This mid-level (despite what the name suggests) California Pinot Noir from Robert Mondavi is surprisingly rich & robust for the price. Color is light to medium red,with hints of some rustnThe nose is pleasant, w/aromas of vanilla,cherry & bit of nutmeg & smoky oak. In the mouth it opens with cherry flavors followed by strawberry & spice. The finish is a tad bitter, but not too much son. Good acidity & gentle but sufficient tannins. Besides Txgiving Turkey I’d try it with light pork dishes or grilled salmon
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Elegant, clear ruby color, that is quite dark and deep for a Pinot Noir. A bit reticent nose with aromas of smoke, cranberry, chocolate oak, some pine needles, a hint of minty herbs and a touch of burnt rubber. Quite rich and soft in the mouth with some structure coming from the spiciness and moderate acidity. Flavors of ripe cranberry, sweet raspberry, cherry jam, pepper and a little tar. Rather straghtforward, lacking in sophistication and has surprisingly much extraction for a Pinot Noir. Rather fruit-forward effort, but luckily not without balancing acid structure. Medium length finish with flavors of tart red berries, sweet cherry, some tar, a little minerality and a hint of alcohol warmth.
A decent, inexpensive new world Pinot Noir with very straight- and fruit-forward character, which makes the wine lack any elegance and sophistication that are the usual hallmarks of Pinot Noir. Too big, ripe and simple for my taste, but probably a nice drop for people who enjoy soft and fruit-forward Pinots. An OK purchase at 13,83€.
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Nice wine for the price (FREE; it was a gift). Clear, light garnet color. Nose of cranberry, cherry and spice. Cherry, light earth, spice and oak on the front palate. Thin short finish. Went well with grilled NY steak and brocolli noodle casserole.
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Tasted almost like Hawaiian punch. Tons of really unripe red fruit with no structure to back it up. If you like really fruity pinots this may get a bit better, but as of now it's not great.
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Sweet, jammy, almost cherry fruit punch taste. At least it didn't have the classic cough syrup flavor. This seemed like an obvious attempt to produce an inexpensive grocery store PN with the flavor profile of a higher quality western PN. Didn't quite work right.
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Okay now...so we are traveling out of country taking a vacation in the carib this week. We fly in last night. On the way to the hotel we ask the driver if there is a place to stop to get a bottle of wine. He says, "no problem man." He pulls off the road and up to a store of some sort. I jump out and scramble in the store. The wine selection was thin. The only red wine I could find that was not 6 or 7 years old and likely sitting in the tropical heat and this store for some time was a 2010 Mondavi Private Selection California Pinot Noir. What the heck, let's do it. I paid a premium price of $25 US for this gem. You know what? This was a really nice bottle of wine. Maybe it helped that the airline lost our luggage, or that the kids were tired and cranky, or that it had been a long, long day, but this was a nice surprise and we really liked it. It was flavorful, nicely balanced, rich spice, cedar and some ripe cherry fruit flavors. In the future, I will not be so quick to pass by these Mondavi Private Selection wines. In a pinch it came through big time.
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Pleasant earthy PN aroma. Clear, medium bodied, fairly sweet on the palate with some acidity to balance but a bit to much of a slick glycerine mass-produced feel in the finish, covers any character the grapes might have been trying to express. Decent and drinkable.
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I believe this is my first 2010 California red wine. As grocery store Pinot Noir's go this is a step up. This is a complete wine. Not going to get any awards for layers of complexity, but still quite varietally correct and very drinkable. I think what sets this above the other extreme value priced Pinot's the current situation of almost poverty forces me to drink is enough acid to make this a balanced wine. Generally, grocery store Pinot's are so heavily filtered, you can't tell they are Pinot's. This one does not have all the good stuff filtered out. Pretty dark for a Pinot. A small amount of burnt rubber on the nose, that continues through the palate. There is ripe plum, and black cherry fruit, but don't too excited. Barely enough acid to be considered complete. Can't discern any oak. Nothing special, but I've had lots worse.
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3/5/2015 - gajalaa wrote: 83 Points
Simple, Had a nose of strawberry and cherry.
On the palate some light red fruits.
might be too old
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3/24/2014 - pakabear Does not like this wine: 82 Points
As others have said, very simple, no complexity. It's ok, but would prefer this as cooking wine.
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1/21/2014 - freggiani wrote: 84 Points
This mid-level (despite what the name suggests) California Pinot Noir from Robert Mondavi is surprisingly rich & robust for the price. Color is light to medium red,with hints of some rustnThe nose is pleasant, w/aromas of vanilla,cherry & bit of nutmeg & smoky oak. In the mouth it opens with cherry flavors followed by strawberry & spice. The finish is a tad bitter, but not too much son. Good acidity & gentle but sufficient tannins. Besides Txgiving Turkey I’d try it with light pork dishes or grilled salmon
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8/10/2013 - mwagner7700 wrote:
Simple. Exactly what I would expect from this wine. Generic, light red fruits. Oak. C+
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1/30/2013 - SilverCabin wrote: 69 Points
Stayed in the cellar too long. Barely drinkable.
