2009 The Pinot Project

This one has been getting some good press and at $12, I decided to take a stab at a bottle. From what I understand, this is one of those negociant deals where the winemakers bought some cheap grapes that were good enough to make wine out of...let's see.

Raspberry jam on the nose.

Raspberry jam on the palate - very soft, very simple, nothing here would suggest Pinot Noir. At the same time, it's not exactly bad, it's not sweet or anything like that, just sort of one dimensional.

You guessed it, raspberry jam on the rather short finish.

Not bad as an adult beverage to go with a random dinner...somewhat one dimensional and dull. Sad to say, this is not the miracle Pinot Noir you are probably looking for.

Score: 80

2009 Lynfred Winery Pinot Noir

To those not in the know, Lynfred Winery is located in Roselle, Illinois - a suburb of Chicago - they do not have vineyards, but get grapes from various places....Michigan, Washington, California are all represented, I think Illinois and Oregon are as well. My understanding of the process is they have contracts with vineyards, get the grapes shipped in immediately after they are picked, and then the wine is made at the winery itself.

This is an "American" Pinot Noir, I believe the grapes are from Washington, and the retail is about eighteen bones. This is a newish label, it seems some of the newer wines have it, and if I may say so - I find it to be an improvement over the (already nice) older style. Kudos to the graphic department!

Earth, mocha, chocolate, and carob on the nose with an undercurrent of raspberry.

Raspberry tea, dark (like ultra mega 94% dark) chocolate, mocha, super ripe plum and blackberry.

Almost a green tea like finish with more of that mocha.

Simply put, most under $20 Pinot Noirs aren't worth your time, but I'd say this one is. Nicely played.

Score: 88

2006 Le Cadeau Diversité Wilamette Valley Pinot Noir

Don't know when or where I got this bottle, but the current vintages sell for S47 direct from the winery.

The nose is all chocolate covered cherries and coffee beans.

Chocolate. Cherry. Blackberry. Black, ultra ripe blueberry. A bit of an herbal quality. Medium body, but not much in terms of tannin or wood really.

Plum, black cherry, and just a hint of cola on the finish - it lingers for quite some time. There's something else going on mostly on the finish but also mid-palate that reminds me a bit of fruit roll up.

I don't know. After finding out the price, I felt compelled to reconsider this one, but I have to call it meh. Well made, not explicitly flawed, just meh.

Score: 85

2006 Louis Jadot Savigny-lès-Beaune Primier Cru Les Vergelesses

This bottle goes for about $35 and is from the Burgundy region for those who don't know their French wine labels. The cork had some issues, moist with a bit of seepage, but the wine doesn't look or taste off.

Rich black cherry on the nose with some interesting floral notes - rose and lavender.

I gave this one a few hours to open and I think it needed it. Everything is very subtle, nothing is going to jump and hit you on the head...black cherry, raspberry, blackberry tea, and a very mild brown spice - clove mostly, nicely balanced, smooth tannins, quite nice all around.

A bit of a black tea thing on the finish, with a dash of blackberry leaf and black cherry.

Not cheap, but if you want to get a nicely done Burgundy this is worth a look.

Score: 89

2009 Old Shore Vineyards Tree Line Pinot Noir

It's funny, when I hate a wine I have no problems with how pointless scores are, but when I love one it really makes me question the process. Give any wine this strong a review? I go all Paul Hodges, ....and then I realize I'm taking this little blog far too seriously.

This is a $28 Pinot Noir from Old Shore Vineyards.  Old Shore Vineyards is a brand new winery in southwest Michigan and this is their second release. Based on the website photos, everyone associated with the winery seems to be young. What do the youth bring to wine in an under-appreciated region?

Raspberry, both the fruit and the leaves of the plant - think raspberry herbal tea - on the nose with a bit of earth and chocolate, way in the back I get some plum as well.

