Decoy Pinot Noir Review (2023)

Decoy Pinot Noir Featured

What Kind of Wine Is Decoy Pinot Noir?

Decoy Pinot Noir wine comes from Sonoma County in California. This vintage is known for its mouthwatering blend of fruity, oaky, and earthy notes with hints of spice. A glass of this medium-bodied red wine has a silky finish as well as low alcohol content. We’ll look into this vibrant flavor profile in detail in our comprehensive Decoy Pinot Noir review.

This wine is made from the Pinot Noir grapes, a prized variety found in cooler regions. Pinot Noir grapes grow in dense bunches that are tricky to cultivate but yield red and sparkling white wines that are sought after by connoisseurs. It is the most commonly planted variety in the world. Often associated with the Burgundy and Champagne regions in France, Pinot Noir is also grown in the American Viticultural Areas of Oregon and California.


Decoy Pinot Noir Review

  • Winery — Duckhorn Wine Company
  • Country/Region — United States, California, Sonoma County
  • Type — Californian Pinot Noir
  • Aroma — Ripe Red Fruits, Tobacco, Mint, Sage
  • Grapes — Pinot Noir
  • Taste — Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, Raspberry Jam, Tobacco
  • Alcohol Content — 13.5%
  • Sugar — Dry
  • Pairing — Chicken, Turkey, Cheese, Fish, Poultry, Veal

Decoy Pinot Noir is one of the best red wines in the market, thanks to the company’s high-quality ingredients and unique process. It has a richly layered flavor that is easy to drink. If you want an exceptional dry wine that has strong fruity notes, then this is the right choice.

Overall Rating: 4.3

Positives
  • Smooth Finish
  • Refreshing Flavor
  • Versatile Food Pairing
  • Subtle Tannins
Negatives
  • Contains Sulfites
  • High Acidity
  • Perhaps A Little Too Dry

Tasting Notes

Decoy Pinot Noir is more on the tart and savory side, given its high acidic content and dryness. When you take that first sip, you will enjoy a fruity bouquet of ripe cherry, raspberry, and strawberry. These are complemented by hints of oak, tobacco, and vanilla, rounded off by earthy and smoky notes. With its combination of enticing aromas and flavors, this wine offers an elegant experience you can enjoy on any occasion. It is reminiscent of a fresh California breeze on a warm summer day. No wonder this vintage has been in production for over a decade and counting.

Appearance

Raise a glass to the light, and you will observe a clear ruby or garnet hue. This is due to the dark skin of Pinot Noir grapes, a name derived from the French words for “pine” and “black.” As suggested by its color, Decoy Pinot Noir is a bright and refreshing drink. Decoy Pinot Noir bottles stand out because of the distinctive pintail duck label carved by Richard Janson. This sophisticated design is shared by all Decoy products and reflects the superior quality of the company’s wines.

Aroma

When you open a bottle of this Pinot Noir, the first notes to hit your nose are those of ripe red berries and herbals. Next to greet your senses are the subtle scents of tobacco, peppermint, rosemary, vanilla, and pepper. Your nose may also catch hints of sage, wet leaves, oak, damp earth, mushrooms, and leather. The aroma of Decoy Pinot Noir is at its peak once you uncork the bottle. It then fades within the next 24 to 48 hours. If you would like your wine to retain its aroma, store it well. Don’t let it breathe past 10 minutes.

Taste

Each sip of Decoy Pinot Noir offers a lively combination of citrus and berry flavors. Even though it is a fruit-forward drink, don’t expect too much sweetness. Its low sugar content puts this wine on the dry end of the scale. This medium-bodied wine is aged in oak barrels, so expect an underlying earthy flavor. As you savor a glass, you may also notice cedar, sandalwood, and vanilla notes. This Pinot Noir strikes a balance between complexity and brightness, thanks to its origins. Cooler areas like California’s Sonoma Valley are known to produce wines with a delicate flavor profile and low alcohol content.

Finish

Relish the lingering, velvety finish of Decoy Pinot Noir. This wine has a tantalizing fruity start followed by the sharp bite of tannins in the middle. You will then come full circle with vivid berry flavors that remain on your tongue, while the notes of fresh earth and spices fade away in less than an hour. Overall, this wine has a light mouthfeel.

Rating

This dry red is in the top 5 percentile of all wines worldwide (2014 Vintage), and for good reason. The winery uses only the finest ingredients to produce this versatile drink, which has a more delicious flavor and appealing aroma than other Pinot Noirs. This attention to quality is evident as soon as you uncork a bottle. If you wish to experience a classic Californian Pinot Noir, then this wine will not disappoint you. Our review gives a rating of 3.8/5. We recommend it to wine lovers of all kinds.

