I rarely remember which TJ’s grand reserve Pinot I really like when I’m at TJ’s, but I’m nearly positive it was the Carneros a few years back. I remember it being light, silky, and structured enough to be interesting, but not so interesting that it had to be enjoyed thoughtfully, if that makes any sense.
The 2014 vintage isn’t really that wine. It’s still a good value for about $10 per bottle, but style-wise, it’s much meatier and dense.
Aggressive cherry, green cardamom, and mint on the nose, with high acid and tart, zingy plum on the palate, finishing with dense, smoky, chewy oolong afternotes. With all that body and acid, it seems to call for bbq of some sort — maybe Korean flanken ribs. I’ll see how it does the next day too.
Not a bad wine — a good wine actually — just not what I was hoping for. I kinda hate how the flavor or style of wine is opaque like that sometimes; seems like we could do better in this day and age.