2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir

I have almost no experience with Pinot Noir. I can say without hesitation that I've only tasted it two or three times. For this reason, I was open, if not eager, to try some tonight.

2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir (Central Coast)
For some reason I expected the color to be darker than it was. It wasn't fully saturated up to the edge of the liquid where it meets the glass. When I smelled it I was almost surprised by its alcoholic aroma, because I'd sort of romanticized what was said about Pinot grapes in Sideways. I then swirled the wine in the glass and took a deep breath of the flavor---it released a much different scent. It was pungent and, I hesitate to say, had a slight moldy odor. When I did a bit of research, I found that common characteristics of Pinot Noir scent are "mushroom, earth, barnyard, truffle, leather, meat." Odd when thinking about wine but luckily it didn't taste like that. Instead it had a subtle fruity flavor---my undeveloped palate cannot distinguish these however.

This wine is worth a try, inexpensive, and probably would go decent with most meals, but it is also enjoyable on its own.