Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Roth 2012 Estate Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast


It was a beautiful summer day in Toledo when the Green Dragon announced that I was going to take her out to dinner. We hadn’t been to the Docks recently so we dodged the orange construction barrels and headed north to Forrester’s on the River.
There are several nice restaurants at the Docks complex, on the east bank of the Maumee River. We wanted outdoor seating so we could enjoy the view of the Toledo skyline and the boats motoring up and down the river. We had hoped for Italian, but the long waiting time at our first choice prodded us down to Forrester’s, which had no waiting and a large outside seating area.
Green Dragon opted for the Chicken Marsala while I selected the Sirloin Steak Skewers. In an effort to find a wine that would match both entrees (and not be incredibly heavy on such a hot day), I selected the Roth 2012 Estate Pinot Noir.
Apparently the waiter wanted to age the wine further, because it took an awfully long time for the bottle to arrive. We adjusted the umbrella as best we could, but it was still broiling out. That’s when we got creative. We had requested glasses of ice water while waiting for our meal. Through some mix up, we ended up with four glasses of water.
Viola! We used the icy glasses to form a protective ring of coolness around the wine bottle. This ensured that the temperature of the wine wouldn’t heat it into a simmering grape soup.
This was a very nice bottle of Sonoma Coast Pinot. Surprisingly light in color, it still delivered some lush, dark cherry flavors tinged with a pinch of spice. Since I had steak kabobs, my meal was light enough that it didn’t overpower the Pinot. Of course, it went quite well with the chicken.
In short, it was a perfect wine for a casual yet stylish meal on a very sultry day. The price from the winery is $28 but the markup at the restaurant was quite reasonable.
Forrester’s hosts weekly wine tastings from 5:30 to 7:30 on Tuesdays and their wine list has a few pleasant surprises on it, including this Roth Pinot. Whether you are coming by boat or car, it’s a nice destination for dinner on the water.
Rating: 3 of 5  Value: 2.5 of 5 based on $28 SRP

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