This is my ode to The Simple Life. Not just the wine, but the message it presents: wine does not have to be complex or expensive to be enjoyable. Sometimes it’s about popping the cork at the end of a long hard day and sharing a glass with the one you love over a mid-week meal while binge-watching Netflix.
I love how this couple is staring out into, what looks like, a blank canvas. To me that means they are truly enjoying each other’s company and could be staring off into…anything. You fill in the blank. Is it Netflix? Is it a romantic sunset? Whatever. It’s the little things (the simple things) in life that truly make us happy. Today, it’s Simple Life Pinot Noir by Don & Sons.
About the Wine: Simple Life Pinot Noir is very simply 100% Pinot Noir grapes from various vineyards throughout California. As the parent company is Don Sebastiani & Sons, I have no doubt that they have access to some primo vineyard real estate. So when the notes read, “our winemakers sourced grapes from throughout California’s prime grape growing regions,” I’m pretty sure we can file that away as fact.
The wine was barrel aged for 10 months in 100% French Oak (60% New, 40% Seasoned).
13.5% ABV
Flavor Profile: Simple. I mean, simply pure Pinot Noir. Pour it into a glass and see the beautiful pinkish tint that makes this wine a light and bright shade of purple. Smell it and smell a bouquet of fresh spring flowers as they mingle with the scent of bright, under-ripe berries from the bush as if wafted through from a cool, night-time breeze. Now sip it and savour those lush boysenberries, raspberries, Logan berries along with a bit of damp, fresh soil from which they’ve sprouted. Swallow, exhale. Do you sense that smokiness in the back of the palate? Spring has sprung, summer has ended, and you’re cuddled up in the warmth of a fire.
Truly this is a wine for all seasons. It’s beautifully refreshing, and yet there’s a warmth that goes through the length of your body as you fully digest the wine.
This is a light to medium bodied red wine with solid, medium level acidity and low to medium tannins.
Food Pairing: As this is a wine for all season, celebrate the season you’re in while drinking Simple Life Pinot Noir.
In Spring, have a simple salmon salad atop an herbal salad garnished with seasonal fruit.
In Summer, enjoy this wine with a grilled turkey burger from the barbie.
In the Fall, celebrate harvest with oven roasted chicken and vegetables.
In Winter, slow cook a braised beef stew filled.
What’s simple is true, and versatile, and all encompassing. Like love.
More Info: If you haven’t read my review of Simple Life Chardonnay, please do. Though less impressed with this offering from Don & Sons as I was by Simple Life Pinot Noir, I have to say that if you’re looking for an easy drinker it will definitely tick that box. The Simple Life series, as of right now, only consists of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — both of which are available on the Simple Life website. I was able to purchase this wine at Safeway (Sale Price: $10). Don Sebastiani & Sons is the parent company to the Simple Life series, so for more information on them, please do visit the Don & Sons website.
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