A good Pinot under $10? Hellz ya.

That's right folks, this is the best Pinot Noir under $10 that I can remember having. Of course it's French (the best source for food-friendly Pinot IMHO), and also of course a Vin de Pays.

This is seriously good fall food wine: Dynamite with beef stew or butternut squash lasagna. Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but the bottle is empty...yeah so...don't really have much in the way of tasting notes for you other than that it tastes like Pinot: Nice bright fruit on the attack with lots of subtle beef-stew-complimenting cocoa and spice in a mellow yet undulating finish.

We never buy wine by the case but, we might just have to get at least a half a case of this stuff. I love love love butternut squash dishes in the fall and sure, any Pinot would be good with butternut squash but, *this* Pinot is GOOD and CHEAP. What's not to love?

Bouchard Aîné & Fils

Vintage: 2007
Grape: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Vin de Pays D'OC
Aromas: Cherry, garrigue, vanilla
Flavors: good, try it.

C. Donatiello Rosé

Last fall I had the opportunity to visit C. Donatiello Winery at the site formerly occupied by Belvedere, with fellow wine bloggers Lenn, Sonadora, Spoon, Joe, Thea, Nick, and Patrick. Chris presented us with an awesome flight of his estate Chardonnays and Pinot Noir. The Rosé which I had not tasted before last night, was a parting gift which I brought home and tucked away to save for warmer weather. Last night, I decided to follow Sonadora's advice and open it with bbq chicken wings, cornbread and cole slaw.


C. Donatiello
Rosé

Vintage: 2007
AVA: Russian River Valley
Alcohol: 14.5 %

Color: rose
Intensity: medium
Aromas: pine nut, orange blossom, strawberry
Flavors: raspberry, strawberry, mandarin, vanilla
Body: light
Acidity: moderate
Sweetness: dry
Finish: moderate

Summary: C. Donatiello specialized in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir so, this Rosé is likely made from Pinot Noir grapes. Upon opening the bottle, I instantly recognized the aroma of Sonoma. It has very enticing notes of cream which sink back into citrus and pine nut. The flavor is somewhat citrus forward finishing with sparkling raspberry and strawberry notes. The alcohol content is surprisingly high--tasting it, I would not guess that it was above 13.5%. This wine pairs nicely with food with plenty of palate-cleansing acidity. Unfortunately, the winery does not sell their Rosé but if you stop by in person, you might be able to sample it.

Another Oregon Pinot Noir

We needed to buy wine for a dinner with relatives in an unfamiliar town recently. We were disappointed to find that, aside from a few Chiantis, the only varietals available in this "wine and liquor" shop were the standard seven: Chard, Sauv Blanc, Cab, Zin, Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot Noir. What gives? No Tempranillo? No Petite Sirah? Oh well... We had to bring some wine that would appeal to a variety of tastes and go well with lamb chops. We decided to look for a Pinot Noir.

The PN selection was not great. All of the Santa Barbara Pinot Noirs were between $30-$60. No thanks. Luckily, they did have a Duck Pond PN for around $20. Taster A visited the winery during a trip to Oregon last fall so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Also, we thought it would be fun since most of my relatives live in the Pacific Northwest.

In typical dinner party style, I didn't take any tasting notes but, I remember that it it was dominated by bright flavors of cherry, with deeper aromas of blueberry and caramel, and a hint of barnyard on the nose that worked very well with the lamb flavors. It was not as rich as the Merlot we selected as one would expect but, it was very dynamic and lively on the palate.

We also had fun experimenting with some dark chocolate wafers my cousin picked up from the local chocolate shop. They were dusted with chili and salt and the pairing made the Pinot sparkle. Our Merlot was lovely too--from another winery we enjoy visiting: Benziger.

Twitter Taste Live Microblogging Pictorial

We stayed in last Saturday night and opened 3 bottles of west coast Pinot Noir along with a few dozen other TTL participants. The first bottle was an Oregon Pinot from WillaKenzie Estate Winery. Some people at the 2006 and some the 2007. We had the 2007.

Rather than summarize the tasting notes, I thought it would be fun to post this "pictorial" of the notes we tweeted on Saturday night during the event! (some will say I'm lazy, but really I'm an innovator!) ;)



There was a lot of talk about oak and pepper:







The following tweets were after coming back to the WillaKenzie after completing one round of the three Pinot line-up:




WillaKenzie is a Burgundy style Pinot Noir produced on the west coast of the United States. It was actually the least popular in the TTL tasting. The other two were from California and were a little sexier, but I think the WillaKenzie represented a, perhaps slightly austere, but classic high-toned Pinot Noir.