Decoy Pinot Noir Food Pairing

This dry wine is a great match for a plethora of dishes, thanks to its light mouthfeel, fruity flavor, high acidity, and medium body. Here are some of the dishes that work well with Decoy Pinot Noir:

  • Grilled salmon on a bed of rice
  • Roasted chicken
  • Smoked turkey
  • Duck confit
  • Duck fricassee
  • Braised duck
  • Grilled goose breast
  • Barbecued pork
  • Bruschetta
  • Braised short ribs

Other options you can try are fatty fish like salmon, cured meats, beef, veal, venison, and deer. Mushroom dishes of all kinds go well with this wine, be it portobello steaks, risotto, or pasta. Vegetarians can match this wine with a spicy lentil curry or roasted eggplant. Serve this dry red with a charcuterie board or cheese platter. It goes well with slices of Brie, Camembert, or goat cheese. For dessert, anything with chocolate works with Decoy Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is not just limited to fine dining; it is also a great choice for more casual occasions. Pour a glass for a soothing nightcap or bring a bottle to your summer picnic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Makes Decoy Pinot Noir?

Decoy Pinot Noir is produced by the Duckhorn Wine Company, which was established in 1985 by winemakers Dan and Margaret Duckhorn. Initially, the company started producing the Decoy Red Blend. Since then, they’ve continued to add more varieties including Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Merlot, Rose, and Premium Seltzer.

The Decoy Pinot Noir label started production in 2008 using grapes from several vineyards in California. Winemaker Dana Epperson uses a custom approach for extraction, fermentation, and blending. Duckhorn Vineyards continues to produce some of the best wines in Sonoma County. Its main winery in St. Helena offers wine tasting tours.

How Is Decoy Pinot Noir Made?

Duckhorn Wine Company uses an artisanal approach to winemaking that has been tried and tested for over two decades. Instead of having a fixed formula and a single source for ingredients, the company blends grapes from over 100 lots based on taste and harvest conditions. This process gives each bottle of Pinot Noir that classic taste unique to the Decoy brand.

Grapes are sourced from carefully selected vineyards. The fruits are harvested as they reach peak ripeness for the best flavor and softest tannins. After being sorted by hand, grapes are compressed to extract the most flavor. The resulting juice is then fermented for 7 to 8 months in 100% French oak barrels. At the end of the fermentation stage, the solution undergoes the lees stirring process to improve the wine’s mouthfeel. Finally, the wine is poured into bottles with the Duckhorn label.

Where Is Decoy Pinot Noir Made?

The grapes used to create the Decoy Pinot Noir label are sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Cultivating the Pinot Noir varietal requires the perfect conditions: cool weather with a little warmth from the sun. To get this balanced weather, the location of the vineyard is critical.

This is why Decoy cultivates grapes in several estates in St. Helena, Calistoga, Howell Mountain, and Yountville. These properties are in the American Viticultural Areas of Northern California. Not only do these locations have the ideal conditions, but it also has the recommended type of soil for growing grapes. Clay and loam drain easily, which prevents the vines from getting damaged. All of these vineyards are in close proximity to the winery, so grapes are processed immediately after harvesting.

How to Serve Decoy Pinot Noir?

It is best to serve Decoy Pinot Noir using a Burgundy glass, which has a wider bowl and opening than an ordinary wine glass. This glassware gives the wine more space to aerate, letting you experience the flavor at its finest. Pinot Noir wine is best served at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius). Avoid serving it at room temperature, as it can make the wine taste bitter or too alcoholic. Chill the bottle 30 to 60 minutes before pouring. Let it breathe for 10 to 15 minutes.

How Much Does Decoy Pinot Noir Cost?

The Decoy Pinot Noir price on the company website ranges from $25 to $30 for a 750 ml bottle, depending on the year. Online and big-box stores charge anywhere from $15 to $20, not including shipping fees.

How Long Does Decoy Pinot Noir Last?

An opened bottle will last for 2 to 3 days if refrigerated. The low tannin content of Pinot Noir means it starts to go flat and loses its flavor once exposed to oxygen. Decoy’s website states that an unopened bottle of wine can last up to 5 years.

How Many Calories Does Decoy Pinot Noir Have?

The Decoy Pinot Noir calories are approximately 125 Kcal for a 150 ml glass of wine. That’s equivalent to the calories consumed for a 12-minute run. A 750 ml bottle has about 625 calories. Each 150 ml serving contains 4 g of carbs, with zero protein and fats. Decoy Pinot Noir alcohol content is on the lower end at 13% to 14%.

Conclusion

Decoy Pinot Noir is one of the best red wines in the market, thanks to the company’s high-quality ingredients and unique process. It has a richly layered flavor that is easy to drink. If you want an exceptional dry wine that has strong fruity notes, then this is the right choice.

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