Opolo Vineyards in Paso Robles is best known for their Zinfandels. I'll look at several of those during Zinfandel Week. Today though I'm going to look at their 2005 Pinot Noir. Paso Robles tends to be a very warm growing region and Pinot Noir is one of the last varietals I normally associate with the area.
The Opolo Vineyards 2005 Pinot Noir was produced from Estate Fruit. The wine was aged for 16 months in a combination of French and American oak. Approximately 500 cases of this wine were produced and the suggested retail price is $32.
Tons of blackberry and earth come through on what is a very big and fairly bright nose. Dark fruit and mocha notes emerge on the first sip and are prominent throughout this wines palate. The finish which is of slightly above average length features vanilla, spice mushroom and toasty oak notes. This is bigger with more upfront fruit than a classically styled Pinot Noir and as such will stand up to richer cuisine. It does have good acidity which helps keep all the bold fruit in check a bit.
If you're looking for a Burgundian styled Pinot Noir this probably isn't the wine you'll want. However if you enjoy rich, new world Pinot Noir with bigger jammy fruit, The Opolo Pinot Noir is a good bet. I found this to be an enjoyable wine to drink, but not exactly a text book Pinot Noir though. Whether you want to seek this offering out or not is going to depend on the style of Pinot you prefer to drink.
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