Monthly Archives: May 2010

Here’s a quick review of a really reasonably priced Pinot. I was shocked at the value and quality for $14. Purchased from Wine Library, I’m hoping they get this back in stock as it hit the perfect balance of a wine worth drinking and one worth savoring. Here are my notes:

Very pretty scents of cranberry and sandlewood – a very distinct pinot smell and flavor. Some acidity and earthiness mixed from the beginning. Has cranberry and strawberry flavors. Earthy mushroom and tobacco intermixed. Good balance on the wine and a little acidity helps from making the wine have that candied fake taste that alot of the Pinots in this price range suffer from.

Yealands Pinot Noir

Overall this is an extremely well made wine for the price. I’ve not seen many pinots for $14 match this quality. The body and flavor plus the nose make this a good buy. My rating on this wine is a Brick Solid! I’d definitely go back for more.

It’s got to be raspberries! I’ve just finished another glass of the Pillar Box Red from 2007. This blended wine, which I purchased for around $12, is made up of Shiraz, Cab, and Merlot, and usually delivers a great wine for the price. This time is no exception. I’ve had the Pillar Box roughly 4 or 5 times over the last year or so. Each time it offers up soft approachable fruit, a little bit of tannins and a very drinkable wine that fits the budget. Its also not over the top which means you get a wine that has a little mineral qualities to go with the earthiness. Basically, the wine seems to have that little extra that makes you want to score it just a point or two higher.

Pillar Box Red

So back to raspberries – some wines tend to have flavors that remind you of fruits and other bits of nature. Then there are wines like this that actually taste like crushed up fruit, in this case raspberries. Big fruitiness upfront, and then there are the other components like tobacco, mushroom, and tea spices. The nose is fairly simple and straightforward. The finish is a decent length, and good grip and a decent amount of tannins to hold the flavor through. There’s a little bit of chocolate as well to coat those raspberries in and add a level of richness.

Overall, this wine really continues to deliver and its readily available at a decent price. I’ve got to score this on the high end of a Brick Solid. It’s a perfect wine for barbeque or for even a simple steak, but also good on its own. Enjoy!