$10 Tuesday: Dom Burnet Pinot Noir

Putting up a $10 wine once a week has it's challenges. Unlike the glossies, we can't just bring 60 bottles in here and start tasting, picking only the best of the bunch to share with you. We are actually purchasing and drinking these bottles just like you. So, sometimes we pick a winner and sometimes, well...

That being said, this week's $10 selection is a Vin de Pays Pinot Noir. I know, I know--a Pinot Noir for $10? It can't be good, right? I don't know about you but, I've arbitrarily chosen $18.99 as my rock-bottom Pinot Noir price point. But, this is also Vin de Pays with a price ceiling of $11.99. The upshot? This may not be a killer Pinot Noir, but it's a pretty good $10 wine.

Dom Brunet

Pinot Noir
2007
Vin de Pays
Alcohol: 13%
Price: $10
Aromas: Bramble, cherry, anise, cola
Flavors: Cherry, mineral, anise, blueberry, clove

Summary: DECANT! DECANT! DECANT! I can't stress that enough. Without air this is a tight, metallic, tough little wine. A couple of hours of decanting makes a world of difference. Better yet, save most of the bottle for a couple of nights after you first open it--some of the mellower Pinot Noir nuances start to appear at that point. Properly aired, this is the best $10 Pinot Noir I've tried. Of course, it's nothing like a new world $9-$15 Pinot which is typically all soft, creamy and one-dimensional. This wine is a little more angular which I like, because it goes well with food and it's somewhat dynamic. The color is dark fuschia and the body is light and dominated by high-toned cherry flavors mixed with bramble with a spicy light-tannin finish. As a Pinot Noir, this wine ain't half bad--as a table wine, it's darn good.


Happy Inauguration Day

Duck Pond Cellars, Dundee, Oregon

On my trip to Dundee, Oregon, we stopped into visit Duck Pond Cellars, on of the regions largest wineries. Arriving onto the grounds in late Fall, you could see the remains of the once beautiful rose garden that has been encroached upon by the ravages of the approaching winter.

Entering the well appointed tasting room and gift shop, we were greeted by our hostess who invited us to a tasting and enlightened us about the winery. The flight included their 2005 Riesling and the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. Then our hostess put two glasses on the table and gave us a side by side tasting of their 2006 Pinot Noir ($20) and their Pinot Noir St Jory Vineyard ($40).

The 2006 Pinot Noir is blended from grapes sourced from their Washington and Oregon vineyards. It was a bright and alive wine with cherry, strawberry, cloves and licorice with a good dose of acidity to make it crisp. A fairly good wine for the price.

Then I evaluated the Pinot Noir St Jory Vineyard and I finally got what Pinot Noir is all about. This wine was floral, spicy and rich with fruit and wood notes. Smooth tannins with a little less acid than the 2006. This was Heaven in a glass. I think I finally get Pinot Noir after this side-by-side comparison. The St Jory Pinot Noir is sourced from their vineyard in the hills south of Salem.

I saw that they also had a 2004 Barbera. Because they did such a great job crafting the other wines, I asked for a sample. It was excellent Barbera and my mother thought so much of it, she procured a bottle. Good job, mom.

If you are headed to Dundee, I would suggest a stop at Duck Pond Cellars. It was a fun tasting, the staff is friendly and the wines are excellent.

Humanitas

During the last TTL (Twitter Taste Live), we got to taste this little number - the vineyard designated Gap's Crown 2006 Pinot Noir from Humanitas. Unfortunately, my cable internet provider chose the evening of the event to have bandwidth issues so I wasn't able to tweet much about it. I think this wine would make an excellent gift this holiday season; not only because it's good wine but, because it's for a good cause. The wines of Humanitas are a delightful way to give a charitable gift that can also be enjoyed by the recipient.

On the evening of TTL, I opened the bottle and poured three ounces of Pinot into my Riedel 4400/7 about an hour before the tasting started. I found a full rich wine waiting for me when I picked it up. You have to let this wine warm up in a big round glass for a while. If you dive right in, you're likely to get a prickly reception as I did, when I poured a glass, slapdash, straight from the wine cellar the next evening. If not treated properly, this wine might remind you of the shy girl at the party that makes people say "what's up with her?" Fresh from the bottle, at 60 degrees, it is rather short, and just gives the sense that it could be a lot more interesting than it's being. But, if you let it hang out for a while, and give it some space, it starts to open up. By the last sip, there's a fully bloomed personality in your glass. Turns out this potentially dour Pinot Noir is actually a real dishy treat--full of chocolate, caramel, raspberry sauce, toasted coconut, a little violet, and even a long coffee-nip finish.