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12/16/2012 - jlehrer wrote: 87 Points
Smooth, well balanced. A little one-note.
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12/3/2012 - Man in Black wrote:
Clear low intensity ruby red. Low intensity nose, ripe cherry, strawberry and plum, violets, somewhat spicy and hints of oak. Dry, medium acidity and tannins, medium-low body, short evolution, low amplitude. Medium-short aftertaste of low intensity.
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10/23/2012 - PodoPodoRyan wrote: 85 Points
Despite its unpleasant smell, it turned out well.
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9/22/2012 - Pilo73 wrote: 91 Points
Great taste and smell little spice
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9/12/2012 - forceberry wrote: 82 Points
Elegant, clear ruby color, that is quite dark and deep for a Pinot Noir. A bit reticent nose with aromas of smoke, cranberry, chocolate oak, some pine needles, a hint of minty herbs and a touch of burnt rubber. Quite rich and soft in the mouth with some structure coming from the spiciness and moderate acidity. Flavors of ripe cranberry, sweet raspberry, cherry jam, pepper and a little tar. Rather straghtforward, lacking in sophistication and has surprisingly much extraction for a Pinot Noir. Rather fruit-forward effort, but luckily not without balancing acid structure. Medium length finish with flavors of tart red berries, sweet cherry, some tar, a little minerality and a hint of alcohol warmth.
A decent, inexpensive new world Pinot Noir with very straight- and fruit-forward character, which makes the wine lack any elegance and sophistication that are the usual hallmarks of Pinot Noir. Too big, ripe and simple for my taste, but probably a nice drop for people who enjoy soft and fruit-forward Pinots. An OK purchase at 13,83€.
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7/4/2012 - Boxster Guy wrote: 84 Points
Nice wine for the price (FREE; it was a gift). Clear, light garnet color. Nose of cranberry, cherry and spice. Cherry, light earth, spice and oak on the front palate. Thin short finish. Went well with grilled NY steak and brocolli noodle casserole.
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4/18/2012 - Fieldhockey44 wrote: 78 Points
Tasted almost like Hawaiian punch. Tons of really unripe red fruit with no structure to back it up. If you like really fruity pinots this may get a bit better, but as of now it's not great.
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2/17/2012 - cliffkol wrote: 84 Points
Sweet, jammy, almost cherry fruit punch taste. At least it didn't have the classic cough syrup flavor. This seemed like an obvious attempt to produce an inexpensive grocery store PN with the flavor profile of a higher quality western PN. Didn't quite work right.
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12/18/2011 - Castle Peak wrote: 86 Points
Okay now...so we are traveling out of country taking a vacation in the carib this week. We fly in last night. On the way to the hotel we ask the driver if there is a place to stop to get a bottle of wine. He says, "no problem man." He pulls off the road and up to a store of some sort. I jump out and scramble in the store. The wine selection was thin. The only red wine I could find that was not 6 or 7 years old and likely sitting in the tropical heat and this store for some time was a 2010 Mondavi Private Selection California Pinot Noir. What the heck, let's do it. I paid a premium price of $25 US for this gem. You know what? This was a really nice bottle of wine. Maybe it helped that the airline lost our luggage, or that the kids were tired and cranky, or that it had been a long, long day, but this was a nice surprise and we really liked it. It was flavorful, nicely balanced, rich spice, cedar and some ripe cherry fruit flavors. In the future, I will not be so quick to pass by these Mondavi Private Selection wines. In a pinch it came through big time.
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9/19/2011 - kenito799 wrote: 82 Points
Pleasant earthy PN aroma. Clear, medium bodied, fairly sweet on the palate with some acidity to balance but a bit to much of a slick glycerine mass-produced feel in the finish, covers any character the grapes might have been trying to express. Decent and drinkable.
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7/16/2011 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 86 Points
I believe this is my first 2010 California red wine. As grocery store Pinot Noir's go this is a step up. This is a complete wine. Not going to get any awards for layers of complexity, but still quite varietally correct and very drinkable. I think what sets this above the other extreme value priced Pinot's the current situation of almost poverty forces me to drink is enough acid to make this a balanced wine. Generally, grocery store Pinot's are so heavily filtered, you can't tell they are Pinot's. This one does not have all the good stuff filtered out. Pretty dark for a Pinot. A small amount of burnt rubber on the nose, that continues through the palate. There is ripe plum, and black cherry fruit, but don't too excited. Barely enough acid to be considered complete. Can't discern any oak. Nothing special, but I've had lots worse.
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