Local wine shop (Champane’s) has 2009 Beringer Pinot Noir Napa on sales for $8.99, reg $25. Bargain! But they have about 20 cases of the stuff, so before I bring home a case, I figure that I can try a bottle and be back for more. Good thing. Looks like Pinot, maybe a little dark. Smell… pleasant, blackberry stands out. Taste… jammy, plums, muddled cooked fruit, hot, a mess. Really doesn’t taste like Pinot Noir. Maybe more like an overcropped central coast Zin. OK, it’s not a good Pinot, but is it a good $8.99 wine? Not even. For under $10, there are better Spanish wines, better Southern Italian, better closeouts. Better wines on the shelf at Trader Joes. Heck, Castle Rock is under $10 a Costco, and it’s not bad Pinot Noir. BTW 14.3% alc. Can’t find any info online, Beringer doesn’t even recognize any Pinot Noirs on their website. An experiment gone wrong?
This is mostly just an impression and not based on extensive tasting, but the nominal pinot noir side project of major Napa wineries (BV, Mondavi, Beringer, etc.) seems like an afterthought. Maybe just a way for them to realize a bit of the demand of customers of their brand for a pinot noir. Napa is a poor spot for pinot noir generally, as well, IMO.
No fakery. Just some generic bulk Pinot plonk the make to generate cash flow. Beringer makes more money on White Zin and other generic plonk than on all the other labels combined. They do make a decent single vineyard Pinot from the Stanly Ranch vineyard, but I have never seen that below $25.
I meant to say that I was on the website to see where the grapes came from as I assumed Carneros, but I guess I’ll never know.
No surprise here…
I’m pretty sure Sbragia once said that it was the income from the white Zin than enabled him to make the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
I believe that it’s all about maximizing shelf space dedicated to your product. Visibility across the aisles of a store is going to improve the odds of a sale…
Q: When is a bargain not a bargain?
A: When you don’t like it and won’t consume it.
I say the same thing to my wife about buying groceries just because they’re on sale - if you end up throwing it out, it’s still a waste of money.