It is rare that you see mainstream critics write about so-called “industrial wines” and most unusual when they actually say good things about them. So I was surprised to see Wine Spectator critic Jim Laube blog about an $8 California Pinot Noir a couple weeks ago. Naturally I was curious to taste the wine myself and see how close my experience would be to Mr. Laube’s. The wine in question is from the Cecchetti Wine Company marketed under the RedTree brand. I picked it up on the end-cap at my local 
wine store for $5.50 on sale.
I am somewhat familiar with RedTree from their Zinfandel I tasted recently. You don’t often see Zin in the less than $10 range so when I see a new entrant I try it to see if they will be giving Ravenswood a run for their money in this price category. Sorry to report that the RedTree Zin didn’t live up to expectations with over ripe blackberry fruit overwhelmed by alcohol (listed at 14.5% ABV but likely over 15%). So how could their Pinot be anything other than a light generic red wine?
I’m not sure how they did it but the 2008 RedTree Pinot Noir is an unbelievable value at the less than $6 I paid for it on sale. Even at $12 this wine would give Mark West Pinot some serious competition. Darker than most Pinot, the wine smells like you would expect with strawberry and red cherry fruit with just a hint of the earthiness associated with Pinot. Red cherry and strawberry fruit flavors complete the package finishing with supple tannins. Surprisingly correct varietal character for a Central Valley wine.
12.5% ABV
Screw Cap closure
[rating:3.5/5]
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My buying advice is to pick up a bottle yourself and then get a case or two if you concur (my retailer had a mail-in rebate for case purchases). I don’t expect to see the same value in the next release but will definitely give it a try next year. In the meantime I’ll be buying some Petite Sirah to see if the Zin was a fluke or trend with heavier bodied reds. They also make a Cabernet, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.
Thanks for the tip, Jim; keep ‘em coming.
RedTree, Pinot Noir 2008
Another Wine Blogging Wednesday and this time I’m podcasting for the first time since WBW 23. Neil from Brooklynguy’s Wine and Food Blog came up with a great theme this month: ‘Silver’ Burgundy. Instead of investing in a Côte d’Or (‘gold coast’) wine, we are drinking affordable Burgundy from the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais.
Since I favor red wines this time of year, I selected a village wine from Mercurey made by the well known Faiveley family. Listen to the podcast for more details but here are my tasting notes:
J. Faiveley, Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet, Mercurey 2003 ($20) – Deep ruby color with aromas of dark cherry, fennel and sage. Rich black cherry and raspberry fruit with a touch of earth finishing with firm tannins and good acidity. The bold fruit balances the tannins so I expect this wine to improve with a year or two more in the cellar. Alternatively, you could give it a couple hours in the decanter to open up before enjoying. A very good value in Pinot Noir.
13% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88
[rating: 3.5/5]
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This wine was tasted the same night as Brian Lorings’ ’05 Garys’ Pinot and I compared them a couple times to make sure I had judged this match as fairly as possible (YMMV). A lot of others have weighed in on this wine but I have to say that I’m somewhat disappointed with my first taste of Siduri Pinot. Don’t get me wrong, this is great juice, but my expectations were a bit higher. Perhaps it was the condition of the bottle here so I will revisit this wine and post another note in the future.
Siduri Wines, Pinot Noir, “Garys’ Vineyard” 2004 – ($49) Ruby in color with aromas of black cherry, forest floor and cinnamon. In the mouth, huge black cherry and blackberry flavors finish long, but hot, with supple tannins. Delicious, but marred by a bit too much alcohol from my perspective.
14.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 89
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Brian Loring has developed a cult following with wine lovers for his vineyard designated Pinot Noir. After starting making wines on a shoestring budget in a rented warehouse while working a day job, Loring has grown to produce a series of Pinot’s in small quantities. Although he still works his day job as a software engineer, I’d be surprised if he didn’t have a winery and reach his goal of making 3,000 cases within a year or two.
Garys’ Vineyard, where the fruit was grown for this wine, is located in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA near Monterey, California. Owned by Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni, their 50 acres are planted to Pinot Noir and Syrah. Almost 20 wineries buy fruit from the Garys’ including Pinot superstars Siduri and Kosta Browne.
I’ve never had the chance to taste any Loring Pinot’s until this past holiday season when this bottle was opened. I’m very much looking forward to tasting more as this first wine is right up my alley; massive fruit, good acidity and an elegance not often found in California Pinot Noir.
Loring Wine Company, Pinot Noir, “Garys’ Vineyard”, Santa Lucia Highlands 2005 ($48) – Bright ruby in color with a very aromatic nose of black cherry, raspberry and cinnamon. Forward cherry fruit flavors and good acidity with some spice and nicely integrated tannins. A delicious, elegant Pinot that should continue to please for the next couple of years. If you are lucky enough to see some for sale; buy it.
