Starmont Winery and Vineyards: 2013 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir Review

#wineadvicebyshawn
Starmont Winery 2013 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir
$55 per bottle

I'm in love with this particular pinot noir.  Quite literally in love.  This is the type of pinot noir that when you realize your glass is nearing empty you actually feel sad.  I could drink this daily with every meal.  I could drink this daily in between meals.  I could drink it in a box.  I could drink it with a Fox.  I could drink....  I am drinking this now.

This is hands down the best Pinot Noir I have tasted thus far and is my current favorite.

A photo posted by Shawn Christopher Mooney (@shawndrinkswine) on Aug 19, 2015 at 6:57pm PDT

The 2013 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir was Starmont Wine Club's release for August 2015.  I had the pleasure of tasting it the day it was to begin shipping and have bought 2-4 bottles every week since then.

This wine tastes great from the moment it is uncorked but given the chance to decant, it is nothing short of amazing.  A strong flavor with the tiniest hint of it's alcohol content being barely noticeable on the back of your palate.  I often describe it as the "Pom Wonderful" of wine to those that drink the aforementioned juice.  A beautiful deep garnet color.

While barely a hint of detectable alcohol is tasted, there is a noticeable warmth once swallowed letting you know it is there.  This wine is sweet without being sugary, bold without being too complex, fruity without being ...fruity, light and drinkable while still letting you know your drinking a BIG perfectly balanced red wine.

A perfect combination discovered during a tasting at Starmont Winery Tasting Room @starmontwinery #tastingroom #pinotnoir #chocolate #wine #wineadvicebyshawn #dayoff #napalife #napavalley #napa

A photo posted by Shawn Christopher Mooney (@shawndrinkswine) on Aug 6, 2015 at 4:55pm PDT

Food Pairings we've tried:

• Smoked BBQ chicken with bleu cheese - This was the perfect pairing.  It brought out the fruit and eliminated the already barely detectable alcohol.
• Filet - Good but not great.  The filet went well with the wine but did nothing for it. 
• Gnocchi in a smoked Gouda sauce - DELICIOUS 
• Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese  - This cheese can really stand it's ground with a big wine like the Brown Ranch Pinot Noir and intensifies it's flavor.
• Chocolate - The dark chocolate, brown butter, sea salt in the above picture was amazing and complimentary.
• Pasta - Don't even hesitate to try this with pasta.
• Sushi - Excellent with a California Roll.

A video posted by Shawn Christopher Mooney (@shawndrinkswine) on Aug 6, 2015 at 4:06pm PDT

At the end of the day both Shawn and I recommend this wine.  If you like a pinot noir, you will absolutely fall in love with this 2013 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir.  This goes well with almost everything we've tried it with.  A very drinkable wine.

Cheers!