Foxtrot Pinot Noir

2006 Vintage
Tasted: August 2010

The Foxtrot Pinot Noir has become a much storied wine around the Naramata Bench in the last couple of years both for its legendary price and its taste. I’d heard some mixed reviews from friends but have always wanted to try it for myself.

Recently the chance arose on an outing to the Naramata Heritage Inn, where they sometimes have the Foxtrot on by the glass for a hefty amount. I believe the glass pour is in the $20+ range, but am too scared to look at my bill and find out. The last place I paid that much by the glass was in Paris, but needless to say, that was in Paris.

So, an Okanagan Pinot Noir that falls into the $65 (at the winery) category obviously packs with it a certain amount of expectation. While my friend Kurtis from Cherries and Clay / Wine Director at the Naramata Inn is opening a fresh bottle, I’m concerned that the bottle of Foxtrot is getting performance anxiety from the way that I’m staring at it. I look away.

If you read this blog regularly you’ll know that I take some issue with some of the newer crop of wineries and their high prices. To me a $65 bottle of wine should be twice as good as a $32.50 bottle of wine, but unfortunately the world is unfair at times, and that is oft not the case. So I will say that as I swirl this wine around in my glass I am coming at it a bit harder than I normally would. My nose hairs stand on end as I give the glass a sniff for the first time — my whole wine sensory area on high alert.

I smell, I swish, and I conquer. I do it all over again 3 times to make sure that I’m not lying to myself. And then finally a verdict — I like it.

This is a really nice Pinot Noir and definitely lives up to the hype that I’d been fed over the past year. Nice earthy undertones with some caramel. It posesses the common fruit characteristics of Pinot Noir like cassis and raspberry, but is a bit muted on the fruit front. The fruit is definitely there, but it’s a bit more subtle and silky than some other reserve level Pinot Noirs. I’d liken this to a Pinot Noir Brulee if such a thing were possible. It has a nice lingering finish, and by the time I reach the bottom of the glass I’m a fan.

I understand that a small production winery will have to charge more to turn a profit, and in this case it’s justified. This is a tough wine to find, short of going to the winery, so it carries a bit more cachet.

Would I drink the Foxtrot Pinot Noir every night? No, probably not; however, I would drink this with a good friend who shared a similar zeal for wine and particularly Pinot Noir. It’s a nice wine for a special occasion and would be great to have on hand for one of those spontaneous nights of good company. I’d pair it any number of different foods, but I would probably go on the rich and creamy side. Ultimately I would almost be afraid that my cooking would ruin the wine, so maybe I would just drink it on its own.

I’m going to say that if you’re a Pinot Noir fan you should give this one a try. What’s inside the bottle lives up to the legend.