Vino Keeno, The Grapevine for the Recreational Wino

Kris 2005 Pinot Grigio
$11.99

Wine label said:
Doesn’t say much! 2005 Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie.

Grape Lady says:
I really enjoyed this wine. Since I have been a confirmed Chardonnay fan and really never cared to drink a Pinot Grigio, this is quite a step for me. This is included in the Pinot tribute as all the various Pinots come from the same grape. This wine is light, bright and chock full of apple and pear flavors. It’s a great summer wine and just one tasty sipper. Think I’ll be off to explore more Pinot Grigios.

This review is a part of the Pinot Tribute described in this post.

Click here to buy Kris Pinot Grigio and other wines online.

2004 Sea Smoke ‘Southing’ Pinot Noir
$54.99

Wine label said:
Sea Smoke is the Pacific Ocean marine layer fog that covers our estate Pinot Noir Vineyards.This exceptional site features southern exposure, rich clay soils, low crop yields, and the cool microclimate of the Santa Ynez River canyon, producing the premium Pinot Noir grapes in this wine.

Grape Lady says:
This wine is rated really high, but the bottom line is that it is probably the best pinot noir we have ever had. Expensive…yes. Worth it….oh yes. It is very rich in flavor and is much bolder than most Pinots. Even with it’s strong character it retains a smoothness that is really wonderful. Search it out and splurge.

Thank you Grape Lady for submitting a spendy rooster-free Pinot Noir review!! This review is a part of the Pinot Tribute described in this post.

2003 Chehalem 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir
$26.99

Wine label said:
Chehalem (Chah-hay-lum), a local Native American word freshly translated “valley of flowers” captures a reverence for Oregon land. The wine is a blend of three estate vineyards.

Wine Doc says:
This fine Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a very smooth fruit forward wine. It leads with bright cherry flavors and is one delightful Pinot without the typical “dirt” taste of many Oregon Pinots. Drink this wine by itself or with many foods. We continue to buy it whenever we can find it.

This review is a part of the Pinot Tribute described in this post.

Craven & Lattin (CL) 2001 Pinot Noir
$37.99

Wine label said:
CL Wines produces limited quantities of fine wines from vineyard located within California’s North Coast. Most are bottled as appellation blends, but when it is warranted, small amounts of single vineyard wines are bottled under our names, Craven & Lattin.

Vineyard66 says:
This wine comes from the Sonoma Coast, which is rapidly becoming a “hot” area for really good Pinot Noirs. It also comes from the famous Kanzler Vineyard, which means it is one tasty wine. This is a big wine with lots of fruit and tannic structure. It has a nice long finish and is very enjoyable. It’s just darn good with anything and everything.

WebWino sidenote:
It would appear that this wine is not easy to find. The hunt for an image of the label on the internet proved to be fruitless. Due to the small amount of wine produced, I wish you better luck finding the actual bottle! UPDATE: Thanks to Vineyard66 for both the review and then following up with a picture of the label. Much obliged!

This review is a part of the Pinot Tribute described in this post.

Rex & Goliath California Pinot Noir
$11.99 (From the looks of it, I couldn’t gotten this for under $8. Grrrr.)

WebWino says:
Driven to try all the wines pictured in the article I ranted about a while ago, I picked up “the Giant 47 Pound Rooster” on a recent wine run. What I didn’t realize is that there are all flavors of wine under this label. No, I’m quite certain I assumed one rooster would be the same as the next. And you know what they say about making assumptions. Then go and mix that with big roosters… eesh… I shudder to think…

Per usual, I digress. Anyway, had I known I had a choice, I most likely would not have picked a Pinot Noir. I’ve noticed a trend with me being disappointed with Pinots (Huh, do you think it could be my crappy selections?). Regardless, Pinots have left me unsatisfied.

So, how was Rex & Goliath? Well, it had a bright color, but it was nothing spectacular. I made note of it going well with blue cheese, and that it improved with decanting. Otherwise, I can sum up my overall impression with a big fat: meh.

Sigh. I think it’s time I drink some spendy rooster-free wine.

This review came about as a result of this article and rant, as well as the Pinot Tribute mentioned in this post.

Click here to buy Rex & Goliath Pinot Noir and other wines online.

Pinot Evil Pinot Noir
$7

Wine label said:
Didn’t say much. It just had the three wise monkeys (See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil) pictured. Hence the name, Pinot Evil. Get it? Oh, and it is a French wine.

Rabbi Tuchman says:
Knowing WebWino’s enjoyment of fun labels, we bought this bottle purely for the clever name. We figured we had had treated ourselves to the innocent, so we should encourage balance and indulge in the evil as well.

However it is important to note that France does not grow too many pinot grapes, and that should give you a big hint about the fate of this bottle.

Sad to say, true was the label. EVIL! This Pinot had a very sharp bite and was compared to red mouthwash. The bottle was promptly dumped down the drain. My advice: Laugh at the label in the store and move on.

This review is a part of the Pinot Tribute described in this post.

2001 St. Innocent Pinot Noir
$16

Wine label said:
The 2001 Willamette Valley has a mix of red and black fruits with spice and hints of red flowers. Medium bodied and less complex than our single vineyard wines, it represents an excellent value. It was bottled in early June and continues to develop.

Rabbi Tuchman says:
This was a smooth pinot with good legs. Turned out to be a good bottle of wine for a summer night. We noticed and enjoyed hints of berries.

This review is a part of the Pinot Tribute described in this post.

Up until recently, I hadn’t given much thought to what it takes to become a sommelier, let alone a Master Sommelier. Apparently to achieve that lofty goal, you have to undergo a grueling set of tests that prove your mastery in wine, grapes, regions, tasting, serving… all things wine related. There are only 120 Master Sommeliers in the world. And of those 120, only 13 are women. Talk about an elite group.

Recently, my parents went to a wine tasting. Nothing earth shattering there. Sponsored by the Cleveland Wine School, it was called “Mastering Pinot Noir” and it was held at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. No big, right? Well, they learned “through the grapevine’ {wine humor} that there were five Master Sommeliers in attendance at this seemingly run-of-the-mill wine tasting. Think about it. Only 120 Master Sommeliers on the planet, and five of them attend the same wine tasting. Now that is out of the ordinary. (Especially for Cleveland… ZING!)

While they are seated and waiting for the meal to begin, a woman walked up and introduced herself and asked to join my parents and a few other couples at their table. Of course, normal operating procedure, right?

Turns out, the woman who joined their table was Madeline Triffon. She is a world famous Master Sommelier. She was the first female to ever achieve the rank of Master Sommelier in the US (second in the world). Even more impressive, she passed the test on her first try. Apparently the average is 2-5 attempts before passing. The reason why there were so many Master Sommeliers in attendance was because they all wanted to spend time with Madeline Triffon.

Not only did my parents get to know this lovely lady and talk about wine with her, they also got to be the proverbial “fly on the wall” for all the kibbitzing between Master Sommeliers, since they all came over to talk shop throughout the meal.

How awesome is that? They simply went out for a nice wine tasting, and whammo. They ended up rubbing elbows with the greats. Naturally, they learned lots of tidbits about wine (especially Pinots), and had a special occasion made even more special with Madeline Triffon’s presence. Wow. Lucky dogs.

In honor of my parents’ Pinot wine tasting with the greats, I have a handful of Pinot Noir reviews I’ll be posting soon. No, they don’t all qualify as greats, but at least they do make for a theme. Stay tuned.