Every once in a while I call a wine 'dangerous' or 'misleading.' Dangerous as in it's so good and easy drinking you drink a bottle over 30 minutes and misleading for you drink it over 30 minutes without much thought beyond 'yep, it's good.' This is that sort of wine. Immediately approachable on the first pour. This is the sort of wine with acid so well integrated, you don't even really think about it. Fruit and earth in such balance it barely registers unless you're concentrating. We're talking raspberry, chocolate, cola, cherry, poached peaches (in some sort light German red wine), black tea, sassafras, almost a rosehip quality as well - all of this put together in a subtle, light bodied wine that if you are a fan of Burgundian Pinot Noirs will almost certainly knock your socks off.

This is a finish that lingers of well over a minute starting with rich, ripe peaches fading to plums and rainier cherry and far on the back we get some nectarine - I love this stone fruit thing all with a good dash of black tea.

This is one of the few wines where I've felt compelled to open a second bottle (several days later, mind you) and reconfirm my initial thoughts. Let me tell you, I don't feel this strongly about wines often, but when I want Pinot Noir, I want this.

Score: 95

2009 Meinklang Pinot Noir Rosa

This is a rose with a bit of effervescence. It ran me about $14 at Whole Foods - it s a biodynamic wine, organic, the label talks about cows near the vines...

Watermelon rind and cherry pits on the nose.

It's strange, when you pour a glass there's a good amount of fizz, but it fades quickly leaving not visible bubbles but an interesting foamy moutfeel. Medium body, a dry sort of watermelon thing, a bit of artificial strawberry, even a bit of red apple in a jelly bean sorta way. It's a tad thick, fruity, but not (or only very slightly) sweet.

More of that red apple jelly bean thing on the finish.

Tasty. Decently priced. Theoretically good for the planet. You can do worse.

Score: 85

2007 Wollersheim Pinot Noir

A Wisconsin Pinot Noir - yep. Who knew? Fifteen bucks with some distribution in Illinois, I snagged this at Binny's.

Cherry cola and a bit of trashy funkiness on the nose - good stuff.

A bit bigger than I expected, a bit sweeter, but at the same time undeniably Pinot Noir. Cherry, cola, a bit of cedar, and a big punch of black licorice.

Black licorice - quite strongly in fact - lingers on the finish.

I can see this wine polarizing people - it has some of the varietal funk I like, but it's likely a tad too big and sweet for most fans. That being said, if you're interested in trying a wine from Wisconsin you could do much worse. When you consider that this is a $15 Pinot Noir from an odd region, this is a solid deal.

Score: 86

2003 Leroy Savigny-les-Beaune Les Ratausses

This retails for $65 and has been on the wine rack for quite a while. What better way to celebrate the birth of America than with a French wine? Sound like irony? Hardly.

A bit of a fruit leather thing on the nose - which is sort of a bit of raspberry, blackberry, and a vaguely apple thing.

Black cherry and blackberry at the first - startlingly simple at first - but after a while it opens up with a mid-palate of menthol, cedar, and some funky earthy qualities. Dried brown spices, perhaps some green as well, even some red pepper. A nice drinking wine, to be sure, everything is nicely integrated but I'm not getting any wow factor.

Cherry on the finish with lingering menthol and mint, but surprisingly short.

This wine either needs a few more years or a few hours in a decanter - it's actually quite drinkable at first pour, but it's overly simple. It was not until about four hours in that it came to life. Still a pass though. You let me down France....thanks for the copper statue though, sorry for keeping it outdoors...

Score: 87

2008 Two Lads Pinot Noir

This is a Pinot Noir from northern Michigan up on the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City. Recently we've had some Michigan Pinot Noir from Black Star Farms and Shady Lane Cellars and they both has similarities - perhaps terroir? Does this have it? Let's fine out. This goes for $35 through the tasting room.

The nose? Funk. Sassafras and earth - not much in terms of fruit until about two hours in, then some ripe, farmer's market style strawberry comes through.

All sorts of dark spice - clove, cinnamon, nutmeg. I considered this to be perhaps even too spice driven, but that blows off after a few hours. Beautiful acid - integrated nicely, present and strong but not in your face or abrasive...in fact, in terms of acid this might be one of the best examples of 'balanced' that I've had in some time. For fruit, I'm getting mostly a black raspberry thing.

