October 9, 2012 - I was surprising pleased by this bottle. A very nice pinot for the price. Wish I had bought a few more.
August 11, 2012 - Surprisingly good at its price, beats most bourgogne regional that I've had. Already peaked, supposed not to be aged any more.
August 29, 2011 - Light in color in the glass. The nose for me has a berry and (quite pleasant) bacon/beef fat odor like a real Burgundy - the similarity ends there. Nice sweet berries on the palate, quick finish with a slight sharpness at the back end. Not at all bad for the price.
March 30, 2011 - Wow. this is the first sub-$20 Pinot Noir I've had and thought was half way decent. It has the central coast cherry cola spice thing going. A nice acidity.If you are looking for a cheap date with pinot noir, look no further. I do not think you will find better at this price point.
March 15, 2011 - Somewhat unremarkable. Mild/medium tannins, subdued berries on the palate. I'm not much for picking our scents but there was some berry and "dust". I found the body somewhat thin, and there was something vaguely unpleasant about the finish. It certainly isn't a horrible wine but not something I'll return to.
August 22, 2010 - Kate's favorite pinot noir. Reminiscent of young burgundy reds.
July 26, 2010 - According to my wife it was terrible. It was a gift from a friend.
May 23, 2010 - This was brought to a party. Popped and poured. Very nice fruit profile with good acidity and nice finish. Medium bodied. Solid wine that was stellar for free but is great at the $11 cellar tracker average.
May 12, 2010 - I popped and poured this wine, it has a decent nose of black cherries, cola and very light vanilla. Its a light bodied wine that tastes like it smells with predominantly cherry and cola flavors. I really like the 06 vintage of this wine. I would say the big difference is the way that the 08 finishes really bitterly which i'm not a fan of. But i could see this wine doing a good of job pairing with a variety of foods. Its a solid pinot noir for its price point.
After a bit more time the wine has gotten much better, the fruit is a bit more bright and less tart. The bitterness is still apparent on the finish, but its much much less noticeable. I actually like this wine and changed my score from an 82 to an 85
April 12, 2010 - With a label that is banned in Alabama due to the naked lady artwork I had high hopes for this wine. Who couldn’t use more naked ladies in their life? Web Site
•The Stuff: 100% California Pinot Noir, 13.9%abv
•The Swirl: Very light, typical Pinot, with slight rusty brown tone, extremely translucent
•The Sniff: I get a woodiness on this wine (and it’s not the naked lady) along with a bright candied cherry. Pretty good nose for the price of the wine. Earthy funk that is found on a lot of Pinot
•The Sip: A good cherry candy cola flavor with slight earthy dirt on the mid-palate. The finish is slightly off balanced with some bitterness.
•The Score: At just $11 this wine scores a 3 minus out of 5. A pretty good Pinot Noir for the price considering that most under $20 are suspect