper aroma with sweet oak. After about a half hour some darker aromas of damp earth and mushrooms came into the mix with a little kick of ground anise.
Palate: Smooth tannin, not too extracted, with some spice on the way down. Very balanced and mouthfilling with the sweet oak and coffee liqueur adding viscosity to the mix.
Overall: I really, really, really, enjoyed this wine over the course of our meal and afterwards the wine changed, providing new flavors to think about. It is a talking wine that kept conversation at the table and not wandering to the TV, office, or other anti-social behavior. This kind of wine makes tasting with others a lot of fun. I give it an A.