BOEN // Pinot Noir

BOEN // Pinot Noir

Boen Pinot Noir comes from the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA.

The winemaker is Joseph Wagner who is a fifth-generation winemaker.  At age 19 he decided to continue his father’s legacy of winemaking while working with him at Caymus Vineyards.

He’s also known for producing Meiomi Pinot Noir and for creating Belle Glos.

Boen Pinot NoirFrom the winemaker:

Pinot Noir seems to showcase the location of where its grown, along with the vintage, more so than any other variety. BÖEN is character-driven with a forward aromatic profile and flavors of plum and cherry, a little bit of tobacco and some tilled earth.

Boen Pinot Noir is also said to be “rich in ripe fruit flavors tempered by bright acidity and judicious hints of toasted oak.”

I tasted the Boen Pinot Noir 2015 for this review, which I received as a gift from my next-door neighbors.

A big thanks to them and happy to do this review!

Appearance

In the glass, Boen is dark purple in color.

While other Pinot Noirs can be more translucent, this one allows very little light to shine through. It’s a very leggy wine with thick legs that fall slowly down the sides of the glass.

Aroma

I noticed an immediate burst of aroma when I first poured the wine. I did this review outdoors and even in the open air, Boen Pinot Noir’s aroma was noticeable from a foot away from the glass. I truly loved this wine’s aroma.  It included notes of black cherry and sweet tobacco, like an old-style smoking pipe. There was also some earthiness as well, like rich farm soil.

Even with a good whiff it was difficult to find any alcohol burn in the aroma.

Boen Pinot Noir alcohol content 14.3% by volume, per the bottle.

Taste

Complex in flavor, you get two experiences with this wine when tasting it. First, you get flavors of smooth and juicy black cherry.

That follows with a secondary flavor of bright red raspberry. Overall, it’s very tasty and smooth. And, it’s hard to find any bitterness in the flavor.

Mouthfeel and Tannins

Boen Pinot Noir has a creamy mouthfeel and very subtle tannins. It actually took a long time for the tannins to develop.  Once they did, they presented themselves behind the lips.

Finish

Boen is a long finishing Pinot Noir and the finish is almost totally carried by the flavors.

Overall Opinion

Overall, I found this wine to be very enjoyable! It’s an easy sipper that’s rich, complex and well-crafted. I found that if you take some time between sips, you get more of that up-front and rich black cherry flavor. Drink it a little faster and you lose some of that.  The focus becomes more of the acidity and red raspberry.

So, that kind of complexity plus the fact that this isn’t a typical Pinot Noir makes me really love this wine. Boen Pinot Noir price $29.99.  It’s a bit pricey, but you get a great wine from a great winemaker.  Perfect for a little splurge! As mentioned above, Joseph Wagner is also the winemaker for Meiomi Pinot Noir. You can find my review of that wine here:  Meiomi Pinot Noir Review.

Suggested Food Pairing

I’d stick with basic cheese and crackers with this wine.  Go light on the flavors.  This wine is a great slow sipper and I’d be hesitant to mess with its flavors.

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