Every year I look forward to the next vintage of the Coyote’s Run Pinot Noir from their Black Paw and Red Paw vineyards. They set the benchmark for consistency and quality as far as affordable Pinot Noir is concerned in Niagara. I find the question isn’t whether or not these wines are good … the question is whether you prefer the black or the red paw vineyard wines.
2012 Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir – $24.95 (Often makes an appearance to Vintages)
2012 Black Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir – $29.95 (Vintages 116442)
I had the opportunity to taste this wine with a couple of friends who had never heard the term terroir. Terroir is essentially a term to describe everything that affects the flavour of a wine. The amount of sunshine, rain, temperature, and soil… especially the soil. The Red Paw and Black Paw vineyards are right next to each other in the four mile creek appellation in Niagara. However the soil types are different. The vineyards draw their name from the hues in the earth where the vines are planted.
When I first opened the bottles we were greeted with fresh cherry from both wines. The red paw also gave us violet in the nose and cedar on the finish. The black paw has an earthiness on the finish that isn’t present the red paw. Early in the night everyone at the table was firmly in the red paw camp. The wine is accessible and dangerously smooth. The acidity is bright and vibrant in both wines which is typical of well made cool climate Pinot. As the night progresses the Black Paw starts to open up and come into focus like a polaroid picture and you’re exposed to a richness that isn’t there when you first open the wine. Black Paw gives you layers of Cherry, Black Cherry, Earthiness, Violet with perfectly balanced acidity.
My final thoughts on both the wines, is that you should pick up both! The Red Paw is drinking fantastic right now and Black Paw will reward you with 5-8 years in a Cellar (but will also reward you right now with some time in a decanter). The fact that both of these wines are only a 5 dollar difference in price and both under thirty dollars means you have no excuse to not pick up both and save them for a special occasion.
If you’re really feeling snobby picking up both of these wines and having a dinner party to talk about the differences between the two wines is the perfect way to teach yourself about the idea of Terroir and feel like a wine expert in your own home.
Ideal food pairing for this wine would be Roast Duck, Coq au Vin or who are we kidding … don’t pair these with anything… just good company.
