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Mark West Wines
| Owner(s) | Derek Benham |
| Web site | www.markwestwines.com |
| Link to this site |
Alex Cose’s spent six years at Napa’s Peter Michael Winery under Mark Aubert working as production manager and oversaw the release of high-end Chardonnays costing up to $150 a bottle. Today, he makes wine for the Purple Wine Co. which produces Mark West Pinot Noir priced closer to $14. Cose’s background was in finance and he worked in the banking industry before a cellar rat job at Monticello Cellars in Napa Valley sent him on a path to pursue formal training in winemaking at Fresno State.
The Purple Wine Co. was started by Derek Benham, who founded Blackstone Winery with his brother, Courtney Benham. Blackstone was begun on a shoestring with 400 cases of Merlot and grew into a wine industry giant that was sold to Constellation Brands for $144 million. After selling Blackstone, Benham knew that Pinot Noir was the next hot wine.
Cose is an innovator. He was searching for more oak notes in the Mark West Pinot Noir and decided to add a small amount of amply-oaked Chardonnay. This did the trick and now the Mark West Pinot Noir contains 2% Chardonnay. 13% Syrah is also added to the Pinot Noir for structure and color. The wine is sourced from multiple producers and includes both grapes and press wine. Foreign sources of Pinot Noir might include Corsica if availability is tight in the States. Oak staves are utilized instead of expensive new French oak barrels. Alcohol is kept below 14% so consumers can comfortably drink more than one glass. The goal is not to craft wines that will achieve high scores, but to produce readily accessible and drinkable wine that people can enjoy now. Part of the winery’s manifesto is “Get affordable Pinot into as many hands as we can.” The slogan, “Pinot for the People,” is a extension of this goal.
Most of Purple Wine Co. production (they also make Mark West Chardonnay, Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon, Rock Rabbit Syrah, Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc and Bex Riesling) is sold to restaurants and Mark West Pinot Noir is the Marriott Hotel chain’s house Pinot Noir. There is retail availability.
Articles About Mark West Wines
Reviewed Wines
2008 Mark West California Pinot Noir
13.8% alc., pH 3.76. $10.
51% Central Coast, 27% North Coast, 22% other. Fermented in
small tanks with daily punch downs, pressed lightly and aged in
100% French oak (medium and heavy toast) for 8 months. Alex
Cose is the winemaker produceing this singular wine which has
received accolades for consistency and reliability in the under $20
category for the last several years.
·
Moderately deep color. A fruity
nose that draws interest initially with notes of black cherries, berries and spice.
Over time the wine shed some of its fruity charm, revealing aromas of mint and
pine pitch. An easy drinking wine sporting composite flavors of black cherries,
strawberries and boysenberries with some oak influence, a slight green note, and soft fine-grain tannins. On
the lighter side and rather simple, but true to the varietal. Not a connoisseurs wine, but works as a daily
drinker. Decent.
Reviewed April 23, 2010
ARTICLE »
2007 Mark West California Pinot Noir
13.8% alc., $9. Fruit is sourced from coastal
appellations. Produced at Purple Wine Co. in Graton (Russian River Valley).
Fermented in small tanks after gentle crushing and punch downs and pressed lightly.
Aged in French and Hungarian oak barrels for 8 months. The winery’s manifesto is
“Get affordable Pinot into as many hands as we can.” The slogan, “Pinot for the
People,” is an extension of this goal.
·
Pleasing fruit aromas of strawberries, cassis,
and red Juju B’s, with a mild oak overlay. Aromas do not hold up well with time in the
glass. Good berry and cherry fruit flavors with subtle accents of oak, char and herbs
finishing dry and clean with decent length. Great value.
Reviewed November 17, 2008
ARTICLE »
2006 Mark West California Pinot Noir
13.8% alc., $14. 56% Central Coast, 16%
Sonoma County, 12% Mendocino County, 4% Napa County, and 12% other.
·
Red fruits,
spice, oak char and smoke on the nose and echoed in the flavors. Silky, light and easy to
drink. Plenty of pinotosity. The fruit lacks punch and is shallow on the palate and on the
back end but I have tasted a lot worse for three times the price.
Reviewed December 16, 2007
ARTICLE »
2008 Mark West California Pinot Noir
13.8% alc., pH 3.76. $10. 51% Central Coast, 27% North Coast, 22% other. Fermented in small tanks with daily punch downs, pressed lightly and aged in 100% French oak (medium and heavy toast) for 8 months. Alex Cose is the winemaker produceing this singular wine which has received accolades for consistency and reliability in the under $20 category for the last several years. · Moderately deep color. A fruity nose that draws interest initially with notes of black cherries, berries and spice. Over time the wine shed some of its fruity charm, revealing aromas of mint and pine pitch. An easy drinking wine sporting composite flavors of black cherries, strawberries and boysenberries with some oak influence, a slight green note, and soft fine-grain tannins. On the lighter side and rather simple, but true to the varietal. Not a connoisseurs wine, but works as a daily drinker. Decent. Reviewed April 23, 2010 ARTICLE »
2007 Mark West California Pinot Noir
13.8% alc., $9. Fruit is sourced from coastal appellations. Produced at Purple Wine Co. in Graton (Russian River Valley). Fermented in small tanks after gentle crushing and punch downs and pressed lightly. Aged in French and Hungarian oak barrels for 8 months. The winery’s manifesto is “Get affordable Pinot into as many hands as we can.” The slogan, “Pinot for the People,” is an extension of this goal. · Pleasing fruit aromas of strawberries, cassis, and red Juju B’s, with a mild oak overlay. Aromas do not hold up well with time in the glass. Good berry and cherry fruit flavors with subtle accents of oak, char and herbs finishing dry and clean with decent length. Great value. Reviewed November 17, 2008 ARTICLE »
2006 Mark West California Pinot Noir
13.8% alc., $14. 56% Central Coast, 16% Sonoma County, 12% Mendocino County, 4% Napa County, and 12% other. · Red fruits, spice, oak char and smoke on the nose and echoed in the flavors. Silky, light and easy to drink. Plenty of pinotosity. The fruit lacks punch and is shallow on the palate and on the back end but I have tasted a lot worse for three times the price. Reviewed December 16, 2007 ARTICLE »
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