Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Noir 2009 in Alsace France

Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Noir 2009 is a wine from Alsace in Eastern France, where white grapes account for 90% of the grapes grown, and this as alot of you will know is a Black grape - Pinot Noir. It is a thin skinned variety that is difficult to grow anywhere, here it is dry and warm so should have less of the problems associated with the marginal area Burgundy where it is the typical black grape grown that is the only one that can be used to make red Burgundy.  Domaine Paul Blanck is situated in Kientzheim, a beautiful, mediaeval village in Alsace and the family have owned vineyards here for generations. This wine is supplied by Waitrose at a price of £14.24.
This wine is medium intense ruby with black tints, this is denser than I expected, the rim is wide - a hint that this may be a young wine. Subtle aromas of ripe baked fruit along with a slight vegetal edge evolve, but I would not recognise this as Pinot Noir by the nose, but this was a hot year...... maybe the fruit was very ripe and has so got a baked character.
In the mouth it lacks structure and character, it feels thin, the baked character of the wine repeats itself on the palate and very little else, low ripe tannins with a slight chalkiness and the length though average, has a bitter finish, the fruit is restrained and a touch nervy whereas the acidity is tight and underwrites this wines longevity..
For me this is a wine best served very slightly chilled with a meal.