Neither the bride nor I were as wild about this wine as some of the Community. We had it with lime/chile-rubbed/baked fresh salmon, sauteed snap peas/green onions and wild rice. The nose was cherry and earthy, but the taste did not live up to the nose. While it had a medium finish (good), the taste was a little flat and there was no complexity to it at all, not much to write home about. We paid about $16.99 for it; not worth it. For less money, I'd open a bottle of Bogle Pinot and it would have more complexity and save just less than half the price in doing so. If the reason this was unimpressive had to do with it being four years old, that's all the more reason not to buy it. Over-priced entry-level wine that doesn't bill itself as entry-level, but should. Unimpressed.
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I'd call this a beefy pinot. Smokey smells and rustic taste, i.e. not jammy fruit packed roundness. Always a performer under $20. Can stand to age a year more, I think.
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Friends brought this bottle over for a dinner where Pinot wasn't quite the right wine for the evening, so we put it in the wine cooler and decided to open it tonight to go with Arthur's chili verde. This bottle can be "had" for anywhere between $14 and $24/bottle. The nose is classic Central Coast Pinot: shovels of earth, barrels of pepper, and a few cords of oak. Taste-wise, the slightly-sweet/syrupy fruit hits you first. Midpalate, the classic Pinot traits shine through, including an abundance of red fruit (cherries, strawberries, and raspberries), lots of spice (especially white pepper), a dollop of earth, with a kiss of sweet oak. For an affordable California Pinot, this is great stuff for the price. Though it's slightly syrupy, it has enough depth, complexity, balance, and smoothness to warrant a solid slightly-sub-90 score. The finish is smooth and lingers just about the right amount of time (as oposed to your crazy parents that just won't leave once dinner's WAY over). If you can afford to consume a $14 bottle every day, it would be difficult to beat this Pinot as an every-day Pinot quaffer. This bottle went well with the chili verde but would also be a PERFECT compliment to grilled salmon, garlic or curried chicken, or just about any other Chinese or Mexican dish. Nice job Wild Horse!
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Smells like Pinot. Nothing really stands out. Initial attack is Pinot-like but turns really odd and disjointed from the 3rd quarter on, especially the finish.
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Good entry level Cali Pinot. Kind of generic tasting -- A little on the sweet side and a fairly weak finish. Still, not bad -- I enjoyed it with Easter Ham.
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I give it an 86 and my wife about an 84. But at around $11.00 from Costplus in SF, I would say this is an excellent value and good for everyday drinking.
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50+4+13+14+5 Smokey nose with a hint of underlying strawberry. Strawberry rhubarb pie with hints of baking spices in the mouth and a finish that lingers of pastry crust and berry. Better the second day than it was the first.
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Nice food wine. Nose of strawberries and earth. Taste of strawberries, rasberries and peppery spice. Light to medium bodied. At $15, I'm all over it. With the price going over $20, I'm probably out. It's comparable to the La Crema 2007 Sonoma.
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Decanted 1 hour. Paired w/homemade Roma Minestrone. Dark garnet, but not deep in color. A jewel. Aroma's of eucalyptus, plum, meat (bacon), cigar box or like a cedar humidor. Flavors more like aged or stewed fruits & berries rather than a fresh fruit bomb that is in your face. Solid tannin backbone from the age, tastes old, but not necessarily in a good complex way. Like flat RC Cola. Was expecting vibrant and young, got dull and flabby. I will probably pass on any more of this vintage and wait to see what the next year’s vintage brings.
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Tasted 8-12-09. Nose offers up strawberry-raspberry, loam, & some sassafras/cola below. Palate impression is nicely rich. Dense, smooth, well-integrated, nearly a chocolately quality. Does not display the complexity or character of a top PN, but delivers well for <$20. Pleasant, good value.
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Very nice expansive nose of black cherries, violets, and wild berries. Very fruit forward palate, smooth and big, good acidity, hiding the alcohol well. Lengthy finish of red fruits, spices and a little earthiness. Very nice and good QPR.
