When I find myself in times of thirst, my wine rack calls to me
Open it with a corkscrew and let it breathe.
And in my hour of parchedness a red wine I see
Speaking words of wisdom, let it breathe.
Let it breathe, let it breathe, let it breathe, let it breathe.
Speaking words of wisdom, let it breathe
Whether you use a Vinturi, a decanter or just swirl it in a glass,
There will be an answer, let it breathe.
Cabernet, Zinfandel, Carménère, and even Pinot Noir.
There will be an answer, let it breathe.
Let it breathe, let it breathe...
And whether your wine has a cork, a screwtop or a even spigot
Wait until tomorrow, let it breathe.
And soon you will find, how glorious your wine can be
Speaking words of wisdom, let it breathe
Let it breathe, let it breathe...
(Bastardized version of "Let it Be" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.)
2009 Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Pinot Noir received as a sample from the distributor for review purposes but available at Costco for $11.99.
From the bottle:
The owners of Saint Clair Estate wines, Neal and Judy Ibbotson, have a relative who was a vicar in the Anglican Church. On one of his early visits to Saint Clair he tasted a range of barrel samples, selected his favourite, and halleluiah the Vicar's Choice brand name was born.
13.5% alcohol
I have always heard you should let your wine breathe, and yeah sometimes it does change the characteristics of the wine, but not always for the better. For this reason and realizing that most people do not drink an entire bottle at once, we try to specifically mention how the wine tastes on Day 2 in our reviews. And sometimes, like with the 2009 Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Pinot Noir, giving the wine some time to breathe makes for a great improvement, thus the inspiration for the song above.
After reading recently how a New Zealand Pinot Noir knocked off much more expensive wines to win a blind Pinot tasting, I was excited to try my first wine from this country. This wine is light red in the glass, and the nose is incredibly strong, with pleasing floral and berry aromas. The wine is sweet and fruity and tastes of raspberry and strawberry; however, right out of the bottle it just feels tight. This is the 2009 vintage so it is still fairly young. After letting the wine breathe for a bit it really opens up nicely. It is a fairly smooth wine but a little tangy/sour on the finish. The 2009 Saint Clair Vicar's Choice is a bit different than the Pinot Noirs you may be used to, but certainly worth a try!
See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.
Overall Rating: 7.0
All ratings use a simple 10 point scale with 10 being the best. Find out more about my rating systemhere and check out the Interactive Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.
