Pinot Noir

[alan7147]

2005 Sherwood Estate from NZ-- available here and there for $13.99-15.99. I've gotten in at Rodman's and Paul's and seen it elsewhere.

Was Sherwood the one that Gilberti wrote about in the Post a few months back?

[youngfood]

Was Sherwood the one that Gilberti wrote about in the Post a few months back?

Yes.

[Joe Riley]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Castle Rock sources fruit from different regions EVEN WITHIN THE SAME VINTAGE. So for example, if you happen to order the "2005 Castle Rock Pinot Noir" in a restaurant and decide that you want to find it at retail, you might find a store which has the Monterey bottling, or the Sonoma bottling, a Russian River bottling, perhaps even a Willamette Valley bottling. Caveat Emptor indeed.

I've never tried it, but my boss has only really liked it in one vintage, when Castle Rock purchased fruit or juice from DeLoach, which was in bankruptcy at the time. Every subsequent bottling he's tried has disappointed him. We carry it anyway.

I hear good things about the Mark West Pinot from Sonoma ($11.99). The REAL problem for me is trying to find good Oregon Pinot Noir which I cal sell for less than $15/bottle. Right now, the two cheapest ones I can find are the Willamette Valley Vineyards "Whole Cluster" 2005 and the Brooks Winery "Runaway Red". Another label, Firesteed, is on strict restaurant allocation, but if I had it, I could sell it for $14.99, though it has always struck me as thin.

In New Zealand Pinot, I like Gray Parrot and Seven Terraces for under-$20.

[dmwine]

Lily Pinot Noir, from Sonoma Coast, is excellent. It's distributed by Billington of Springfield, Va., and sells for about $15 in the Montgomery County liquor stores.

In general Sonoma Coast is an excellent appellation for Pinot Noir. (Sebastiani mentioned above is another good one.) It's broader than Russian River Valley, so the wines tend to be less expensive, while still expressive.

I only wish we could get some Pinot Noir from Niagara-on-the-Lake or Okanagan Valley ...