13.8 ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 93
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W.H. Smith is a brand that has not been on my radar until fairly recently. A label created in 1992 exclusively for Pinot Noir it is owned by Bill and Joan Smith of La Jota Vineyard fame. Planting over 350 acres of Pinot Noir in the up and coming Sonoma Coast AVA, the Smith’s now produce two vineyard designate wines and this blend.
W.H. Smith Wines, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2005 ($30) – Bright ruby in color with smoky cherry, cinnamon and clove aromas. In the mouth there is rich raspberry, black cherry and spice flavors finishing long with great balance and nice acidity. The way California Pinot should be.
Natural cork closure
Score: 91
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The single most popular post here is for my review of Mark West Pinot Noir 2004. Google “Mark West Pinot Noir” and the second result, after the winery website, is to that note. Each month, the Google referrals in my logs are dominated with “Mark West” mentions. So it was with great anticipation that I tasted the 2005 vintage of this wine.
Before I continue, an important note. Look for “Appellation California” right below the Pinot Noir on the label. The winery produces another bottling called “Vin De Corse” made from wines produced on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. That’s a long way from California and from what I liked in the previous vintage. I tried Vin De Corse at a tasting earlier this year and didn’t think it is in the same league as their California wines but other wine bloggers seemed to like it.
Mark West is a négociant label buying grapes and wines on the bulk market. In the winery’s colorful data sheet, they detail that 66% of the grapes come from the Central Coast, 22% from Sonoma Coast, 4% from Napa, 3% from Mendocino and 5% from “other” (presumably California’s un-sexy Central Valley). The blend is a bit of a shock for Pinot purists being only 85% Pinot Noir (the minimum amount to be called by that varietal in California), 13% Syrah and 2% Chardonnay. I applaud the winery for being so forthcoming with these details, as most other $10 and under Pinot Noir is also spiked with Syrah but few tell the tale. Last year I used a vague 20 point system for the review of the 2004 vintage, but my rating on the 100 point scale would have been an 87 or 88.
Mark West Winery, Pinot Noir, California 2005 ($10) – Ruby in color with a purple rim. Aromas of black cherry, raspberry and sage. In the mouth, smooth raspberry and wild cherry fruit and spice flavors finish with silky tannins. Not as impressive as last year’s vintage but still a nice value. Given the “Sideways effect” on Pinot supplies in California, I’m pleased they were able to pull this off at this price.
13.8% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 84
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Fellow wine blogger and podcaster Alan Baker, better known in these parts as The Cellar Rat, has just announced a collaboration with CrushPad to make Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley’s noted Wetzel Vineyard. Alan calls this project “Pinot 2.0″. Last year he made a Syrah (1.0?) from Sonoma’s Bradford Mountain that’s still aging in the barrel at Peterson Winery. I’ve tasted this Syrah a couple times this year and can attest that it will be a very interesting and personal expression of the kind of wine Alan (and I) like to drink. All this bodes well for this year’s Pinot and he will be producing video podcasts along the way (click here to subscribe). Here’s the intro teaser video podcast:
[youtube]ND3A-jbNbZI[/youtube]
If you are like me and want to get “hands on” (in an internet kind of way) with the making of this wine, join the Rat Pack group at CrushPad. I’ll keep you posted here on Alan’s journey… if all works out according to plan, next vintage will be the first Winecast crush 
Acacia Winery, Pinot Noir, Field Blend, Estate Vineyard, Carneros 2002 ($45)
I’ve tasted several Acacia Pinots over the past couple of years and generally liked them. As might be deduced by the reader, I was in their wine club for six or seven shipments and have several more bottles in the cellar to drink. Their “Field Blend” is made from four clones of Pinot Noir planted together providing an expression of the terroir of their estate vineyard in the Carneros AVA. These blends are amongst my favorite in Acacia’s line up because they lay on the fruit, with enough Pinot funk to keep it interesting and finish off with sweet French oak.
The wine is a healthy ruby color with a salmon note on the rim. The aroma profile is of black cherry, forest floor and spice but it seems like the fruit is starting to recede more into the background than I remember my last bottle. In the mouth there is boysenberry and black cherry fruit with spice and vanilla from the oak. The tannins are still moderately firm and the finish is fairly long, but I like their 2003 bottling just a bit better. This is still a solid Pinot for current drinking that I would suggest you drink up given the synthetic cork closure.
13.9% ABV
Synthetic cork (very easily removed)
Score: 89
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