Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir 2005, Central Coast, California, Usa £6.99

Tawny red in colour with a pale rim. This wine exhibits aromas of cigar box, cloves and black cherries with a palate of under-ripe plums. This wine has high acidity and a short finish, but has no tannin which makes me think that it was produced using Carbonic Maceration. (This is the process of placing whole bunches of grapes in a vat under a blanket of carbon dioxide. The fermentation begins and in the absence of yeast the grapes own enzymes cause the fermentation, the result is good colour extraction from the skins, but no tannin, and a soft fruity palate.)
Rating: 5/10