I had a horrible on-call day (and night) yesterday. Yet another perfect example why I absolutely hate being on-call for my company. So, to reward myself, I decided to open a bottle of McHenry Estate Bottled pinot noir, 2002. This is a wondefully drinkable pinot noir that comes from a small winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's almost never available outside of the Bay Area precisely because the whole operation is so small.
Duck n' Monkey discovered this wine in the 2006 Pinot Paradise, held at the Mountain Winery. We both liked the 2001 and 2002 so much that we went to McHenry Winery itself during the Santa Cruz Mountains Passport Wine Weekend.
I think I wrote about the winery, too, but I can't find the post. Maybe it got lost in cyber never-never land. Anyway, we met the man and woman behind the wine. It turns out that this is kind of a hobby for them. He teaches full-time at UC Davis. No, he doesn't teach viticulture. I think he's a sociology professor or something.
So... this is my reward for surviving yet another day of on-call. The wine is very light (almost like the color of gasoline, albeit slightly darker). It is fruity yet complex, light and soft on the palate, and drinkable with practically anything. After opening the bottle let it sit open for at least half an hour. The flavor seems to get better once the wine breathes and opens up. Maybe you could decant it. I don't know, though. I don't have a decanter.
Ok, I'm off to drink my wine!