Humanitas Gap's Crown 2006

Varietal: Pinot Noir
AVA: Sonoma Coast
Alcohol: 14.7%
Price: $40 (profit goes to charity)
Aromas: Chocolate, toasted coconut, raspberry preserves, violet
Flavors: Spice, chocolate, raspberry, coffee, blueberry

Can a Merlot Man Survive in Oregon?

I took a trip to Portland, Oregon to visit relatives. I was pleased to spend some time with my mother who flew out with me. Unfortunately, Taster B had to work and couldn’t make the trip.

Mom and I had some free time and I decided to take her out wine tasting. This was going to be an adventure because I know next to nothing about the wine regions of Oregon and have not been to the area in some 15 years.

The hotel had a Washington-Oregon wine region booklet, but I wasn’t finding much joy. I though that the graphics were nice, but that was about it. I did decide that Ponzi Vineyards might be within distance of the hotel and decided to consult the GPS. It was an 18 mile trip through Portland and should make a nice little day trip.


We arrived at Ponzi Vineyards at 10:30 in the morning. Stepping out of the car, the air was crisp and moist and the vineyards had the strange appearance of moss. This is truly the Pacific North West. Ponzi has a beautiful vineyard and a great tasting room. We were greeted by a little sign that said "please ring the bell." The voice cheerfully greeted us and the opened the tasting room. Our host was David Nielsen who introduced us to the flight and chatted with us.

The first wine was a Pinot Noir Rosato with lively flavors and very refreshing taste. So impressed was I, that I photographed the bottle.

Next was a Pinot Noir, which was an absolutely classic Pinot Noir followed by a really intriguing Chardonnay. In order to give you a reference point, I prefer Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay. I have had too many Chardonnays that disappointed me. This Chardonnay was so extraordinary that I forgot to photograph the bottle!

Our host David chatted with us about sniffing corks, serving wines, and wine making styles. This was among the top wine tasting experience that I’ve had and I would recommend Ponzi wines. If you are going to the area, put Ponzi on your short list.

David gave us instructions to visit Dundee, Oregon and stop into the Dundee Bistro. The restaurant is owned by the Ponzi family and is just a great place to have a fun dining experience. I had the Beer Battered Ling Cod and my mom had local sturgeon. The food was excellent, the service was great and the wine selection was fabulous. And remember, I live in a fishing village, so when I recommend a restaurant where I’ve had fish, it’s nothing to “throw back”.

I’ve learned a lot about what makes a good Pinot Noir on this trip. My former lack of excitement about this wine has been exacerbated by having lack luster Pinot Noir wines. Now that I have a good reference point, I’m more interested in Pinot Noir wines.

Stop and Smell the Burgundy Pinot Noir

I ordered the Louis Latour Beaune 2002 1er Cru from Bin Ends Wine mainly because it was a half bottle and I knew we could knock it back in one night (open bottles are a problem in this house). We let it decant for about 45 minutes before tasting. The nose started off with pretty typical cherry and garrigue Rhône-type aromas which quickly evolved into more full-bodied fruit and spice. The nose on this wine is completely absorbing. As I pondered the depth of aromas, I found myself asking "can a wine smell slow?"

As the nose evolves, so do the dynamic flavors. First, comes cherry and cigar followed by this blueberry-menthe-sparkle taste sensation with a mild tobacco finish. Meanwhile, the next thing on the nose is tons of mellow licorice and wood. Then vanilla. This Pinot cycles through all these flavors then back to cherry--canned cherry to be precise. While the flavors are very definite, they are not heavy. This wine manages to be both pronounced and ethereal at the same time.

This is easily the best Pinot Noir we've ever had. I'm now in a bit of trouble for only buying one 375 mL bottle.

Louis Latour Beaune 1er Cru

Vignes Franches (Pinot Noir)
Appellation Beaune - Côte-d'Or
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $13.75 (375 mL)
Aromas: Cherry, cassis, garrigue, tobacco, licorice, vanilla, wood
Flavors: Cherry, blueberry, cigar, vanilla, mint

Pairings: Blues, Flamenco, anything with acoustic guitar

Tribute to a California Wine Icon

Robert Mondavi, wine maker, businessman, and philanthropist died today at the age of 94. Following the lead of Dr. Debs, we decided to open a Robert Mondavi wine tonight in his honor.

