Almost one year ago, to the day, we reviewed the 2008 Forest Glen Pinot Noir and we were pretty much floored by quality of it at such a cheap price. This is a bargain-brand wine that is mass produced by mega-wine-producer Bronco Wine Company.
It’s not a wine that at a glance you expect to be as good as the 2008 was. But today we’re checking out the next vintage, 2009. And while the 2008 got two thumbs up, the 2009 is a little less stunning.
Oak, oak and more oak is the story here. It smells like oak and tastes like a wet board. Yes, I exaggerate a little bit to make a point — and that point is the fact that there’s too much oak on this wine. But there are other characteristics too. Once you get past the oak, the palate shows black cherry, vanilla and allspice aromas. The palate is filled with black cherry flavors. The tannins are soft, but noticeable. It could use a touch more acidity. To be honest, I expect that most cheap wine consumers would be OK with this wine (unless you hate oak), but this wine isn’t making my list of QPR stars this year.
Wine: Forest Glen
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.8%
Rating: 81
Price: $11.00
Find Forest Glen Pinot Noir with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.