After anyone finds out what I do for a living I often hear "Wow - it must be great getting to try all that wine." And for the most part it is. However, we try a lot of wine it can be exhausting sifting through the subpar wines to find the gems. I often say we have to kiss an awful lot of frogs to find that Prince(ss) Charming.
Great Pinot Noir can be especially difficult to discover because when it's good it's great, but when it's not it can be dreadful.
Below are my top six Pinot Noir Prince(ss) Charmings. Three from California and three from New Zealand:
CALIFORNIA
2005 Roessler Peregrine Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir - 91 DS - $19.99/ bottle: Now we knew the Roessler name already and we hadn't carried many of their wines due to the limited production (700-800 cases) but landed this one and some of their 2007s. This is one of the best Californian Pinot Noir deals we've ever had.
2007 Holdredge Wines Pinot Noir Wren Hop - 92 ST - $38.95/ bottle: In the interest of full disclosure, the 2007 Californian Pinots are a pretty safe bet. But again we've never carried Holdredge before so this one was a bit of a question mark. No question about it - this wine rocks!
2007 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Chenoweth Ranch - 93 WS - $39.99/ bottle: Another safe bet that turned quickly into a must get! The Wine Spectator review says it all perfectly, "Intense, rich, ripe and vibrant, showing loads of blackberry, wild berry and raspberry fruit, with floral and spicy scents. Full-bodied, balanced, deep and persistent..."
NEW ZEALAND
2006 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir - 92 RP - $39.99/ bottle: A classic "charming" winner. When we first tried this at one of our internal tastings, it was fantastic. "Get 50 cases!" I said. And we did but now we're down to less than seven. A great, great wine.
2007 Momo Pinot Noir Marlborough - 90 WS - $19.99/ bottle: The secret of how great New Zealand Pinot Noir can be has been out for some time now, but thankfully the prices haven't caught up with the hype. Another "Hey, try this and let me know what you think." Very fruit forward but with plenty of backbone and a lush finish.
2008 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough - 91 WS - $14.95/ bottle: Could be the best deal we've ever had for any Pinot Noir ever. Oyster Bay was known for their great Sauvignon Blanc and as far as I'm concerned they're now known for their great Pinot Noir - get this one by the case!! Charming from start to finish and great with grilled everything. This one goes down by the bottle not the glass!