2009 Erath Pinot Noir Oregon
Anybody try this wine? $10.99 at Costco. Very soft, smooth and really quite lovely. An epic wine? no. Full bodied? no. Allocated? I hope not.
First night on P&P a great whiff of barnyard that quickly blew off. Soft fruit and a hint of earth. Night 2 actually improved a bit with a bit more aromatics. Night 3 more of the same. I would say this is the best $10 pinot I have ever had and I am going back for more. Varietally correct and not a flaw in sight.
“Some people can discern the difference between micro-oxygenated Pinot made in gigantic tanks filled with oak planks and those made the traditional Oregonian way; others can’t”
That guy wasn’t a jerk, he was a dick.
BTW - PItag I’m obligated to remove you as one of my favorite tasters in CT.
I remember this wine being closer to $20 last few years, wonder why the sudden price drop. Doesn’t taste spoofilated in any way, comes in screwcap. Great for those nights when you just want something simple but good, nothing too sophisticated.
Yep, agreed, nice qpr. Not vino di meditazione but definitely enjoyable. Another good one, IMO, is Josephine Dubois red Burg. Only $12 in my area, and consistently good, IMHO.
You guys are lucky to be able to buy the Erath at a Costo at that price, here in OH its $18 on sale. I drank several of the 2008 pinot and thought it very nice for the price (even here in OH) in comparison to some others from Oregon in that price range. One of the reasons I liked it was the earthy component you mentioned.
They may be clearing out inventory. The 2009 first came through the MA Costcos last May (at $13.99).
I have been enjoying this wine since the 2006, which I tried at a restaurant BTG on recommendation of a client from Oregon. Not a thought-provoking, terroir-infused wine, but clean, consistent, varietally correct and doesn’t feel like someone’s trying to turn up the volume on you.
I’ve been a fan of Erath’s Pinot for a few years now, but haven’t tried the 2009. I’ll have to keep my eye out for it, especially if the price drop occurred here in IL as well.
I had a glass of the 2010 in a restaurant here last night. Glass was $11… about par for the course for WBTG in Silicon Valley. However, the wine was really good and in fact I think it is the most truly Burgundy-like Pinot I’ve had from the US (admittedly I have very little experience with Oregon). It has a nice earthiness to it but true Pinot character, and no fluff. It drinks like a good Bourgogne PN and at retail I think it would be among the few best Pinots I’ve had for the price.
Today I was at an event at Wente Vineyards and one of the wines we tasted was their Reliz Creek Pinot Noir, which is in the same price range. There couldn’t be a larger gap between these two wines: The Wente had a sniff of Pinot fruit but mostly oak, and on the palate it was a pretty generic red wine. Wines like that really make me appreciate those like the subject of this post.