Aug

21

This is the bottle we drank during our anniversary dinner last Saturday at One Market (see last Monday’s post for our thoughts on the restaurant’s memorable wine list).  The restaurant’s price tag was $98, about twice as much as it would have been in a shop.

We selected Domaine Drouhin’s 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir as our wine of the evening for two reasons: first, we were familiar with the winery’s excellent reputation as one of the elite producers in Oregon, and second, we were in the mood for the lighter, Burgundian style of Pinot Noir, as compared with the more fruit-forward, extracted versions produced in many parts of California.

Thanks to the wine’s brisk acidity, which instantly cleansed our palates between bites, it complimented our food perfectly.  Also, the leathery and strawberry aromas and elegant, light-intensity ruby color were candy for the senses — both caught our attention from the get-go.

This was certainly the most expensive bottle of wine that we’ve ever purchased at a restaurant (thank heavens for our gift certificate!), but it was also by far the best, as it proved itself to be an ideal companion for an exquisite meal.

Where to get it: As noted above, we bought our bottle at One Market Restaurant.  You can purchase it by visiting the winery’s web site, by using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Aug

7

mckenzie-mueller-pinot-noir-2005.jpegThis is thirty-six dollars worth of Pinot Noir, pure and simple.  In our minds, to spend that kind of money on a wine demands something wicked good, and this stuff was definitely up to snuff.

The first thing that caught our attention when pouring out glasses of McKenzie-Mueller’s Los Carneros Pinot Noir 2005 was the light intensity of its exquisite ruby color.  This is not the stereotypically (and fashionably) heavily extracted California style of Pinot Noir, but rather the lighter, European style that we tend to prefer.

Upon sniffing our glasses, we picked up vanilla, wood, berry, and cherry scents, along with a touch of marzipan, and in the mouth we found smokey cherry and berry flavors.  The finish lingered on for a while.  Best of all was the near perfect balance, with light tannin and medium acidity that gave this wine a silky smooth texture.  It was simply a pleasure to drink.

As you might have guessed from the name, the region of origin is Carneros, which straddles the southernmost Sonoma/Napa border.  We bought our bottle at the winery, and we highly, highly recommend a visit.

Where to get it: As noted above, we bought our bottle at the winery.  You can buy it directly through McKenzie-Mueller’s web site, but you can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Jul

3

macon-bussieres2006.jpgThe Manciat-Poncet Mâcon Bussières Rouge 2006 is half Pinot Noir and half Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais, in the south of Burgundy), and it hails from the Mâcon Bussières AOC of Burgundy. 

On first sniff, we found the scent of leather and a little bit of cherry emanating from our glasses, and when we sipped, we picked up cherry and raspberry flavor and felt a nice zing of acidity, with spice coming through on the finish.  We dug the filling texture.  

If you’re looking for a Pinot Noir under $20, we think it’s actually worth considering this as a solid alternative (being as it is, a blend).

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com. 

Jun

26

coldstream-hills-yarra-valley-pinot-noir-2006.jpgThis is the kind of Pinot Noir that we love, with its gorgeous, light intensity, ruby color that masks a hefty body and bright, earthy aromatics.  The nose reminded us a lot of Beaujolais Nouveaux, with its unmistakable wet forest and berry scents, but that likeness ended when we sipped and felt the impressive, full-sized texture and palate-cleansing burst of acidity in our mouths.

Frankly, we couldn’t decide what we liked most about the Coldstream Hills 2006 Pinot Noir: the low price relative to Pinots of this quality; the attractive appearance in our glasses; the solid structure; the somewhat unexpected origin (from cool, southern Australia); or the screwtop!

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com. 

May

13

These days, cheap Pinot Noir tends to be an anomaly, so anything that’s actually decent is truly a treat.  The La Forge Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 2006 is far better than just decent, and with a price tag of only $11, we felt more than justified in selecting it as this week’s Weekday Wine.

We found the style of the La Forge to be more typically European than, say, a big extracted Californian version – at 13% alcohol, the La Forge was, in our view, perfect in body size.  On first sniff, we encountered a nose full of raspberry that, alone, would have been a little much for us.  Fortunately, a sniff or two later we detected a certain woodsy quality that we felt tempered the initially bold fruitiness and, also, gave the wine unique character all the way through to sip and swallow.  Excellent balance and good structure sealed the deal in our minds.

If you like Pinot Noir, you could conceivably enjoy La Forge’s version every day of the week, and twice on Tuesday, and still not feel a pinch.  Now that’s bang for the buck!  

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Mar

27

This is hands down the best value in a Pinot Noir that I could ever expect to come across.  The only problem is that the $18.58 price tag existed for only 48 hours during Gundlach Bundschu’s 150th anniversary sale a couple of weeks ago.  As you might remember, we told you about it as it was happening, and those of us that took note (and action) should give ourselves a pat on the back: we won big.  The same bottle now sells at its usual price of $38.  

Apart from being a lovely winery with very friendly staff, Gun Bun makes quality wines nearly across the board, with the most notable of them being the Gewurztraminer, the Pinot Noir, and, this year, the Cabernet Sauvignon.  We expect to write more on the Cab in the near future.

Shopping for good Pinot in this post-Sideways (the link is to the movie’s official web site) era can be frustrating.  Even lousy Pinots sell above the $20 mark, and if there’s anything Wine Rabbi abhors it’s a bottle of wine that costs $20+ but doesn’t perform.

Enter the Gun Bun Pinot, which would have been worth the cost even had we paid the usual price.  We found a gorgeous nose and flavors of oaky vanilla, black cherry, and strawberries, along with a kiss of black pepper on the finish.   The body, color (amber), and intensity (light) were all of the more elegant Burgundian style, and the lively acidity and supple tannins gave it all the backbone we would have wanted. 

At $38, this Pinot would have been a great value.  At $18.58, the value was off the charts. 

Feb

7

Not long before the Super Bowl, I happened across an article that talked about the best wines to drink during a football game.  The person being interviewed suggested two options: a crisp white wine like a Riesling, which is great with food and won’t worry hosts about carpet spillages, or a Syrah, which tends to pair well with barbecued foods.

I have to admit, though, the wine that I brought to my friends’ Super Bowl party was the above-named Pinot Noir, which is neither a crisp white like Riesling nor a heavy red like Syrah.  Still, we did manage to enjoy both the wine and the game… and, I might add, there were no spillages.  With a light body, beautifully complex berry aromas, a sensual mouthfeel and a lingering finish, any wine connoisseur who has tried the 2004 McHenry Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir would say the same thing: that this Pinot is more like an old world version, in its subtlety and gracefulness, than one from California. 

The bottom line for our purposes?  Not a Super Bowl wine, but with football season in the rear-view mirror and Valentine’s Day fast approaching, this wine is ever more relevant for anyone seeking a bottle appropriate for the holiday.  Riesling might be good for keeping carpets clean and Syrah might pair well with barbecue, but there’s no doubt that this wine pairs well with romance.

Take note that only 320 cases of this Pinot Noir were made, so purchasing a bottle might require a little bit of legwork.  One place that had it as of last week is Vintage Berkeley, which ships across the country.  You can also try ordering directly from the winery itself by clicking here.     

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