The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 is a wine sourced mainly from the Lujan de Cuyo Valley inside the greater Mendoza region of Argentina. The Don Rodolfo Winery was founded in 1870. The Lujan de Cuyo Valley is located in western-central Mendoza and the vineyards are situated 3,300 to 5,000 feet.
Lujan de Cuyo is known for producing Malbec wines, which thrive on warm to hot summer weather days followed by cool nights. Some areas have sub-climates that provide cool daytime temperatures to allow the finicky Pinot Noir grapes to have a full growing season.
Vineyards high up in the foothills receive intense sunlight and are irrigated by melting snows from the mountains. The vineyards are high enough in altitude that pests and vine diseases can not exist, in many ways these locations are ideal for growing grapes.
The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 was fermented using natural yeasts and was aged for six months, mainly in stainless steel, but 10% of the wine was aged in French oak barrels. Which should give this Pinot Noir and bright, fruit-forward nature with just a little oak flavoring.
The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 should be found for around $10. This is not a Pinot that will “wow” you with its production details, but it has received 90 points from the top wine reviewer. Wines do not need fabulous pedigrees or expensive price tags to be good. The alcohol content is 13%.
The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019
The color is a see-thru garnet red. The nose is earthy and smoky, there are notes of cherry, mushroom, herbs, savory scents, and ripe plum, this is an excellent Pinot Noir nose. The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 is sleek and smooth with just the right amount of rough edges.
This Pinot Noir tastes like black cherry, exotic spice, black pepper, extracted licorice, and pomegranate. The mid-palate shows sour cranberry, bitter chocolate, and a cooling hit of raspberry. The tannins are smooth and the acidity allows the flavors time to completely unfold.
The Summary
- The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 is an excellent Pinot Noir, bright, fresh and full of flavor.
- Sometimes inexpensive Pinot Noir is good “for the price”, the Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 is just good.
