2009 Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyard Pinot Noir

Chris and I had a really nice day…  We woke up to no alarm clock!  We had decided to go to church with our friends Dave and Heather, who are members of a non denomination church.  We really enjoy the community and pastor Skip.  Following, we enjoyed brunch with them in Anoka and then ran to Costco for a few things.

We were home mid afternoon and had a few chores.  Before we got started Chris planned out dinner.  Once I knew what she was preparing, I decided to have a bottle of Pinot Noir.  It is relatively warm outside (80 degrees) and I wanted to have a lighter red.

I had received a couple bottles of Freestone Pinot Noir in the spring Joseph Phelps club shipment.  I had noticed right away that they changed the label.  I like the new label and I think it represents the estate grown Pinot Noir Grapes on the Freestone Vineyard in Sonoma coast.

I grabbed a bottle and threw it in my cooler.  As the Pinot was chilling, Chris fired up the grill and was roasting fresh garlic cloves and red beets.  She roasted them for about an hour.  When she brought the roasted veggies in and opened them, it was awesome and  I could not wait anymore.  Since dinner was coming soon, I decided to pull the cork on the 2009 Freestone Vinyard.  I grabbed my tasting notes, pen and a Glass.

Sight
The color of the Pinot Noir was garnet in the center and as you reached the edge of the glass was ruby and the color depth was medium.

Smell
The aroma was moderate, with a caramel, cherry and raspberry nose.

Taste
This is a full bodied fruit forward Pinot Noir!  The acidity was excellent and my mouth watered as I taste it.  The tannins were medium and could be felt in my mid palette.  The wine was very flavorful and I could taste raspberry, cherry and vanilla.  As it warmed up slightly I also could taste spice.

Chris starting plating our meal.  As she was grilling I was asked to make sure the sauce on the stove did not burn.  I constantly stirred in anticipation to another great meal.  I pulled the wine from the cooler and poured us both a glass.  I sat my butt down and Chris brought both of our plates to the table.

Dinner was excellent and the Freestone Pinot Noir paired perfectly!  After we were finished I asked Chris about the cheese sauce.  To my surprise it was a sauce created from some of the roasted garlic and she called it a roasted garlic cream sauce.  I also loved the grilled chicken with Rosemary.  The toast had been smeared with the roasted garlic too!

Cheers!
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