We lifted a glass of Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2006 Pinot Noir, and it was a pleasant surprise. It was very food friendly and went just wonderfully with chicken fajitas. You wouldn't expect much from a $12 Pinot Noir, and while this wine is somewhat hollow in the mid-palate and doesn't sport a long finish, it is balanced and true-to-type. The nose displays nice aromas of cherry, raspberry, and herbs, with cherry, allspice, and anise on the palate. Overall, an enjoyable table wine which aligns with Mondavi's philosophy of wine as a meal enhancement.

Incidentally, there is a nice Robert Mondavi tribute up on Appellation America that was only posted 10 days ago while he was still in the realm of "living legend."

Northwest Visions - 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

I was eager to open this bottle of Rex Hill Pinot Noir after our recent Riedel glassware acquisition to see if it would make me a Pinot-head (in the past I've found it difficult to coax the aromas from a Pinot out of the glass). I guess it worked because I had no problem smelling this wine.

It reminded me of a Merlot at first. Definite notes of cherry, toast, and earthiness on first whiff. After a few minutes the strawberry and a touch of mint came through. The cherry also came through on the palate, as well as, blackberry. The wine was pleasingly fruity and bright with smoky overtones. As usual, the wine took some interesting tangents as our tasting progressed into dinner (pasta in white wine sauce with sweet onions, yellow peppers, smoked bacon, and salmon) such as; Italian sausage (fennel); and at one point, day-old fruit salad (mushy strawbs and bananas).

We reluctantly put the last half of the bottle away to try again another day. I spent a good deal of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest and always think on the area fondly. While sipping this wine, I had visions of a family picnic on a sunny meadow near Cultus Lake circa 1975. I can't find a photographic representation so you will just have to let the description, or this wine paint the picture in your mind.

2006 Pinot Noir
Rex Hill
Willamette Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $26.99

Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language. -Henry James (1843 - 1916)

Size Matters at the Winter Wine Festival at the Wentworth

An evening at the Wentworth

The Wentworth Winter Wine Festival at the historic Wentworth Hotel in New Castle, New Hampshire is in full swing. Taster B and I decided to have a date night and drive the hour and a half up to the New Hampshire – Maine border to participate in the Riedel (pronounced Reed-L) wine glass demonstration.

Doug Cohn, North East Regional Sales Manager for Riedel introduced the Riedel family history and wine glass making tradition. Arriving in the room, at each place setting were the flight of four wines in four Riedel glasses and an empty “Joker” glass.

The Joker glass was actually good quality glass, according to Mr. Cohn. It is the wine glass used by the Wentworth. To me, it looked like a taller version of a glass that I would serve a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blank in. Clean lines, thin stem, nice shaped bowl with a thin lip. The Riedel glasses will be mentioned with the wines.

The Riedel glasses were from the Vinum series. The Vinum collection, developed by Georg Riedel on the principle that the content commands the shape, is the "Vitrum-Vinothek" for every day use. They are machine made, have laser cut lips that are fire polished.

The wines tasted were introduced to us by a spokesperson from Vineyard Brands, wine importer of Villa Maria Estate wines. Presented were the Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc (Wine Enthusiast 90 pts), Private Bin Unoaked Chardonnay (Wine Review Online 90 pts), Private Bin Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon (Wine Enthusiast 87 pts) and the Private Bin Pinot Noir (International Wine Cellar 88 pts).

Here were the wine/glass pairings in order of the flight:
Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay : Vinum Chablis 416/05
Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc: Vinum Riesling 416/15
Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir: Vinum Burgundy 416/07
Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot/Cabernet: Vinum Bordeaux 416/0

Mr. Cohn instructed us to hold wine glass is by the stem below the bowl with two fingers and the thumb. A good glass is designed to balance so as to not draw your attention away from the wine. Try this at home with your wine glass, hold it and pivot it. Does it feel balanced or does it feel like top heavy or hard to pivot?

The Chardonnay was the first to try. We evaluated the color of the wine in the crystal. Naturally, it was aesthetically pleasing. The swirl action of the glass was nice. With a reasonable swirl, I didn’t worry that I was going to embarrass Taster B by losing the contents of my glass on the lady sitting next to me.

The sniff of this wine was very clean, fruit, melon, tropical fruit. The aromas were easy to get from the glass and discernable. Nice.

The next step was the taste. It was clean, fresh, unoaked. It was a very pleasant Villa Maria Private Bin Hawkes Bay Unoaked Chardonnay 2004. We talked about the flavors and aromas.

