A few Saturday nights ago I had the immense pleasure of trying a wine that I would have never purchased. I was invited to a dinner and as our party sat down and began perusing the menu, I was asked what many are asked around this time in the evening, "Red or white". Recently, I have been drinking a lot of red, so I said red. After much discussion at the table over which one, a decision was made. This was a party of 16, knowing multiple bottles will be needed, they decided on a pinot noir, Etude, Estate Grown Carnero, Napa Valley 08.
Let me first say, my experience with most wine to date has been based on what I am willing to spend on a bottle. What am I willing to spend? $20 maybe $30 max. Up until this evening, I had not found a bottle over $20 that I wanted to buy. I have to admit, this was a great glass. It had a beautiful color (not sure why I find myself noticing that, but I do find myself staring at a glass of wine and noticing the color) silky smooth, rich and very easy to drink. The menu listed this bottle for $75, a helluva lot more then what I would pay for a bottle. But it got me thinking... there are a lot of blogs out there dedicated to cheap or inexpensive wines and they all reiterate that price does not equal a great wine. I wonder if I can find a pinot that I like as much as this one within my price range? Not sure, but I am up for the challenge.
I too am battling the Pinot Noir challenge ever since being exposed to them in wine class. My exposure came via the Oregon class. My 2 fav's are; LACHINI and COEHLO's Paciencia. Both absolutely fabulous, rich and almost port like in flavor. Unfortunatley they are priced in the $35-$45 range, retail. Not an eveyday wine for me or most I would say. I will be intrigued to find your findings and I will continue to try and find similar tasting wines at less than $20.00. Bring'em on!
ReplyDeleteErnest
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