Redstone Pinot Pyment - Honey Wine with Grapes

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

July 2004 Production Date; Sampled November 2008
Served lightly chilled into a large Cabernet wine glass. This mead is still and has a concentrated red color that has a bit of purple to it. When held up to the light it shows a clear, full, cherry red color. The aroma smells of honey with an expressive, bright berry note. The honey actually accentuates the vibrancy of the berry aromatics, pushing it almost into a candy realm; notes of fresh blackberries, a touch of strawberry, and lots of dark fruit make me think of... Ah there it is, I was trying to put my finger on it, but I finally figured out what this reminds me of; fruit cake, or more specifically the alcohol laden, concentrated, dried / candied fruit that one finds in fruit cake; fig, prunes, rum soaked raisin, lots of dried currant and notes that are quite similar to mince-meat pie. What an interesting aroma.

Lightly sweet up front, towards the middle a grape-skin tannin character contributes a bit of structure, this tannic note continues on and lingers in the finish. Lots of berry flavors abound in the flavor, though it does not have the fruit-cake like concentration found in the nose; this last is a good thing as that would likely have been too much. This finishes with a touch of warm alcohol that leaves a soft glow in the throat and belly. There also seems to be some spicy oak notes towards the finish that provides a touch of astringency. Hints of tobacco, a touch of apricot, ripe - slightly concentrated fig, blueberry, blackberry and maybe even a touch of chocolate in the finish at times is noticeable.

I like that this is not overly sweet, it definitely has enough sweetness to showcase the honey notes, but note enough to make this cloying. I also like how the piquant honey notes mix with the soft berry flavors of the Pinot grape. This is really good, certainly the best I have had from Redstone. I was beginning to wonder if they made a serious mead, this one certainly fits the bill, though I could see a characteristic oak touch kicking this up a notch (as long as it was a soft touch). Perhaps a touch too simplistic to be fantastic, but damn this is quite tasty.