The raspberry thing really comes through immediately on the finish. A bit of vanilla bean seems to come through - in a spicy rather than creamy kind of way - as well.

Though I'm not doing a direct comparison and not taking away from the other wine, I do think this is noticeable step up from the other MI Pinot Noir. Of course, at $35 a bottle though, it's also a step up in price. Is it worth it? That's up to you. That being said, when I found out this was a Michigan Pinot I was not surprised - it had many of the same qualities, but the whole thing just hit me as a bit more polished.

Score: 91

2007 Shady Lane Cellars Pinot Noir

Aerate aerate aerate. My initial thoughts - and dare I say even my thoughts after 90 minutes - of this wine were negative. It hit me as rather harsh and overwhelmingly tart. What happens on day two, a full 24 hours, after opening? This bottle was comped and sells for $22 through the winery. We tasted it as part of the Tweet and Taste, but these notes are based on the next day where things were a bit more sedate and settled.

Day one brought brown spice. Day two brings out a clear raspberry leaf with a touch of mint - almost a raspberry tea.

At first, this was harsh. Now? Rather smooth. At first, overwhelming acid and tartness. Now? Well integrated acid with fruit and earth coming through. Raspberry dominates with a bit of carob. When I say raspberry, I am talking part fruit, part leaf, part root...it's an earthy, funky, dirty raspberry. As in, don't pick the raspberry, pick the entire plant out of the ground and blend it - that's this. I'm not getting a whole lot in terms of tannin, but acid and earth are more than present. Some people on the Tweet and Taste were discussing an "artificial" quality, which I could see at the time, but as it opens, I think it's really more "essence" and "herbal." Have you ever had those Vitamin Waters that have no calories, no fake sugars, and only "essence"? I haven't seen them around lately, but I do recall them fondly - this reminds me of that.

More of that funky/earthy/dirty raspberry on the finish.

Sit on it for a while or give it 4+ hours in the decanter. When it comes together, you may or may not dig it, but you will respect it. $22? I'm not sure, but it is a Pinot Noir...Michigan has a distinct style of Pinot - it's light, funky, acidic, and spicy. I think this is an excellent representation - not for all palates, but for those who dig it, I couldn't imagine not being a fan.

Let me just say something here - Shady Lane's Pinot Noir and Riesling really came together after multiple hours of air. Some wines completely fall apart after three hours of air, these start getting good at that point - it's a testament to the quality. I'm giving this 87, but I have a feeling in 2012 or so, this wine is going to annihilate. It's a shame the Mayans are going to kill us all by then. Speaking of Mayans, have you seen Apocalypto? Holy crap - what a good movie.

Score: 87* *not blind

2007 Argyle Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The local wine shop has this $25, but I know it can be found for considerably less if you shop around.

A bit of raspberry on the nose.

Light, very light, for a red wine. Almost a dark pink - I've seen (albeit, unusual) roses darker than this. Cherry and raspberry is it with a bit of green pepper. Great acid, rather tart, and not a hint of sugar.

More cherry and a bit of grape stem on the finish.

This is a nice light bodied wine, thin, tart, but great for food. I liked this one, but it just hit me as being a tad too simple - if found at the $13 range I'd say it's worth a shot, but at $20ish all I can do is say pass.

Score: 85

2007 45 North Pinot Noir

We visited 45 North over the summer and snagged a bottle because I found it to be well crafted and interesting – let's find out how it held up when tasted blind.

I normally don't mention color because I don't particularly see the relevance, but this is a very light Pinot Noir – it's perhaps only a shade or two darker than the some of the darker roses of the world.

A rather Burgundian nose – dirt, cola, even a tad of barnyard.

Light body, potent acid, raspberry dominates for fruit, though some cherry creeps in, all with a bit of cola and some herbal qualities. There's something here that I can't place, everything is light but there's this strange heaviness, something with the oak I'd guess, that gives it a unique dimension.

A herbal quality lingers on the finish – I'm going to call it at basil.

