A price of twelve dollars for Russian River Pinot seems too good to be true, but this turns out to offer convincing Pinot aroma and flavor, and is a very solid, grab-it-and-go weeknight wine. Of course, it won’t cause sleepless nights for vintners in Gevrey-Chambertin, but it could prove pretty unsettling for others selling Pinot for $20 at a time when consumers are quite price-conscious.
This newly released AVA expression features grapes from vineyards located in the warmer Boonville area, from organic sources in Philo and from the cool Deep End, making them true reflections of the primary grape-growing zones of the Anderson Valley. Bristling with white-peppered cranberries, Italian herbs, cherry pipe tobacco, and sweet soil. Acidity is racy, lifting pomegranate, red licorice, and forest floor to a high pedestal of intensity.
Olivet Lane was the first to produce a Merry Edwards vineyard-designated Pinot Noir in 1997. Aged 10 months in 83% new French oak, it delivers a bounty of spiced red cherry with a juicy, luscious mouthfeel. A lick of salinity offers a charge to pomegranate, black tea, and cedar. Sharply focused.
Owner/Winemaker Rob Campbell is a member of the Coast Miwok/Southern Pomo tribe and the only Native American winemaker who also owns his own label in California. Each of his labels honors a bird, named in the Miwok language. Sokootok is translated for the California quail and the wine is a dense blend of 50% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah with some Counoise and Zinfandel. Tarry notes of black licorice, cola, clove, and tobacco leaf lead to ripe cherry and purple plum. Supple tannins allow for a suede mouthfeel.
Comprised of 70% Grenache, 15%, Syrah, 10%, Rolle, and 5% Cinsault, this is not a sipping wine but rather a serious dry rosé made for pairing with a broad range of moderately flavorful dishes. The bouquet is quite subtle, but flavors centered on red berries hold their own even with foods that would ordinarily call for a chilled light red.
An utterly different wine by comparison to Minuty’s “Prestige” bottling, this is built from 80% Grenache, 10%, Syrah 5%, Cinsault, and 5% Tibouren. Broadly expressive aromatically and in terms of flavors, it is lighter in weight than its “Prestige” stablemate, but extremely interesting in the range of nuances it provides as it warms in the glass.
This Chardonnay from the Washington State outpost of the Cakebread family shows excellent purity of fruit recalling peaches and apples. Stylishly subtle accents of baking spices, toast and vanilla are well measured in relation to the wine’s medium-bodied profile, keeping it fresh and enjoyable for sipping as an aperitif but also providing a bit of added structure for enjoyment at the table.
Sourced from Paso Robles, but bottled in Napa, the “Neighbor” part of this wine’s name makes sense, and tasting it explains the “Favorite” part. A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with 7% each of Petit Verdot and Malbec along with bits of Petit Sirah and Syrah, this is very flavorful with notes of black cherry and cassis, and with acid structure ready to rip: just perfect for restaurants.