Old School Pinot Noir at a New School Price

Fast facts:

2023 Valle de Inez Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, CA ($9.99* @ Costco, California – Item #1374624)

*Net price after $8 in store discount

Long time readers may recognize this wine as we have featured it previously and suggested pairing it with your Thanksgiving feasts.

The search for “legit” Pinot Noir for under $20 is a perilous journey.  One must endure mega-purple infused “Franken-wine”, faux oak finished frauds and just plain bad bottlings of inferior fermented fruit. Often times, fruit from the wrong places for this fickle grape. This wine is a refreshing change, and thanks to the frequent Costco discount, your net price is – more often than not – a cool $10 out the door.

In reviewing Vivino reviews for this wine, I came to appreciate how the aforementioned bogus Pinot Noirs have begun to shape how consumers expect Pinot Noir to taste.  Their palate and perspectives dulled by impostor Pinots, many criticized this wine for not being heavy enough.  People!  This is how Pinot Noir is supposed to taste. The best, truest expressions of this noble grape are elegant, restrained, and – dare I say – feminine.

Watch this clip from Sideways and call me in the morning.

Yep, this is the third vintage we have reviewed.  This wine is remarkably consistent and consistently delivers a remarkable QPR.

Tasting Notes:

Pours a nice clear cherry red with a clear rim, showing its youth. Lilac, damp earth and tobacco on the nose.  In the mouth, it’s a melange of red fruits including black cherry, strawberry and cranberry. There’s also a familar line of stony, earthy minerality on the palate.  Nicely balanced finish of bright acidity, red fruit and black-pepper spice flavors.  Pair with grilled salmon or chicken, lean red meats or soft cheeses.  ABV = 14%

 

Need More Wine Picks from Costco – or Trader Joe’s Even?

If your wine shopping excursions land you in Costco, prepare by grazing our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list.

Availability of wines varies by the location of the Costco store.  This is less true of Kirkland Signature branded wines. Most of our featured wines come from Costco stores in Southern California. It you want to determine if a particular wine is in stock at your local store, there is a new feature on the Costco app you are going to like.  It enables you to enter the “Item Number” we associate with every Costco wine (see above) that is featured as our Wine of the Week. You’re welcome.

And if your shopping finds you at Trader Joe’s, you can find our Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine here.

Remember as alway, let us know if you find something you think we should know about.  We will give you a shout out in our review for “sniffing it out” for us.

Cheers!