At $20, this pinot noir tastes satisfyingly rich

There is something addictively sensual about pinot noir that seems to speak directly to the soul without bothering to convince the brain. Historically, red wine grapes have been judged on their potential for color and concentration, with those varieties that produce the deepest, darkest, and most intense-tasting wines earning the most popularity. Pinot noir is a notable exception to this rule.

It is undoubtedly on the A-list, and even considered by many to be the world’s very finest wine grape. However, compared to other famous red grapes, pinot noir also makes the palest and lightest-bodied wines.

This is in part due to its thinner skins compared to more robust grape varieties, which contribute to the milder flavor of its wines and their paler color in the glass. Pinot noir’s affinity for cool growing conditions yields even more delicate wines in places like Oregon’s Willamette Valley, south of Portland. With colder temperatures and cloudier skies than California, this part of the Pacific Northwest produces grapes that are less sweet and more tart, resulting in pale delicate pinot noir wines that have more pronounced acidity and modest alcohol content.

This helps explain why cool-climate pinot noir producers like this one are increasingly making rosé and doing so in a way that concentrates and intensifies their red wine. The “saignée” method involves draining off a small percentage of the fermenting grape juice at a stage where it has picked up just enough color and flavor from the grape skins and diverting it to make a separate pink wine.

This procedure increases the ratio of grape skins to grape juice that remains in the red wine fermenter, effectively boosting its potential for color and flavor intensity. That’s how this pinot noir is able to taste so satisfyingly rich at such a fair price, with its bright flavors of sour cherries, raspberries, and an earthy wild mushroom and pomegranate undercurrent that makes a marvelous foil for savory foods.

PLCB Item #97023

Sale price through Oct. 30 — regularly $21.99.

Also available at: Total Wine & More in Claymont, Del., $18.99, totalwine.com; Joe Canal’s in Marlton and Lawrenceville, N.J., $19.99, marltonjoecanals.com, lawrenceville.jcanals.com; Hopewell Super Buy Rite in Pennington, N.J., $19.99, buyrite.wine.