Primarius Pinot Noir

Its summertime, and that means lighter easy to drink wines that won't make our Valley temperatures feel hotter than normal.  If you're looking for a red that means going for Syrah, Beaujolais, or Pinot Noir.  According to Mike Jones, the Pinot is one of the hottest wines going right now, and its easy to see why.  Last time I was in Jones Liquor he recommended a couple of Pinots, and now we're getting around to the second bottle from that trip. 

On Saturday we opened up a bottle of Primarius' 2009 Pinot Noir.  This is a really light little Pinot from Oregon.  As a quick side note, the Northwest is quickly becoming the place to find some really good Pinot Noirs at really reasonable prices, so look at where the wine is coming from when you pick up a bottle.  We tried it with Saturday's dinner and Sunday's brunch, but it was a little light for both meals.  Still, that doesn't mean this isn't a good wine on its own.

The first thing you'll notice about the Primarius is its light color.  Its a very pale purple, almost lavender, and so clear you can see through the glass.  On the nose its all light berries, particularly raspberry, and cherry.  The lightness continues on the palate.  The Primarius is light, fruity, and slightly earthy.  There are strong elements of strawberry and other light berries here as well.  Soft tannins round out this wine and allow for a soft and mellow finish.  This is a really refreshing wine that you can drink all on its own. 

We'll keep looking for the perfect accompaniment as long as there's wine in the bottle.  If we find something that works really well you'll hear about it.

I picked up the Primarius at Jone's Liqour here in Brownsville.  It runs $21.99 a bottle.  You can find out more about the wine at:  http://www.preceptwinebrands.com/our_wines/brands/000000030/primarius