Monday night Nancy prepared crispy chicken thighs with an apple and butternut squash compote served with dark wild rice and fresh chives. It was a yummy, flavorful and hearty meal. To serve with the chicken, we opened a 1997 Schug Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir. The Pinot was interesting but had spent a little too much time in the cellar. The color was a light iodine (brownish orange) color. The nose was still good, typical Pinot with earthiness and cherries. There was also some tobacco in the background. In the mouth the wine felt a little flat, just a little too old. The flavors were nice, however. There was smoke, tobacco and cherries with plenty of acid and very minimal tannins. There was also a little raisin-like flavor. The finish was of moderate length with flavor.
Overall an interesting wine, somewhat Burgundian, but a little over the hill.
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You do have to be careful about overlooking some wines for sure.
You know, there’s a fine line between opening a bottle of wine at its prime and oops I think I should have opened this earlier. I once did this with a Pinot Noir that I let go a bit too long in the cellar. It wasn’t very tasty although the color was okay but it eventually found its way down the drain. Then again you open a wine that you’ve kept in the cellar patiently for 15 years and it knocks your socks off. That’s the trouble with having too much wine in your cellar…