Pinot Noir #2- 2014 Muir Wood- a gift

    

 This Pinot Noir was a parting gift from a good friend in Grapevine Texas.  She knew I was starting on this journey and wanted to get me kick started with a couple of Pinots.  She went to her local liquor store and started asking questions, the associate immediately took her to a Pinot that we had both tasted while I was in Grapevine, and she told the associate that it was awful, and they should not be trying to push it (I love her honest candor!).  She chose this one and a Pinot from France which I am looking forward to trying.  I was in a much better mood today, having a very soulful, productive afternoon, it is kinda of misting outside and cool, well as cool as it can be in San Antonio, Texas on May 9th, with relative humidity at 92%.  Gotta love San Antonio weather.  Anyway, back to the wine.  I wanted to do this one "right", or as least right for me, so I took out 3 different types of wine glasses, a small "taster" that was bought for me by Bingham wine club members because it had a horse on it, my "Princess" dollar store wine glass from when I was wine club member at "Wine 101" in Bulverde, and my Pinot Noir glass I bought from World Market.  I can honestly say, the smell and tastes were different with the glasses.  The color depth was watery, with a ruby hue, and slightly hazy clarity.
     The aroma intensity varied by the glass it was in.  In glass #1, which was the small taster, it had an aroma of fresh cut wood,  Glass #2, the dollar store glass- a cedar aroma, and in glass #3-the Pinot glass, all I could smell at first was the alcohol.  The body is very light, acidity tart, tannin level low and balance was fair.  With glass #1, there was a medium tartness, and a taste of black cherry.  Glass #2 was less tart and more fruit forward, with glass #3, no tartness and maraschino cherry in taste.            There is definitely a nicer balance with the Pinot Noir glass.  I tried it with a fresh strawberry from my strawberry plant and was pleasantly surprised how I liked it, so I am thinking strawberry shortcake would be a good match for this.  I also liked it with hummus.  It gave the hummus a little bit more flavor attitude and the hummus toned down some of the fruit of the wine.  With the right food pairing this would be a good wine  I also noticed as time went along, about an hour or so, the tartness definately toned down.  I am glad to have experienced this wine and am grateful for awesome friends such as Halli for introducing me to something new!  Would I drink it again?  Not likely, but then again, maybe after my 50th Pinot Noir, I will have learned to like them, or least appreciate their role!