Cheap Pinots from around the globe – France, New Zealand, Argentina and California
Yesterday, we were out doing our usual Saturday errands, so we stopped by our favorite local wine purveyor, The Austin Wine Merchant. It turns out Lady Luck was on our side, and the store was having a tasting of Pinot Noirs, one of our favorites. They had a selection of four different Pinots from around the globe – France, New Zealand, Argentina and California. The prices ranged from $10.75 to $19.95, which are incredibly cheap for Pinots.
The first one we tried was called Tortoise Creek which was from France, believe it or not – specifically from the Languedoc region. This region is located in the Southwest part of France and benefits from the cooler Limoux wine-growing area. The vintner describes it as “deep in color with delicious aromas of cherry and raspberry, while the palate is packed with fresh red fruit finishing smooth and structured.” The vintage is 2008 and has an alcohol level of
13.5%. You can read all about these folks at their website located at www.tortoisecreekwines.com.
Next, we tried a lovely Pinot called “Mud House” from the Central Otago region of New Zealand. This is another 2008 vintage that sells retail for $17.50 and has an alcohol content of 14.0%, a hair higher than the French Pinot. The producers describe this bottle as “Nose – A vibrant nose of dark berries, mocha and thyme; Palate – Maraschino cherries, plums and crushed herbs; and Food Match -pork loin & pomegranate jus.”
The third choice for the tasting was an Argentinean Pinot which I liked okay, but I didn’t buy a bottle, so I can’t really give you the fine details on the vintage, etc.. For the most part, I think they have “potential” but aren’t quite there for me yet. I’ll keep trying them to see how they progress in the future.
The fourth and final bottle we tried was the crème de la crème of the bunch – a Saintsbury Garnet 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir. It sells for $19.99 a bottle and has a 13.5% alcohol content. The producer describes this bottle as “our Pinot Noir proprietary wine Garnet, named after the semi-precious gemstone.” I have to admit that they are right – it is quite a GEM! I highly recommend it, particularly at such a bargain price.
Bon Appetit! K
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Don’t overlook what’s in our own backyard….
The Peregrine Hill Pinot Noir brought an interesting, if not somewhat oxymoronic flare: A Texas Pinot. This tasting brought back a memory of a wine panel that I attended at the Aspen Food and Wine Festival chaired by Joshua Wesson that was titled, “Warm Weather Pinots”. Admittedly, they had different qualities than their classic brethrens from cool growing regions. However, as was the case in my recent tasting of the Peregrine Hill Pinot Noir from Texas, warm weather Pinots have a darker berry character driven by an enjoyable rustic quality, something more akin to a medium bodied red Zinfandel. This was admittedly not the classic Pinot character, but definitely not bad, not bad, at all.
Russ
See: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1794
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