This 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.