Glamour Puss Pinot Noir

New Zealand’s Coopers Creek Winery makes a range of wines with a consistent cat theme in their name. The most notable example is probably the Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush Sauvignon Blanc. But they also sell the Tom Cat Merlot, various Chardonnays and the Sally Cat Pinot Noir (which I’ve only seen in Ontario). And there’s also the belle of the ball – the  Glamour Puss Pinot Noir, which is the subject of today’s post.

Regular readers will know that my Pinot preferences are no secret (and are detailed here). I like them funky and nasty, which can be difficult to do when you want to spend around $15. I had seen mixed reviews of this wine elsewhere, and I wasn’t entirely sure it would be what I was looking. But the store I was in didn’t have a great selection of Pinots, so I took the chance.

Pepperwood Grove Old Vines Zinfandel

Just to prove that I’m not totally consumed by my day job, here’s a new post for you. 

Pepperwood Grove is one of the many ranges of wines from the multi-faceted Sebastiani family. I admit that I have a hard time distinguishing between this brand and Smoking Loon (also by the same folks), so I won’t play favourites. But I will say that all these wines hold some good varietal characteristics while remaining affordable and easy-drinking.

The Zinfandel is – in my ever so humble opinion – the best of the bunch. It’s sourced from 100% Lodi fruit. In the glass, it shows off some nice deep purple colours, with a classic Zinfandel nose (think blackberries and spice with a hint of earthiness). It’s medium-bodied (despite being a whopping 13.9% ABV) and is just big enough to stand proud against some charred burgers. In the mouth, there is a ton of great berry flavours with some hints of earth and spice (haven’t we heard this line before?). A long finish wraps up this tasty package.

For $13.99, it’s highly recommended. My only wish is that I had come across this one earlier in the summer. BBQ season is far from over, but the long evenings spent on the back patio have come to an end (it went down close to zero on Friday night).