Just when I thought I'd end my Halloween Wines I stumble upon this irresistible Pinot Noir. Sorry!
Vampire Napa Valley 2010 Pinot Noir, $11.99, 84 points, was not a treat, at least not for me (price was good).
The Vampire PN was as much a disappointment as their Merlot was a pleasant surprise.
This wine had a typical PN color of cranberry to ruby-red, the aroma is spicy cherry with unpleasant rubber hints, and the flavor is easily summed-up as a sweet, tangy, and syrupy-red cherry. This Pinot Noir did improve a bit with air.
Index-of-reviewed-wines
Copyright 2011 Dennis Tsiorbas. All rights reserved
Dennis, for $11.99 I wouldn't mind drinking an 84 I suppose. Although I have trouble with any wines described as syrupy and sweet. Sounds a bit sickening, actually.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you reckon is the best wine that you've ever had in this price range?
Ben, I would say the following three fit best-ever wines in the $12.oo range; now remember that I sometimes ferret out wine deals that are not so ordinary: the Boarding Pass was two price reductions and the Kenwood was purchased by mistake and sold as a non-inventory sale.
ReplyDeleteKenwood Jack London Vineyard Merlot 2004, $9.50, 91 points
Boarding Pass 2007 Shiraz, South Australia,$8.99, 91 points
Banfi 2009 San Angelo Pinot Grigio, $12.74, 93 points
I saw this last one (2010 vintage) for $11.99, but you might want to remember that when I tasted this wine I had little to compare it to; my score reflected my pure enjoyment of this 2009 Pinot Grigio.
That is a symptom of wine appreciation without a deep knowledge and experience of wine, a topic I should talk about in greater depth.