Hob Nob With X Winery

Another night for light dinner and wine at Jake's On Sixth with the hubby. While he settled into his Riesling I decided to sample as my first wine Hob Not 2007 Pinot Noir. "Hob nob" is an interesting word that goes back to the early 1800s and means "to drink sociably" (One would drink "hobnob" if you took turns drinking to one another) and this Pinot Noir is definitely a wine conducive to sociable drinking. This is a French Pinot Noir but not from the traditional Burgundy. It comes from the very interesting Languedoc-Roussillon region. The wine is simple but pleasing with notes of violets and red cherries with just a hint of spice. The wine is medium-light bodied, nice acidity and fruit with enough tannins to give it a decent finish. A very nice Pinot Noir for the price (about $10 a bottle).

After finishing my lovely salad and Pinot I decided on one more pour. One thing I have come to like about Jake's, I tend not to know the wineries so I get to have a bit of vino adventure. Hubby spotted a bottle of red wine with a big "X" on it so being intrigued I asked Greg to pour me a glass. The wine turned out to be 2006 X Winery - Special Release Spring Mountain Merlot. A Napa region Merlot this dark wine delivered a lovely nose of dark fruits and cherries with hints of currant and coffee. Medium-full bodied this wine delivered good fruit and firm tannins, a nice depth and complexity but for some reason I found the finish coming up a little short for what I expected (guess I'll have to go back and give it another try). Still, quite a good Merlot and shouldn't be passed up if you get the chance to try.

Number of wines reviewed in 2010: 18