“Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts,” Holy Bible, Ecclesiates 30:18-19.
I’ve always been madly in love with both Pinot Noir and Burgundy in every machination, from Italy’s humble Cavit to the brash beauties from California and Oregon. Whenever I pass one in one of our better wine shops like Consumer Outlet Beverage in Hales Corners, Downer Wines, Piggly Wiggly, Sendik’s or Waterford Wine, I find myself twitching to grab my wallet to greedily snag it.
Pinot Noir is fetchingly comfortable on the patio or with roasts, barbecued steak or, for the more daring of us, even with a marvelous Thanksgiving turkey and its tumbling trimmings (cranberry sauce excepted – a disaster in the making).
Recently, I noted that I had brashly and feverishly bagged a few Pinot Noirs that warranted a Slug Fest. In every case, I spent fewer than $25 for each contender (The Cavit was a more modest $5.99-$7.99, depending upon the store). As usual, I’ve graded my selections on my typical “A”-“F” scale:
1. Argyle 2007, Wilamette Valley, Ore: Pale brick hue with warm and inviting notes of flowers and berries with light to medium depth. Lightly fruity middle with a slightly astringent finish. B+
2. Au Bon Climat 2008, Santa Barbara, Calif: This cooler growing area with gentle Pacific influences is home to many solid Pinots like Sanford. This candidate had a light ruby color with medium body and a medium-intense nose with hints of cherries. It had a nice but somewhat shallow middle and a slightly acidic finish. B
3. Cambria, Julia’s Vineyard 2008, Santa Monica, Calif: A dark ruby robe combined with a medium to heavy body evolved into a deep, rich and promising nose. Nicely bright fruit with a clean and classy finish. Dandy and rich! A
4. Cloudline 2007, McMinnville, Ore. Made by Veronique Bas-Drouhin, who regularly jets back and forth betwixt Domaine Joseph Drouhin in Burgundy, France, and Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, this is the latter’s second label and, I feel, a comparative value at around $16.99-$19.99, depending upon the retailer. I found this to have a light ruby color with medium body. On the palate, it subtly strutted good fruit with nice depth and a clean finish bordering on elegant. A-
5. Cavit 2007, Italy: With a medium purple color and light fruit and body, this was slightly fruity with a pleasantly light and refreshing depth. The wholesaler informed me that Cavit exports more than one million cases of this candidate to the states annually. Not bad! B
A fun tasting, with the winner being Cambria, closely followed by Cloudline.
For price/value, Cavit was a clear winner.
To fun with wine!