Then we were instructed to poor the contents into the Joker. We did the same evaluation. The Joker actually presented the wine very well. The aromas were not as concentrated but still okay. The swirl was a bit more cautious.

Next came the watershed moment. The taste. We took a sip and (this is exactly what happened) I thought, “This is much more acid.” Taster B looked at me and said, “hmmm, it tastes more acid.” What more can I say?

Between wines, Mr. Cohn had a few things to say. Enough to say that I poured that wine back and forth about five times just to make sure I wasn’t placeboing myself.

The Sauvignon Blanc was evaluated in the same manner. The differences were discernable. In the Riedel glass, aromas of grapefruit and to me, very much like juniper berry. I could not get the juniper berry in the Joker glass.

Next was the Pinot Noir. The bowl on the 416/06 was pretty big and pulled in at the mouth. If you have friends that you want to train to swirl, this is the glass. You can swirl the bajeepers out of that wine and nothing will fling out. I tried. I almost ripped a rotator cuff swirling that wine. Not a drop was lost. Yup, you could train Aunt Millie and Uncle Harry to swirl with these bad boys.

The Pinot Noir was oaked. Fresh, green American oak, I thought too much. Many were enjoying the Pinot Noir, but it wasn’t my favorite. I could hear lots of “m-m-m-m-m-m-s” around the room, and I’m glad people like different wines. But for me, Oaky-smoky. So much so, I had a hard time finding the fruit.

I tried to pour the Pinot Noir into the Joker, but it smell too much of Sauvignon Blank so I just decided to continue this experiment at home. My mind is made up. Like Robert Mondovi and Robert Parker, Jr. and many more that have come before me, yes, I believe that Riedel has a good product. Yes, I want to experience and learn more. Yes, I believe I’d like to share that experience with our readers.

The Merlot/Cabernet Blend was nice, good tannin structure, good flavors, looked real sexy in the glass. MMM-mmm. Good stuff.

At the end of the event, we got to take the glassware home with us. We had a late dinner, I had Cod, Taster B had Salmon. Then it was back into the frozen winter night to drive an hour and a half home. It was a great night. If you have never done a tasting like this, treat yourself.

El Dorado Kitchen is Tops

We gathered many restaurant recommendations before our trip, and continued to receive them after we arrived as well. Since we aren't the last of the big spenders, we did not try any of the haute cuisine establishments such as the French Laundry, Mustards, etc, etc.

What we did try was one restaurant that was not recommended once by anyone we spoke with, but which we thought was far superior to the much-touted The Girl and the Fig which everyone recommended (ok, 4 out of 4 people recommended it--3 unsolicited recommendations). The El Dorado Kitchen has an inviting atmosphere, great acoustics, and the food was divine. I had plain old free-range chicken and it was impeccable. It was served with ricotta-stuffed gnocchi and braised leeks in a butter sauce. It also had the figs so who needs the girl with the figs anyway? Taster A had a beautiful rabbit dish, and I also had the chevre appetizer and we shared a dessert. Wine? I don't remember the wine...but, thanks to the magic of the Internet, I have retrieved that data from the restaurants wine list online: I had the hyde de villaine “de la guerra” chardonnay from Carneros, and Taster B had the molnar family "poseidon's vineyard" pinot noir, also Carneros AVA. Both were excellent accompaniments to the food we ordered. We will go back again.

Not so much on our "will return" list is The Girl and the Fig. Perhaps a case of inflated expectations. We had a rave review from a patron on the night that we went to EDK: I believe he was french. He kept saying "It's tops." He even told us that the chef was a prick but, that he still had to eat there because it was so good. He had just had the duck confit and it was kiss-your-finger-tips (good). So, the next night, that's where we went. Besides the fact that we were seated on the laps of the couple next to us, and the server gave us 'tude, the food was so-so. Generally, everything was over-salted. I had the duck confit which was served with an arugula pesto. The duck was good (if a bit dry and salty); the pesto was good (again salty); but together, they were yucky. Same with the nice fennel and celery root soup: It was good soup but for the cut-grass flavored chive oil it was doused with. It sounded good but, it didn't work. Overall, we felt the menu was too contrived and dishes were ill-mated. If the food at El Dorado Kitchen was a harmonious symphony, The Girl and the Fig was like trying to listen to Classical while your roommate is blasting Jazz: Like 'em both but, not together (and not with so much table salt--oops, I said that already). If they had just used sea salt instead of table salt, I would have probably found the food much more to my liking.

Read the Wine Spectator's Review of El Dorado Kitchen.