{Mouton Noir owner André Hueston Mack}
Slick packaging has never been something we look for first in a wine, and we’ve certainly never taken it to be an indication of quality. Indeed, we often worry the opposite will hold true – the cooler a label’s appearance, the more skeptical we are about what’s inside the bottle. We always suspect that someone is trying to cover something up.
Of course, this is a pessimistic, maybe even slightly paranoid way of thinking, and not one that we feel comfortable always endorsing. Especially when we are proved so wrong, as was the case recently, when André Hueston Mack visited St. Louis with his stellar Mouton Noir wines.
Mack is a well-known personality in the wine world; he was head sommelier at Per Se during its ascension into the restaurant pantheon. On the heels of that success, he started Mouton Noir, a garage winemaking operation in Oregon that also bills itself as a “two-fold lifestyle project” (the second fold being a T-shirt operation that channels wine zeitgeist into fashion). It might sound like a bit much, but man, does it work. Since we aren’t fashion critics, we’ll stick to talking about his wines, particularly his O.P.P pinot noir and his Oregogne pinot noir.
Mouton Noir O.P.P. 2010 pinot noir
The 2010 O.P.P. (In this case, the acronym stands for Other People’s Pinot, as opposed to Naughty by Nature’s original Other People’s not-for-publication acronym.) is benchmark pinot from Willamette Valley, Oregon. On the nose, it displays lovely red and black cherry fruit backlit by hints of earth and pine. The wine is medium-bodied on the palate with excellent balance, control and integration, as well as a minerally cherry component. It finishes with a more minerality and hints of cherry pit and spice. Available at The Wine and Cheese Place in Creve Coeur.
Mouton Noir Oregogne 2011 pinot noir
The 2011 Oregogne is a step up in silkiness and sappiness. It is most definitely from Willamette Valley, too, but with a distinct nod towards Burgundy (both on the label and in the bottle); the fruit here comes from two single vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. On the nose, bright red fruit draws your attention first, and red cherry is underpinned by damp earth and mushroom. On the palate, the wine is very silky and extremely graceful, displaying blue fruit notes and more forest floor, all the while channeling firm yet flexible minerality. It finishes long with blueberry and mineral echos. Available at The Vino Gallery in St. Louis.
-photo courtesy of Mouton Noir’s Facebook page
This article appears in May 2014.