Trader Moon Wine Co. - 2014 "MoonX" black pinot noir [California]

I'm always on the lookout for cheap, serviceable wines for quaffing (an oenological term for, well, just mindless drinking) and today's wine is just that. It's a 2014-vintage black pinot noir from Trader Moon Wine Co., which one can only assume is another one of Trader Joe's house blends (like the VINTJS imprint.) Since there's no AVA labelling, one can expect that the grapes have come from many vineyards and/or are the refuse from prestigious wine houses. Yes, that's where a lot of cheap wine comes from. And no, it's not always a bad thing.

Recommended to me by Celeste, the winetasting expert at Trader Joe's, the MoonX not actually black, as the name suggests, but super dark red in the glass. I suspect that the "black" nomer means that the grapes are either at their peak ripeness or are a specific strain of pinot noir that's particularly dark in color. It's purple when candled, though, which is cool.

Not much on the nose, a little bit of esters. Initially, it's actually fruitier than I expected. I guess I was expecting a dark berry, heavy, and hot wine but this is interestingly light at first. As the wine develops, there comes a pleasing strength and lots of dark berry flavors (almost bitter, actually, which surprised me yet again.) You can definitely taste the alcohol on the aftertaste.

I served this with homemade canneloni, red sauce, and a romaine salad with mascarpone, olives, pepperoncini, and a touch of olive oil. The wine cut through the mascarpone pretty well but in spite of the robustness, didn't really affect the taste. At $6.99, it's a good wine to try and good value for the money.