For some reason I find the name of this winery - a play on "connoisseur" - really annoying, but this wine was the surprise hit of the BBQ. Pinot noir is fashionable (particularly since the movie Sideways) but it is notoriously finicky. All too often an inexpensive pinot is thin, insipid and nonedescript. But not this one. This Cono Sur pinot (and it's not even their 'premium' 20 barrels line) has excellent pinot 'typicity' particularly on the nose, which has classic strawberry and cherry fruit with a touch of the earthiness that I enjoy in a pinot. It doesn't have great length or complexity on the finish, but so what. This is a young wine, meant to hit you up front, and it totally delivers on that front. Kathy, who's a big fan of Aus/NZ pinot, loved it - and would have given it a 91. I won't go that high, but maybe that's just because I know the price. But it would be good value at twice the price; for $13 it's fantastic. I've got a few fancy pinots I brought back from a vacation in Oregon, which is famous for its pinot. I'm going to have a tasting and slip this one in as a ringer. I'll be very curious to see how it stacks up. Kathy says: "Buy this one by the case."
Price: $12.79
Score: 89
Value: 5/5
Alcohol: 14%
Tasted: August 2008
ANBL UPC: 7804320753454
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Whoa, that wine was $13?! I thought it $20 and good value.
ReplyDeleteThe winemaker who developed this wine is Ed Flaherty who has since moved on to be Head Winemaker at the Souther Sun Wine Group (Tarapaca and others) via a stint at Errazuriz. Ed, a graduate of UC Davis, is one of only a few US winemakers working in Chile and has left a trail of great value wine has he goes from one winery to another. I am anxious to try his first vintage at Tarapaca (2008) when it comes available.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. I'm not entirely surprised that this wine would rate highly. I'm pretty diligent on trying to get bang for the buck and Chilean wines are usually pretty safe that way. I can't recall if we've had this particular one but I'll put it on the shopping list for tonight.
ReplyDeleteok so here i go. Is 2:30 on a Saturday a weird time for a tasting. I say no.
ReplyDeleteFirst on the nose was OAK! HOLY OAK I say. I try to get another fragrance but all I can come up with is slight aroma of cherry and a hint of vanilla.
On the palete..again cherry but not much else. I think this needs to breathe more. I am getting a lot of alcohol at first but nothing lingers on the palete. It seems a Cab style not Pinot at all. Still pretty good..bang for the buck for sure. I think its a great sipping wine. For a food pairing, I would be hard pressed to find food to bring out the flavors and not overpower them. Maybe a herb pork loin with cranberry chutney and mushroom risotto. :-) All in all. Niiice Saturday afternoon sipping wine. Good job. I'd give it 88 :-)
Not sure what to say that hasn't already been said. All four of us agreed that this definitely a bang for the buck choice. I would have been tempted to pair it but we had it without food. One of the comments was that this wine compares very favourably to Firesteed at almost $10 more.
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed a glass of this wine today with lunch. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteNorman, I tried this at a Christmas Party last week. It is a good thing I was driving because I would have had a few too many. I agree with the other comments that this is good value for the money. At that price, I was basically expecting something very light to the scent and the taste, however it had some complexities which made me want to drink some more. Ah well, I will go buy a bottle and try it at home. I like Michelle's comments of Holy Oak because that was also my impression.
ReplyDeleteHi Peanutman - welcome to the blog and thanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this wine. Particularly as there are so few light red wines on the market!!! I myself like lighter wines in most circumstances. I thought this was a nice 87-88pt wine. In the world of Pinot it is an outstanding value. And more and more pinot taste like merlot or shiraz; it's hard to find true to roots stuff like this.
ReplyDeleteAnyone have more suggestions for light bodied reds??
I'm having a hard time thinking of any reds besides pinot that are light bodied. Gamay maybe? I haven't had much Beaujolais that was memorable, but I can't say I've tried that many (and I don't like Beaujolais nouveau at all). Barbera is on the lighter side - medium bodied. The Fides is a great wine, but it's around $48 now.
ReplyDeleteMy best suggestion would be the Bodegas Norton Barbera. I thought it was excellent value at $13 - but there's not a lot left in the province.
You mention Beaujolais. There is something about them I really like (floral aspect I think), but have not had any that bring it all together. The best I had was the Louis Jadot Villages 'Combe aux Jacques' in the $20 price range which a did enjoy quite a bit. Will try some barbera - thanks.
ReplyDeleteI think you are on to something with Gamay- some of the Morgon and Moulin-a-vent are suppost to be special, my experiences have been more misses than hits. Some of the Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara wines might work, Valpolicella- the Bolla Le Poiane has been steady in the past at under $25.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice. I am a regular Le Poiane buyer, though recent vintages have not been as good as 5 years ago.
ReplyDelete