Hob Nob Vineyards Pinot Noir

Grape: Pinot noir

Region: Vin de Pays D’Oc, Southern France

Vintage: 2009

Price: $9.99

In the glass: Hob Nob Pinot Noir is a deep garnet-red color with a dense, deep red core going out into a light crimson rim definition with fairly high viscosity.

On the nose: It comes out very concentrated, and although it is not difficult to detect pinot noir in there, it is like a reduced and superconcentrated style of this delicate grape variety with pungent violet pastilles, cran-grape juice, Bing cherry compote and sweet licorice notes underlying with just a hint of minerals.

On the palate: It delivers above and beyond the normal expectations of the grape variety from which it is made and has loads of ripe crushed black and red fruits mixed with phenolic compounds, juicy black plums and good layers of spices, minerals and excellent acidity to balance out the forward tannins and the powerful fruit. It also has a good and slightly sweetish berry jam finish, which again helps the overall impression.

Odds and ends: Hob Nob wines has one of the most innovative and interesting websites of any wines in the market (www.hobnobwines.com/). It is a lot of fun to play around with, and great tips for food and wine pairings abound. Apart from all this, the wines had not impressed me before. While this pinot noir could have almost made it in the syrah category, it still offers a distinct and very exotic experience, despite the relatively present residual sugar and especially considering that it comes from the South of France, rather than from the birthplace of this noble grape variety, Burgundy. I nevertheless believe it delivers a power-packed punch for the wine consumer, especially at this price and from the highly touted 2009 vintage. Try it with a spice-rubbed roasted chicken here in the late summer. Drink it now through 2014.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.