Rodney Strong was one of the pioneers in the Russian River Valley to venture into growing Pinot Noir. In 1968 he planted the first vines, and as the saying goes, the rest is history. The Russian River Valley is world renown for the Pinot Noir wines that come out of this spectacular region. The 2010 Rodney Strong Russian River Valley Pinot Noir has a wonderful silky mouthfeel to it, and the color in the glass is a beautiful ruby red. The aromas of this wine are of cherries, red berries, with a touch of floral. The flavor profile is of cherries, red raspberries, a slight hint of cola, spice, and a soft vanilla flavor is present from the oak. This Pinot Noir is very smooth and easy to drink, it has good balance, and finishes with soft tannins.

Jon

 
Recently Pinot Noir’s have been my wine of choice, and to be honest with you I’m not sure why, since I truly enjoy big, bold reds. So I came across the 2010 Mark West Pinot Noir from California, and this was my first go-around with a wine from the Mark West Winery. My first impressions of this wine were not real favorable, but after a bit I started to enjoy what this Pinot brought. The aromas were of red berries, cherries, an earthiness, and spice. The flavors followed what the nose brought, with strawberries, red raspberries, cherries, cola, wood, and cooking spices at the end. This is an inexpensive Pinot, priced at just under $10, but it drank like a more expensive wine with a nice silkiness to it. One that I would recommend, with an affordable price tag.

Jon

Cellar No. 8 is produced at the historic Asti Winery located in Sonoma, California, which was founded in 1881. Today the Asti Winery is owned by the Australian company, Foster’s. I recently was grilling pork chops one evening, and decided to give this affordable wine a try. In the glass the Cellar No. 8 Pinot Noir had a nice ruby red color to it, and the aromas were of cherries, red berries, a definite earthiness, followed by a nice spice. The flavors associated with this wine are of cherries, a hint of strawberries, mushrooms, leather, cola, a touch of wood, and a nutmeg finish. This was an easy to drink Pinot Noir, with soft tannins and smooth finish. While not a high-end Pinot by any means, it was a good drinking wine at a reasonable price, and yes it did go quite well with the grilled pork chops.

Jon

The home for Blackstone Winery is Sonoma, California, but they they select grapes from throughout the wine regions of California for their Winemaker’s Select 2010 Pinot Noir. This Pinot is actually a red blend using three different grape varieties, with Pinot Noir being the predominant, followed by Syrah and Petite Sirah which gives the wine a more rounded body and taste. The aromas are of red berries, cherries, earthiness, smoke, and spice. The flavor profile is of red berries, cherries, smoked bacon, cola, mushrooms, smoke, a hint of vanilla, and ends with a touch of nutmeg. For the affordable cost of this wine (under $10), it is approachable and easy to drink, but also complex enough to be paired with grilled wild game, lamb, or cedar-planked salmon.

Jon