Wine Reviews

Wine Review: 2019 Gray Monk Pinot Noir

I was perusing my local Superstore liquor store the other day, looking for something else, but for some reason, this bottle stood out to me.

I was looking for something casual to sip on for my night off, didn’t want to spend much, and figured I’d support the Canadian wine industry. Normally, a pinot noir would not be my go-to for that, but something about this bottle felt like it was calling my name.

In all honesty, I didn’t have any intension of writing a review. But then I loved it!

I actually enjoyed it so much that I downed the first bottle before I even remembered to log it in my WSET tasting app, never mind make detailed notes for a blog post. So here I sit now, having just finished bottle #2, and I’ll likely pick up another just to have on hand if the mood strikes me again in the future.

This is my first bottle from Gray Monk. I’ve always loved wine touring in the south Okanagan, but this Canadian gem is actually located all the way up in Lake Country, about halfway between Kelowna and Vernon. I’ve never gone that far north looking for wineries, but I will definitely be keeping it in mind the next time we visit.

If it’s available at your local liquor store, I hope you’ll grab a bottle and join me.

THE LOOK

This wine is a pale ruby-garnet red, and has a very elegant look to it. I recently picked up some new white wine glasses that are nearly as big as my reds, so I decided to try it out in there to see if it helped with capturing the aromas. It did, and it also looked amazing swirling around the glass. I was hypnotized!

THE AROMAS

Bright red fruit are definitely the trademark for this wine. Raspberries and tart cherries lead the way, followed by only a touch of earthiness and mushrooms.

One of the things that I find off-putting about some pinot noirs is when the earthy characteristics on the nose seem out of sync with the lightness of the body, but this was the perfect balance for me.

If I were to equate it with some imagery for you, I’d describe it as the very beginning of fall. When the air is crisp but not yet chilly, and the leaves are just starting to turn colours but haven’t yet blanketed the earth and started to decompose. “Young fall,” if you will. Maybe it will be my new go-to September wine?

THE PALATE

On the palate, the acidity caught my attention first. It accented those red fruit characteristics and kept the wine feeling bright, without becoming tart.

The tannins were minimal and made for an extremely easy and smooth drinking experience.

It helped as well that the alcohol content in this bottle is on the low end at only 12.5%. I love a wine that I can get lost in for an evening without worrying about a massive hangover the next day.

All of this built up to a very refined, well balanced, light bodied red.

CONCLUSIONS

As I mentioned above, this will definitely be on my repeat buy list. It was smooth, easy, light, and very enjoyable.

And not very expensive either! A great staple to have on your shelf for a quiet night in when you don’t want to pour a giant red that needs food, and don’t want to crack open a bottle that costs a fortune. This one was only $20, the perfect price point for a great value wine.

Want to learn more about Pinot Noir? Check out my Wine Baby’s Guide to Pinot Noir, here.

Have you tried Gray Monk wines? Let me know in the comments if I should review more of their work!