This review seems short, but only because this is one of those wines I got the notes down quickly and just enjoyed the rest of the bottle. $24 is nothing to sneeze at, but neither is a wine of this caliber. Here lies the bottle of a classy Pinot Noir from Michigan, my sole complaint is that I only bought one.

Score - 91

2007 Black Star Farms Arcturos Pinot Noir

This bottle retails for $25 through the winery. We tried this as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets!

Mostly cherry here on the nose with some very distinct earthy qualities - mud, rather than dirt.

Michigan Pinot Noirs are interesting, in a good way. I'd compare them somewhat to part New Zealand, part Pacific Northwest with a big dash of Burgundy thrown in. Definitely light in body, clear notes of strawberry with emphasis on the seeds, leaves, and even some stems - almost like an earthy strawberry tea. Maybe a light herbal or white tea with a bit of dirty strawberry jam mixed in. I do get a bit of sassafras, a hint of cocoa, and a dash of dirt, all with great acid and the slightest pinch of sugar. A good deal of funk but I'd definitely call this a mostly fruit driven wine.

More of that strawberry thing, but I'm also getting some raspberry notes.

$25 isn't cheap, so it depends on your budget, but compared to many Pinots we've had at this pricepoint, this is on par in quality.

This wine was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped. These facts do not intentionally cloud my description or rating, but full disclosure is a must.

Score: 87*

2007 Benton Lane Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

So, as you will notice, posting will be slightly less frequent - the goal is less wine, but better wine. Getting hit with an unexpected bill convinced me to do the only logical thing one should do - drink.

A very nice nose - chocolate, cola, cherry, blueberry,

Interesting - chocolate (maybe carob?), barnyard (maybe that's the carob hint on the chocolate), tobacco, cherry, black pepper, a decent amount of earth, and just a touch of green, sort of grape stemmy, almost minty kinda thing. The tannins are integrated very well - this is a nice, easy drinking, bottle to be sure. Another wine I refer to as dangerous since you can easily down it quickly and dig it, but a bit of time, a bit of air, and more than a bit of contemplation will pay off.

A reasonably lengthy finish of barnyard, cherry, and some mild menthol notes.

I'm quite digging this one and, quite frankly, am being forced to reassess my view of New World Pinot Noir. At $26 from the winery, this isn't a bargain, but it's more or less right. Don't get me wrong, I wish it was cheaper, but realistically speaking, if you want decent PN you gotta pretend you're looking for love - which means you gotta pay.

Score: 90

2007 Tohani Dracula's Blood Pinot Noir

Perfect for Halloween - Dracula's Blood. This was a gift, so I'm not sure of the price though I can't imagine a novelty thing like this hitting twenty bucks. Interestingly, there's another label called Orlok's Blood out there, but it violated copyright law and all bottles were to be collected and destroyed, only it had been distributed so widely it's already gained mainstream popularity.

A funky sorta thing on the nose - almost like a blueberry infused rootbeer thing.

This is described as an "Semi-Dry Red" - a designation I would typically avoid. However, it's dryer than your average cheap Australian and/or Californian plonk sold as legit wine. Everything about this wine is soft - tannins, acid, fruit, and earth are all present but all are very mild - a decent step above your Beaujolais Nouveaus. For fruit, it's mostly cherry and though I do get some RS, it's less than one would expect. A fine quaff - the more you sit and contemplate, the more some strange, slightly medicinal, things come through.

A bit of a Twizzler thing on the finish with some black pepper creeping in as well.

It's actually a rather acceptable offering for a kitschy label and a semi-dry - perhaps not a wine for daily drinking but a fine compromise for the average red drinker and those who prefer whites. I could see this working for Thanksgiving, actually, where you want something food friendly and not too complex.

Wine: 6
Value: Take it for what it is

2007 Bistro Pinot Noir

This is an eight dollar bottle of wine at Costco - we dug the 2006, so why not snag an 07?

Black pepper and cherry on the nose.

A big cola quality here which is thrilling to my palate. Cherry notes as well - a relatively "big" Pinot Noir, but fairly light on tannin and a reasonable amount of acid.

A white pepper quality as well as some dried Italian spices, cherry, plum, and clove.

