I love Sonoma and Central Coast Pinot Noir because the QPR just cannot be beat. Some of the producers are truly outstanding, but I’m looking to explore more old world Pinot without breaking the bank. Is that possible anymore?
The majority that I have tried for under $100 have been deeply unsatisfying.
If you want to explore German Pinot a good way to sample is to get on F@ss list. He’s been a big promoter for years. You can buy singles, for the most part reasonably priced and build a case to try.
You beat me to it.
I’m not sure all are great values anymore, but I’ve enjoyed these from the Côte de Beaune for under $100.
Ramonet Chassagne Rouge
Bouchard Le Corton (maybe pushing $100 these days)
Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules
Simon Bize Savigny Aux Vergelesses
Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches (can sometimes find back vintages for ~$100)
Lafarge Volnay Vendages Selectionées
Francois Lumpp Givry 1er cru a vigne rouge
Although the Jadot and Drouhin mentioned above are even better .
thanks alot. will look into those wines. Mark
Hello, great topic. I always love tasting new Pinot.
I have a German Pinot Noir, all under $100 available here in the US which I import.
My personal favorite is Bettina Schumann 2018 Haute Volaute Pinot for $59 (minus Berserker discount :)).
https://tupetzwine.com/german-wine-shop/red/
Central Coast and Santa Barbara Pinots are really good too. One of my go to Pinots is Au Bon Climat, great value! Love the Knox Pinot.
https://aubonclimat.com/product/2020-pinot-noir-knox-alexander
Great tips. I may order some to try. I love some of the SLH pinots, especially from Roar, Pisoni, Lucia and Morgan. And El Lugar in SLO is amazing too. And what can one say about Sonoma, especially Sonoma Coast?
For Burgundy, I’d nominate Bruno Clair Marsannay lieu dit. I had several cuvées from them and it’s been hit and miss so you’d likely need to try a few cuvées across a few vintages, but when it hits, it’s really good. Les Grasses Tetes 2020 was phenomenal last year, showing much better than their MSD village, if you can find them. I found it to be more polished and gourmand side in the spectrum.
I also love Koji et Hwa but I doubt you can find them in the US, especially under $100.
Here you go!
The majority of German Pinots are under $100. The only problem is they can sometimes be hard to get because they are imported into the U.S. in small quantities.
And surely the other problem is that they might not appeal to someone whose palate is based on CA pinot noir!
For the OP, I would recommend speaking to your favorite retailer and seeing what they can offer. This thread is likely to turn into people listing wines they like, which may have no relation to your palate.
Although, one concrete suggestion we’re discussing in the Riesling/Spätburgunder threads is Thörle in the Rheinhessen, a warm part of Germany with very ripe wines.
That said, obviously the whole point of CA pinot noir is different from Burgundy/Spätburgunder. You could probably find some extra ripe and creamy anomalies from Europe that would suit your tastes. But at that point, you might just be better served focusing on the CA wines that you love.
Berthaut-Gerbet Fixin (especially Clos)
Dureuil-Janthial Rully En Guesnes
Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne
Fornerol Côte de Nuits Villages
Faiveley Mercurey Framboisiere, Clos des Myglands, or Clos du Roy.
Possibly. I do like red burgundy alot, but I am typically exposed to the really good ones through rather generous wine collector friends. And I like some of the CA and Oregon pinots which are less forward too. I tend to prefer that, though an occasional plush bottle is nice. I tend to buy nearly everything at auction these days, and buy very little retail, as I prefer some bottle age, and also prefer not paying full retail. Will look around for some of the suggestions here. thanks.
“Extra ripe and creamy” is no longer a given in California. Plenty of bright, focused wines coming out of the Sonoma Coast.
Fair enough. But the OP did say he finds much Burgundy to be ‘thin and insipid’, which suggests a different palate calibration.
Well there’s a lot of thin and insipid Burgundy - even some that costs a lot of money!
The reference to thin was in regard to many of the lower priced (under $100) examples I have tried. Certainly not to red burgundy in general, which I love.
So how about examples of Burgundies you love, and some that were in your words, thin. That always helps with providing counter examples.
Lecheneaut.