“Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it.” — Christopher Morley
Small confession. Wine Harlots are monolingual wallflowers. We have taken First Year Spanish. Five times. And the best we can do in the Spanish language is get a drink and shop. (Which in retrospect, what more does a damsel need?) Meiomi is pronounced “May-oh-mee” and is the word for “coast” in the language of the Wappo and Yuki tribes. Even if you mispronounce it, Wine Harlots suggest you drink it.
Pinot noir is a very expensive grape to produce. The guideline of “you can’t get a good pinot for under $20” is largely true. We’ve had pinot under $20, but they aren’t what you expect from a pinot, drinkable, but not a typical pinot noir. When we noticed the price of the Meiomi Pinot Noir 2008 was $25, we were apprehensive. To say we were pleasantly surprised is understatement. This is a great wine at any price-point. Nuanced, and beautifully integrated with aromas and flavors of cherry and red current, with notes of vanilla, saddle, earth and tobacco, with and a touch of oak and a lingering finish.
The perfect pairing is Bacon-wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples, the bacon complements the wine perfectly, and the apples highlight the fruitiness of the wine.
The details: 13.9% alcohol. Screw-top closure. Appellation: California, grapes sourced from Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, Santa Barbara County. The 2008 was priced at $25 USD, but has sold through, the 2009 is priced at $22 USD and is available directly from Wagner Family of Wine or through select distributors. This was a media sample generously provided by the winery.
The music match is Long Beach native Avi Buffalo’s “What’s In It For?” from his eponymous debut album on Sub Pop. It a great jangly-Shins-like single. And how can Wine Harlots not love a song that has the words “drunk” and “bacon” in the same lyric? Check it out, we think you’ll feel the same way.