Underwood Pinot Noir

Underwood's Pinot Noir comes from Massachusetts, a cool-climate source for this grape. The label gives no vintage, vineyard or oak details, so what follows is the profile you can usually expect from the variety and a cool region like this. It is not a measured analysis of this bottle. Cool-climate Pinot Noir tends to be light to medium in body. Expect red cherry, cranberry and raspberry fruit, with earthier notes of dried leaf, tea and mushroom. If the wine saw oak, it may add faint baking spice. Tannins in Pinot are typically fine and soft, and acidity is bright. The finish is usually clean and moderate in length. Fruit ripeness and weight in New England bottlings change noticeably from year to year, so treat the description as a starting point. At the table, that combination of high acidity and gentle tannin makes Pinot Noir easy to match. Roast chicken, duck breast and pork tenderloin all suit it, as do salmon and seared tuna. Mushroom dishes such as risotto or a mushroom tart echo its earthy side. For cheese, choose soft and semi-soft types like Brie, Gruyère or a mild goat cheese. Big, heavily spiced or very rich red-meat dishes tend to overpower a wine this delicate. Serve it lightly cooled, around 55 to 60°F (13 to 16°C). About 20 minutes in the refrigerator before opening usually gets a room-temperature bottle there. Served too warm, Pinot Noir can taste flat and the alcohol becomes more noticeable. Decanting isn't required for a wine of this style. If it seems tight when first poured, 15 to 20 minutes in the glass or a brief rest in a decanter will help the aromas open up. A large-bowled glass with a tapered rim, often sold as a Burgundy glass, gathers the delicate aromatics and gives the fruit room to show. This is a bottle to drink soon after purchase, within a few years of the vintage. Nothing in the details points to a wine built for long cellaring. Keep it on its side in a cool, dark spot and open it while the fruit is still lively.