I have come to the conclusion that wine discoveries will truly never end. That thought was what popped into my mind when I was offered this Pinot Noir by Sean Minor. That’s a pretty cool thing for us wine lovers, don’t you think? In a conversation with a vintner friend of mine where we were discussing that very point, he finally laughed and said, “No wine ever gets thrown away. It just gets down to what you like.”
Now let’s move on to my newest discovery, Sean Minor Wines Pinot Noir. As I mentioned before, it was given to me to try because the giver thought it would be a bottle of wine I would really enjoy. They were right. It was a delightful gift, one I shared with a friend and my husband. Both of them enjoyed this wine as much as I did.
Sean Minor Wines Pinot Noir
As it turns out, Sean of Sean Minor Wines comes from a Kansas agricultural background. That experience translated into a passion for wines. From college to a number of vineyards of note, he found his footing in wineries such as Beaulieu Vineyards, King Estate, Benton Lane Winery and finally Renwood Winery. He finally took the leap and founded Four Bears Winery, a reference to his four children, with the sole purpose of creating great affordable wine for anyone’s pocketbook. His first venture ultimately led him to add additional labels. In addition to Fours Bears Wines, there are now Pinot North Wines and Sean Minor Wines. All are worth exploring.
To create the wines for their various labels, Sean Minor draws from many vineyards and wine regions in Northern and Central California. These areas would include Napa Valley, Central Coast Chardonnay, Dry Creek, Sonoma, Central Coast and Paso Robles. No wonder I liked this wine.
This is what Sean Minor Wines has to say about their Pinot Noir:
Tasting Notes: Our Carneros Pinot Noir is medium-bodied with plum, blueberry and strawberry nuances. On entry, the wine displays bright cherry and berry flavors with earthy and sweet oak notes throughout the mid-palate. The spicy finish lingers on the palate framed by fresh fruit and silky round tannins.
Winemaking Notes: Our Pinot Noir fruit is a blend of Pommard and Dijon clones from carefully selected vineyards in the Carneros region. All grapes are hand-picked at night and early mornings to keep the fruit at optimal temperatures. The fruit is then de-stemmed into bins and placed into open top fermenters. The fruit is cold-soaked for 3 days prior to initiating fermentation. Once fermentation begins, each tank is punched down two to three times per day to maintain consistent contact between the must and pommace throughout fermentation. Once the wine is fermented dry it is racked to barrels for completion of malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is aged 10 months in 100% French oak of which 18% is new.
You can find Sean Minor Wines on their website, wine.com, totalwine.com, amazon.com and many wine shops or wine purveyors.
This Sean Minor Wines Pinot Noir was a great gift. The fun part is the next time I see this wine when I am shopping for a nice Pinot Noir, I’ll think of my friend and I’ll definitely give this one serious consideration. I would recommend you do the same. Cheers.
Time for a glass…
If you enjoyed reading about the “Sean Minor Wines Pinot Noir,” check out Mark West Pinot Noir, Acacia Vineyard Pinot Noir, and Smoking Loon Pinot Noir.
P.S.: Check out a few of my favorite wine tools and resources below. 🙂