Obviously, I lied about the wine.
It'll be a weekly feature, okay, I love you, bye-bye!
Wines for today: Theme is Pinot Noir
Will drink again: Echelon 1998 Pinot Noir (light, fruity, smooth, with just a slight bite); the 1999 was good as well.
May drink again: Anapamu Pinot Noir (not as light, tart, rough finish)
Wouldn't serve to poor alcoholics: Gallo Sonoma Pinot Noir (dry, bland, weak nose, rough finish)
The Chalone group (producers of Echelon) produce some amazingly consistent Pinots. I think they're really among the best I've ever had (up there with Wilamette, which of course cannot be had in Hattiesburg). Anapamu used to be good, but the last few bottles I had were finishing very roughly, so I stopped.
The Gallo Sonoma wines I've always found disappointing: they're unrefined and overpriced, in my experience. This is a pity, since Gallo has produced a bunch of great winemakers and nice wines. But without exception, their pinot noir has been terrible, the four times I've tried it.
