With the busy work period ending last week and the July 4^th holiday weekend rapidly approaching this week, work has been fairly quiet. Many of my officemates are on vacation, people that I normally collaborate with from other offices aren’t returning emails, and my phone is oddly quiet. Don’t misunderstand; I’m enjoying the quiet, the slower pace, and the shorter work hours. However, it doesn’t make for an interesting workday. That said, with my opening of the bottle of Silver earlier in the week, at least my wine choices finally have moved from the average to the intriguing. The 2007 Edna Valley Pinot Noir, which I also opened this week, kept the excitement going.

The 2007 Edna Valley Pinot Noir (vineyard, snooth) was a medium ruby color and had rapidly forming legs. On the nose, there were cherry, raspberry, and pomegranate aromas mixed with a variety of cooking spices—mostly cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. This Pinot Noir kept asking to be smelled because the fruits and spices blended so beautifully. In the mouth, the fruit and spice flavors were bold and very similar in character. The medium tannins, medium alcohol, and medium body made for a nice overall balance.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $23, you will have a delicious red wine that has surprising complexity, isn’t overly fruity, and is perfect drinking with or without food. I actually spent three days with this wine, which gave me the opportunity to drink it with food, as well as enjoy the wine on its own. Both food nights were also chances for me to use our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce from Great Country Farms. The first night I paired the wine with a well-spiced, broiled chicken and spicy rice and kale, and on the second night, I paired the wine with a chicken, snow pea, and broccoli stir-fry. While both pairings worked well, I admit that the wine paired better on night 2 with less spicy foods. I think it would also work with salmon, gamey meats, and grilled chicken. By night number 3, the fruit flavors dominated the spice flavors, and the wine was a little jammy tasting, but it was still very drinkable and very good.

Overall: 4.5 Corks