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Aromatic with raspberries, chalky minerals. Nice, silky texture. Full, meaty midpalate that remains in balance between game, raspberry, Bing cherry, and mineral notes. Allspice and clove emerge, coming forward in the finish. Nice wine, good balance, very good QPR.
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6/27/2022 - Vino Vaquera Likes this wine: 80 Points
Waited a bit long to drink but it was good
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2/18/2012 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 90 Points
low fruit for pinot, good balance; tasted next to Alma Rosa which had more fruit - preferred Wild Horse. Ready to drink now.
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11/22/2011 - Brianack wrote: 90 Points
Should be a house favorite. Drank w home made pizza. Complex body for a Pinot, not thinor water. More like a merlot in complexity. Buy more!!!
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10/26/2011 - Z1nnfull wrote: 85 Points
Neither the bride nor I were as wild about this wine as some of the Community. We had it with lime/chile-rubbed/baked fresh salmon, sauteed snap peas/green onions and wild rice. The nose was cherry and earthy, but the taste did not live up to the nose. While it had a medium finish (good), the taste was a little flat and there was no complexity to it at all, not much to write home about. We paid about $16.99 for it; not worth it. For less money, I'd open a bottle of Bogle Pinot and it would have more complexity and save just less than half the price in doing so.
If the reason this was unimpressive had to do with it being four years old, that's all the more reason not to buy it. Over-priced entry-level wine that doesn't bill itself as entry-level, but should. Unimpressed.
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10/6/2011 - dfitzg2 wrote: 88 Points
Liked this wine. Paired well with lamb chops. Nice balance of ffruit wthout being over-whelming.
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2/1/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 87 Points
Good, with a ripe black cherry profile and forward fruit. Soft, lush, and simple with a creamy oak finish.
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1/18/2011 - sweaty wrote: 88 Points
I'd call this a beefy pinot. Smokey smells and rustic taste, i.e. not jammy fruit packed roundness. Always a performer under $20. Can stand to age a year more, I think.
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11/5/2010 - dark13star wrote: 87 Points
Descent central coast wine, but nothing special. Should pair well with the apple and chipotle braised pork shoulder I am serving.
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10/15/2010 - DaveZack wrote: 86 Points
Friends brought this bottle over for a dinner where Pinot wasn't quite the right wine for the evening, so we put it in the wine cooler and decided to open it tonight to go with Arthur's chili verde.
This bottle can be "had" for anywhere between $14 and $24/bottle.
The nose is classic Central Coast Pinot: shovels of earth, barrels of pepper, and a few cords of oak.
Taste-wise, the slightly-sweet/syrupy fruit hits you first. Midpalate, the classic Pinot traits shine through, including an abundance of red fruit (cherries, strawberries, and raspberries), lots of spice (especially white pepper), a dollop of earth, with a kiss of sweet oak. For an affordable California Pinot, this is great stuff for the price. Though it's slightly syrupy, it has enough depth, complexity, balance, and smoothness to warrant a solid slightly-sub-90 score. The finish is smooth and lingers just about the right amount of time (as oposed to your crazy parents that just won't leave once dinner's WAY over).
If you can afford to consume a $14 bottle every day, it would be difficult to beat this Pinot as an every-day Pinot quaffer. This bottle went well with the chili verde but would also be a PERFECT compliment to grilled salmon, garlic or curried chicken, or just about any other Chinese or Mexican dish. Nice job Wild Horse!
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9/29/2010 - Machuga wrote: 88 Points
Nice everyday Pinot Noir.
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9/29/2010 - pickhardt wrote: 89 Points
Great deep dark nose. Nice flavors. If you can get it for < $20, it'll be the best pinot you get at that price.
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5/16/2010 - dwaynelm wrote: 87 Points
Good acidity, good fruit & varietal character, light bodied.
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4/16/2010 - ScottGoodwin wrote: 80 Points
Smells like Pinot. Nothing really stands out. Initial attack is Pinot-like but turns really odd and disjointed from the 3rd quarter on, especially the finish.
