If you follow this blog to any extent, you have come to realize that the Wine Witch has some pet peeves that I whine about at length. One of those themes is the lack of value priced Pinot Noir. I will stop that one now. Lately I have discovered several that are worthy of your consideration under our $15 price cap. The 2006 Calera Pinot Noir is one of these.
In the US, Oregon is considered one of the premier Pinot Noir regions. They do produce some excellent wine, but most of them go for more than $15. For good Pinot Noir at a reasonable price, the Central Coast of California is a good place to look and Calera is a consistent producer of the varietal. Calera has several single vineyard wines, but this is their basic offering which comes from six different sites.
The 2006 Calera Pinot Noir is on the rockem sockem end of the scale. I would not call it delicate, but it definitely faithful to the grape. It is a deep garnet with an almost opaque core. The nose is full of plums and cranberries. It begins with vibrant red fruit – raspberries, cherries, and plums. Throughout is a ribbon of almost French minerality and anise. There is a tannic backbone, but it does not overwhelm. It all comes together quite nicely and is very food friendly.
The Calera Pinot Noir would be a good choice for the red wine lovers on your Holiday list.
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