Three Pinot picks to start the new year
How about three Pinot picks that are delicious, ready to drink, have good QPR and are affordable to kick off the new year? Davis Bynum Russian River PN 2010, 90 points, priced under $30 is in its drinking window 2013-17. It came on at $28, dropped to $24 and has recovered to $28 after winning a slew of medals, but it’s still a fair QPR. Raspberry aromas with spice hints open to more raspberry, caramel and cinnamon toast. It finishes silky with more cinnamon and some clove notes.
Rodney Strong Russian River PN 2011 won double gold at Cali St. Fair and gold at Critics Challenge in L.A. plus a slew of silvers. Nevertheless, the critics only awarded an 88-point rating, and the wine is still selling at its entry point. Lucky for us. I say 91 points and buy all you can drink, priced under $19. Smart shoppers who buy cases should be able to grab some under $220. Pretty garnet color, bright fruity perfume with pie spice and cherry flavors with a smidgeon of oak and a healthy tannic backbone. Just entering its window.
The 2009 is also quite good and may be easier to locate. Cherry and cola aromas open to more cherry, cola and tea on the palate with a juicy, spicy finish. Finally, Cupcake Vineyard Central Coast PN 2012 is a very good. Usually Cupcake rates 82-84 points, and you can find it priced well under $10. The writers rarely waste their ink. However, when the 2012 won a gold at San Fran Chronicle and a silver at San Fran Internationale in the under-$19.95 class, they all jumped onto the bandwagon and drove the price from $9 up to $12. The brouhaha has ended, and Cupcake has dropped back into the under-$10 range. If you are one who uses PN as the house wine, load up.
Cupcake Vineyards, by the way, is an interesting, relatively new concept. These folks produce wine from vineyards located worldwide. For example, the PN and Chard are Central Coast from Cali, the Shiraz is Barossa Valley in Australia, Mosel Riesling from Germany and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from Australia. I have sampled all and only recommend the PN 2012. The rest of theirs would probably fall under the rubric of last week’s column on Aussie plonk and conglomerates glomming your cash.
How about a Kobal Blaufrankisch 2012 from Slovenia? This should challenge your wine store pal, but the right person would enjoy the search. It has a complex nose of pepper, tobacco, brown spices, hazelnut, maple syrup, and subtle oak. On the palate chewy texture, balanced acidity with firm tannic structure supporting black cherry, blood orange, currants, damp earth and juniper. Finishes long. Named Francovna Cma in Slovenia, the producers named it Blaufrankisch, which is German but the varietal grapes are usually found in Austria. Go figure! The wine was sent to me as a sample, and the suggested price was $14. Exceptionally well made. I rate it 91 points, two of which are price points.
While I’m writing of lesser-known wine, how about a Pazo Senoran Albarino Rias Baixas Spain 2013? Bright yellow colored, it opens to nectarine, orange and almonds, with a hint of anise. On the palate citrus, nectarine and white peach ride a crisp acidic frame. The mineral-driven finish revisits the licorice flavors found in the nose. Tanzer rated it 91, which brought it to my attention. I bought a bottle for $24 and enjoyed it. I say 92 points; Mr. Tanzer is a point tightwad.
Be careful on the Freemark Abby Merlot 2012, which Parker rated 92 points and waxed eloquent about. The wine is indeed delicious; however the RP effect drove the price into the mid-$20s. The 2008s were hyped by Wine Enthusiast at 94 points, and the price dropped later from $28 to $21. The 2012 prices are already starting to decline. Keep you powder dry but keep them on your to-buy list. A proper price would be less than $20/bottle and about $220/case.
