Pinot Noir

This was offered at a local wine store.  They listed the price at $20 which is a good value for a Pinot of this quality.  It is lighter in style, especially for California and that seemed popular with the crowd.  Light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is slightly earthy with a macerated cherry quality.  Very nice.  On the palate, there are slight tannins.  Cherries with a pretty silky texture.  A slight bitter note on the finish.  All in all this is a very pretty wine.

2007 in Oregon was a love it or hate it vintage.  The wines tended to be thinner and less ripe.  Whether this is good is up to the taster.  While I have had some lovely wines from that vintage, for the most part, it is not one of my favorite vintages.  Sineann tends to make bigger styled Pinots (on an Oregon scale), so it was interesting to see how this was drinking at 12 years from vintage.  For my tastes, this was not up to the usual level of enjoyment.  Ruby in color.  The nose has some cherry juice, a bit of spice and slight herbaceous quality.  On the palate, this is light bodied.  Lig

To my knowledge, no one uses this vineyard any longer which is a shame as it produced some outstanding Pinots.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, macerated cherries with a nice funky earthiness.  Gorgeous texture.  Deep and complex but still youthful.  Ripe cherry and black cherry fruit with slight tannins.  Long finish.  Just a gorgeous Pinot that at age 10 still has some upside.  Drink now with air or hold for at least a decade.  Worked well with pizza!

This wine is pretty much at peak at this point but drinking quite well.  Pop and pour and it was drinking from the get go.  Purple in color with a slight ruby line at the rim.  The nose has cherries, a slight funk and just a hint of aquarium water.  It is better on the palate and more fresh.  juicy cherries with some complexity.  An underlying earthiness though clean.  The fruit is ripe.  No tannins.  While it drinks well on its own, it would be better with some medium or lighter fare.  The fruit is fresh enough to stand up to some spice as well.  These should be drunk up in the next few ye

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has macerated cherries with a slight Burgundy funk.  This wine is still youthful and needs some time to develop.  it unwinds slowly in the glass as the nose gets more pronounced.  On the palate, there are slight tannins.  Nice red cherry fruit.  Deep but needs air/time to show its complexity.  With air a nice spice quality comes out on the finish.  This wine really begs for food and should pair nicely with a wide variety of foods.  It should peak in about five more years and be good for a decade after that.  

Opened by a friend to celebrate another friends birthday.  70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color.  A nice head with lots of smallish bubbles.  The nose is nice with burnt hay and slight citrus.  On the palate, there is some citrus and minerals.  Long finish.  Good acidity.  This is very food friendly and will work with a wide variety of foods.  

Made from 100% Pinot Noir.  Salmon pink in color.  Head has larger bubbles. The nose is nice with strawberries and slight apple notes.  A bit lean and crisp.  On the palate, flavors of strawberries continue thru along with some watermelon.  There is a slight bitterness on the mid-palate.  Overall, this drinks easy.  Worked well with some cheeses.  Made a nice starter at a party.

This is a nice value in 1er Cru Champagne.  It drinks very well right now.  Light golden in color with a nice head of small bubbles.  The nose is nice with a green apple note along with some faint toast qualities.  In general, this is more on the austere side of Champagne which is not a bad thing.  Plenty of acidity.  Long finish.  This was served to friends at the start of the evening along side some roasted chick peas and that proved a fine pairing a great start to the evening.  I don't think this will improve and these bottles, purchased in the last year, should be drunk in the next year

Since these wines first came out, it has always been an open question how well they would age.  At age 11, this one is doing great.  Drinking quite young but quite well.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is great with cherries, slight spice, black cherries, and very slight cola note.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Shows depth but tight.  Plenty of cherries and black cherry fruit.  Great balance.  Drink now or should hold for another ten or fifteen years, depending what you like in a Pinot.  Will work with a wide variety of food.  

A Burgundy for under $15?  Hard to beat that price.  As for the wine, it is fine.  Easy drinking.  Some Pinot characteristics.  Light ruby in color.  Cherries on the nose and palate.  Light bodied.  Made for immediate drinking.  Actually, for the price, this is a great Pinot value.