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4/13/2010 - wabi47 wrote: 84 Points
good generic red fruit; a bit primary with vanilla and lower acid than i like; marilyn liked it more than i did;
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4/7/2010 - SAvino wrote: 86 Points
Mostly harmless. Drank day after opening. Nice fruit. Good everyday drinker.
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4/4/2010 - PIntag wrote: 86 Points
Good entry level Cali Pinot. Kind of generic tasting -- A little on the sweet side and a fairly weak finish. Still, not bad -- I enjoyed it with Easter Ham.
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2/26/2010 - pickhardt wrote:
Very nice all around. A great QPR for less than $20.
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2/4/2010 - Ryland wrote: 86 Points
I give it an 86 and my wife about an 84. But at around $11.00 from Costplus in SF, I would say this is an excellent value and good for everyday drinking.
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1/7/2010 - Badata2d wrote: 90 Points
Drank on Christmas, very well received by everyone.
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12/23/2009 - pickhardt wrote: 89 Points
Had about a glass of this. It seemed really nice.
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12/21/2009 - ccnet wrote: 87 Points
Pretty nice everyday Pinot, good value
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12/12/2009 - annerk wrote: 86 Points
50+4+13+14+5 Smokey nose with a hint of underlying strawberry. Strawberry rhubarb pie with hints of baking spices in the mouth and a finish that lingers of pastry crust and berry. Better the second day than it was the first.
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11/23/2009 - mrpalmer wrote: 90 Points
Quite enjoyable. Fruity, subtle tannins. A little smoke.
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11/20/2009 - scotty_b wrote: 88 Points
Nice food wine. Nose of strawberries and earth. Taste of strawberries, rasberries and peppery spice. Light to medium bodied. At $15, I'm all over it. With the price going over $20, I'm probably out. It's comparable to the La Crema 2007 Sonoma.
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11/15/2009 - marinelli wrote: 87 Points
It had a pleasant smoky meat aroma. The wine had a nice balance with seemless tannins and a strong black cherry & smoke flavors.
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11/1/2009 - kleinahoe wrote: 90 Points
Fruity, good value, reminds me of the Cambria Julia's Vineyard
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10/29/2009 - JohnnyWine wrote: 80 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Paired w/homemade Roma Minestrone.
Dark garnet, but not deep in color. A jewel.
Aroma's of eucalyptus, plum, meat (bacon), cigar box or like a cedar humidor.
Flavors more like aged or stewed fruits & berries rather than a fresh fruit bomb that is in your face.
Solid tannin backbone from the age, tastes old, but not necessarily in a good complex way.
Like flat RC Cola. Was expecting vibrant and young, got dull and flabby.
I will probably pass on any more of this vintage and wait to see what the next year’s vintage brings.
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8/13/2009 - clava wrote: 87 Points
Tasted 8-12-09. Nose offers up strawberry-raspberry, loam, & some sassafras/cola below. Palate impression is nicely rich. Dense, smooth, well-integrated, nearly a chocolately quality. Does not display the complexity or character of a top PN, but delivers well for <$20. Pleasant, good value.
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8/1/2009 - Nutty08 wrote: 89 Points
Very nice expansive nose of black cherries, violets, and wild berries. Very fruit forward palate, smooth and big, good acidity, hiding the alcohol well. Lengthy finish of red fruits, spices and a little earthiness. Very nice and good QPR.
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6/17/2009 - kleinahoe wrote: 90 Points
Fruity, simple, tasty
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5/3/2009 - dwaynelm wrote: 89 Points
Good varietal character, slight light body.
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4/1/2009 - amateurwino wrote: 87 Points
Stewed red fruits on the nose. Decent acidity, enough to balance the fruit and make this a decent food wine.
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3/27/2009 - drdebs wrote: 89 Points
Aromatic with raspberries, chalky minerals. Nice, silky texture. Full, meaty midpalate that remains in balance between game, raspberry, Bing cherry, and mineral notes. Allspice and clove emerge, coming forward in the finish. Nice wine, good balance, very good QPR.
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