David Bruce Pinot Noir
David Bruce Pinot Noir comes from the David Bruce Winery in Los Gatos, California, USA.
The winery was founded by David in 1964 (note the bottle picture) in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He’s said to have cleared the land himself and hand planted the vineyard.
At the time, he was actually a dermatologist and he divided his time between his practice and the winery until 1985 when he retired from his medical practice.
David Bruce Pinot Noir Review
I received this wine as a gift from my generous next door neighbors.
They’ve graced me with other great wines in the past, including Honig Cabernet Sauvignon and Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
I shared this wine’s tasting duties with my good pal “Big Al.”
Specifically, we tasted the David Bruce Pinot Noir 2012 Sonoma County.
Appearance
In the glass, this wine is fairly translucent and cranberry to burgundy in color. I called it “delicate looking.”
The wine exhibited fine and slowly falling legs, which were numerous in quantity.
Aroma
On the nose we were greeted with classic Pinot Noir aroma. Cranberry was predominant, with a smokey note as well.
I noted a bit of Bing cherry in there too.
It all worked together very well and made for a pleasant aromatic experience.
We perceived just a mild hint of alcohol in the aroma.
David Bruce Pinot Noir alcohol content 14.7% by volume per the bottle.
We were very surprised at this, as our guesses were much closer to 13%. Nice job by the winemaker in terms of minimizing the alcohol burn in the aroma!
Taste
Much like the aroma, the wine’s taste was classic Pinot Noir.
Al called out a very mild citrus hint, which I agreed with. We both noted cherry, however it was very muted.
We both loved the taste. It was complex and balanced with no single aspect overtaking the other.
We also noticed that the taste from a fresh pour was no different than the wine that had been in the glass for a bit. You don’t need to wait for this one to breathe before enjoying it!
Mouthfeel & Tannins
Mouthfeel was quite smooth and the tannins were well behaved and supple.
I noticed them all over the palate.
Al noticed them “up the middle of the tongue.”
He immediately stated, “Which is unusual for me.” I asked him why and he said he normally notices tannins on his soft palate and the edges of his tongue.
So, something a little different there with this wine.
Finish
The wine finished especially long for a Pinot Noir and was quite enjoyable.
There was no evidence of alcohol in the breathe out, again pleasantly surprising us.
Overall Opinion
Overall we found this to be a very sippable and enjoyable classic Pinot Noir.
Al (never at a loss for words) said “Loved it! When there’s a lot going on with a great wine, it challenges the mind and the palate.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
David Bruce Pinot Noir price $29.99. Pricey but worth it!
Suggested Food Pairing
Don’t pair it with anything. It’s that good.
