As many of you know, I’ve been a wine consultant with WineShop At Home now for close to 13 years. Recently, I found a 2009 Rhone blend of ours that was really good. That motivated me to look for other old WineShop At Home wines. The oldest one I came across was a 2003 Albion Couve Rouge. When I read about it, I couldn’t wait to try it and of course report on it. This blog is dedicated to my tasting experience.
The History of Albion Couve Rouge
This wine was released in 2016, shortly after I became a wine consultant with WineShop At Home. The wine was such an oldie, moldy wine that it was made before WineShop At Home was an actual winery. I believe we’ve been a winery now for about 10 years. Surprisingly, the wine was made for WineShop At Home by award-winning winemaker Greg Graziano. Less than 500 cases were produced, and we sold each bottle for a whopping $16.90.
The Wine Blend
I was blown away to discover that our Albion Couve Rouge was a blend of Barbera and Pinot Noir. I don’t remember ever seeing Pinot Noir in a still blend. It’s a mainstay in Champagne and Sparkling Wine, which are often blends. But Pinot Noir in a still blend? I hadn’t heard of any. Dr. Vinny of Wine Spectator agrees, saying “Pinot Noir’s supple texture, sense of place and wonderful balance don’t generally lend themselves to blending, and neither do its relatively high cost and difficulty of cultivation.” Beyond Dr. Vinny’s serious explanation, I’ve always thought of Pinot Noir as a prima donna wine, one that wouldn’t be happy sharing bottle space with any other grape. So I’ve always told people that Pinot Noir isn’t a blending grape. If you’ve ever tasted a blended still wine that includes Pinot Noir, I would love for you to share the details here.
The Tasting Notes
The tasting notes say the wine has notes of ripe berries, cedar, blackberries and spice. But will I be able to taste any of that 15 years later? Let’s find out!
The Tasting Experience
Was the wine good? Was the wine past its prime? Watch this video of Julie and me to find out!
If you have an oldie, moldy wine that you’d like to taste, I’d love to do that with you. Please let me know. Thanks.
As an independent wine consultant with WineShop At Home, I absolutely enjoy bringing a taste of the Napa wine country home to you one sip at a time. Whether you simply love to drink wine, seek a special personalized wine gift, or are in search of a new wine jobs opportunity as a wine consultant, feel free to contact me for a truly unique wine tasting experience!
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4 comments
Love how you dived with courage into that 15 year old bottle and it actually wasn’t half bad! Cheers!
It was so much fun. I can’t wait to do it again.
Wine is an alcoholic drink that is usually made from fermented grape juice. The balance of the natural properties contained in grapes, causes the fruit to be fermented without the addition of sugar, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. In addition to using grapes, wine can also be made from other fruits that contain lots of sugar, such as apples, berries, longan, or pineapple. Naming wine or wine made from other than grapes usually includes the name of the fruit used. champagneshop.nl
Thanks for this information. I’ve actually written some articles about wine made from fruits other than grapes.