The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Central Coast

Varietal   Pinot Noir

Retail Price   $19.99

ABV   14.5%

Score   4 Stars/90 points

In the Glass

Deep, ruby red color.

The nose presents a dense marriage of black cherries and blackberry with a healthy dose of brown baking spices, dark chocolate, and hints of smoky bacon and cassis.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a lush and jammy black fruit-driven core with waves of baking spices and subtle earth tones finishing with soft, chewy tannins.

This is bigger and more jammy than your typical Pinot Noir but it is quite vibrant with bright acidity and framing tannins that provide ideal balance.

Cool Factor

Creating a rich and jammy Pinot Noir can risk the wrath of Pinot purists everywhere. Run Riot has taken this challenge head on and made Pinot for the everyday wine lover and succeeded.

Value Grade

A Pinot Noir for under $20 in today's marketplace is surely an achievement and when you further consider that it's charming with hedonistic pleasure it is more remarkable.

Analysis

Run Riot is a wine brand with a point of view. They aim to make wines that are big and bold, eschewing all notions of subtlety and simply packing as much flavor and texture possible into a single bottle of wine. These wines will either thrill you or you may find that they are not your cup of tea. That's the point. The Run Riot Pinot is far from classical from its dense, dark color, to the rich black fruits and thick, supple tannins. There is no doubt that if you served it blind removing all hints to the varietal most every wine pro and drinker alike would be attracted by the lush, juicy fruit. That's how I chose to view this wine — simply as a red wine and I found it to be a beauty. 90 points.

How to Enjoy

Open and pour into a glass. Drink after work or pair it with grilled meats or tomato sauce-based dishes.