Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir 2017

Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir 2017 with its dark fruit aromas is a perfect red wine to pair with your favorite duck and mushroom dishes.

Ted Scheffler

January 29, 2021

Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir 2017 — Photo by Ted Scheffler.

For many years, I’ve been a big fan of buttery, rich Mer Soleil Chardonnay where you can pick up lemon blossoms in the aroma of the wine from the Meyer lemons planted on the Mer Soleil property in the Santa Lucia Highlands of California. I was less familiar with Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir ($39.99), until recently. Now I’m a fan of that Mer Soleil selection as well. It’s one of the wines produced by the Wagner Family of Wine.

A venerable California institution, the Wagner Family of Wine – currently operated by Chuck, Charlie, and Jenny Wagner – has a long and respected history of making wines in Napa Valley dating back to the 1850s. Some 45 years ago Chuck Wagner founded Caymus Vineyards with his mother and father, Lorna and Charlie Wagner. Today, Chuck, his older son Charlie, and older daughter Jenny are Wagner Family of Wine winemakers responsible for wines such as Mer Soleil Chardonnay, Conundrum, Red Schooner, and Emmolo, among others.

Speaking of adding a Pinot Noir option to Mer Soleil’s iconic Chardonnays, winemaker Charlie Wagner said, “It was only natural that we would add Pinot Noir to our Chardonnay offerings. The Santa Lucia Highlands is well-known as the perfect home for both these varietals, with a longer growing season that allows us to create wine of subtle intensity.”

Mer Soleil is named after the sea and the sun – two of nature’s forces that help to shape the character of Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir. Wagner said that the goal was to “create a wine that tastes fresh and young.” Well, mission accomplished. The wine is only aged for nine months – mostly in new French oak. Pop the cork and you’ll discover dark fruit aromas of blueberry, cherry and plum with subtle smokiness. On the tongue, the wine is fairly full-bodied and lush for Pinot Noir, with fine tannins, rich cherry flavors, and hints of fennel. Pair this fine wine with your favorite duck or mushroom dishes.

FOR MORE RESTAURANT REVIEWS GO HERE.

THIS CONTENT IS FROM UTAH BITES NEWSLETTER.

Subscribe to get the latest Utah Bites news and reviews

Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: click on their logos to visit their website

[envira-gallery slug=”food-logos”]

Sips, Utah Bites

California wines, pinot noir, red wine, wine

Ted Scheffler

Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine, and travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, music, and reading, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers. Ted is also the author of the Utah Bites newsletter, which is published in partnership with Utah Stories. Before moving to Utah, Ted lived in New York City, and numerous states in the US, as well as in various countries overseas, Spain, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. He earned a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the Graduate Faculty of The New School for Social Research.