Never had Pinot Noir? Want to try one that actually tastes like PN but don't want to spend a ton? Here you go. Somewhat heavier in body than you'd expect from France, but still superior to anything I've had coming out of the US for even twice the price. It's not the most complex bottle, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better Pinot Noir for under fifteen bones.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yes

2007 Fayette Estates (Mackinaw Trail) Pinot Noir

I grabbed this bottle from the wine rack and had no idea what it was until the fine print said "Produced and bottled by Mackinaw Trail Winery." An attempt to get more info didn't pan out and sadly I don't recall what I paid for this - it must've been less than $20.

Quite interesting notes on the nose - funk, earth, barnyard, maybe some strawberry.

Truly dumbfounding. Serve this to me blind and I'd tell you it's from Burgundy. Hell, I'm still not convinced I'm not hallucinating. Very light in body, with a funky, barnyard, spicy quality up front - basil, thyme, oregano show themselves. This is a predominantly earthy wine with only light fruit, strawberry for the most part.

A basil thing comes through on the finish as well as lingering strawberry.

This very well may be the most Burgundy like domestic Pinot Noir I have ever encountered. I'm not saying it's comparable to a top producer, but it's absurdly good (and not at all on par with my notes from the tasting room, which shows how subjective all this is).

Wine: 8
Value: Yes'm

2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Valley Reserve Pinot Noir

This goes for roughly $25, but I found it in an end of bin sale for half that. I debated buying more than one bottle, but didn't want to risk it.

Cherry on the nose, but also a fair amount of barnyard.

Light bodied with an excellent balance of fruit and earth. Cherry and strawberry mostly with a big dash of white pepper and a touch of cola....in fact, it's more than a touch, this is a wine with fairly big cola flavor, and if I may say so, that is a damn good thing.

More cherry and spice on the finish which is admittedly short.

Though this isn't the best PN we've had, it's clearly the best for what I paid and a worthy entry even at retail. I may have to hit up the shop again and see if there are more on clearance. An easy recommendation.

Wine: 8
Value: Yep

2007 Forty-Five North Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose

As soon as we left this winery and got on the road I began to doubt myself with buying this one - that is, only one - but we had other places to hit and the budget was being pushed as is. Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose - twenty bucks - regular ol' twist cap - the way you know it's sparkling is by the little bubbles. I wonder if they ever regret making it so subtle. I quite like it, myself, but people do tend to be, you know...dumb.

I found a review - a negative review - that I can only assume was discussing this bottle, but the person clearly did not realize this was a sparkler. Loosley quoted: "strong bubbles and fizz...not a good thing." That sorta is a good thing in this case.....and if it wasn't - that would be what we call a flawed bottle and an e-mail to the winery would be in order. I mean, really, do they just let any idiot publish wine reviews on the internets?

(and a chill filled the room.....)


Many wines we've consumed lately have been bringing stone fruit, which I fear is a 'palate rut' for me, but I'll be damned if this doesn't bring mostly nectarine on the nose.

Fairly heavy in body and somewhat light on bubbles. Cranberry, strawberry, and tart cherries on the palate with a touch of sweetness. There's some tannic structure here that's quite interesting, but I can see the whole heaviness here turning some people off - neither light nor crisp, though I do not consider that a flaw - this is, perhaps, the definitive sparkler for fall or winter.

More of that cranberry quality with even some interesting oaky notes (though I assume this hasn't actually seen oak) on the finish...almost a pinch of clove seems to come through.

A nice offering - well played - and somewhat unique. I dig it.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yep

2006 French Rabbit Pinot Noir

This was in the clearance bin for $5, I think it retails for around $10.

A cherry jam quality on the nose, maybe even cherry liqueur.

While there is some cherry present, this is potent with blackberry. There's a bit of white pepper here, some very very mild woody notes, not quite oak not quite cedar, and a nice bit of dirt. The tannins are present and well integrated. Quite good, especially from a box.

Ever so slightly tart blackberry lingers on the finish.

Easy drinking and simple? To be sure. Tasty and nicely balanced? I do believe so.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes