What Haywire puts out on a gray label tends to be better than their white. In my experience, the gray is drinkable. ‘Nuff said.
The 2012 PN has something of a reputation and sold out with some rapidity. The 2011, although hard to find, can still be found with some effort. I’m not going to recommend the effort. Smooth and easy to drink but without any dimension. On the palate lightly floral, violets and maybe lavender, a peppery kick, some licorice, but virtually no finish and hugely disappointing with even the mildest of cheese and light cured meats. Frankly, I am surprised at the “points” this one garnered.
On the plus side, their site in the Okanagan is modern and enticing; check it out if you’re in Summerland. They are a sincere venture, although the sincerity on their label is sort of like saying “look how hard we worked” yet no one has ever bought a lump of coal and thanked the miners for their hard work… Still, their Pinot Gris, reviewed here, was smashing.
Price: $35. Ouch.
Market Liquidity: To each his own.
One response to “Haywire Canyon View Pinot Noir, 2011”
[…] with our last bottle of this spectacular Pouilly-Fuisse. Then we turned to a local red, which I initially found egotistical and with an inflated sense of self (i.e., too much praise in the wine press) but have developed a particular fondness for. […]