The wine geeks among us have many quests. One such quest is usually to find a really good under 420 Pinot Noir. They’re really hard to find and can be inconsistent from vintage to vintage.

After a few thoughts on my Pinot find how about more Pinot?

Gauthier Sonoma Coast 2008 Pinot Noir – Simply put, the Gauthier is one of the best under-$20 Pinots I have ever found.

It had really nice red berry fruit, a smooth, smoke, spice and a balanced feel in the mouth and moderate acidity. Pinot at the price point isn’t always a true representation of the grape but this one sure was. It even had a richness in flavor.

All too often $15 Pinot, give or take a couple bucks, can be flat, acidic, or tasteless. The Gauthier is none of those things.

Now a caveat, I picked this wine up on clearance for about $17 but it does normally retail for near $30. So perhaps this review should have an asterik.

But if you get to know your wine retailer, the proprietor is going to point out these great deals to their best customers.

Gauthier Sonoma Coast 2008 Pinot Noir, $17-$29, Highly Recommended.

Acrobat 2011 Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir – At the start of each summer I go on a Rose binge. I have explored Rose from different countries and different grapes since I got into the wine writing.

Unfortunately, too many people still see pinkish or off colored wine and think of white zinfandel. There is no better summer sipper than dry Rose.

I’m partial to the Provence region of France and their really great salmon-colored Rose. But I still like exploring. There is a lot of Rose made from Pinot. The Acrobat comes from critic favorite King Estate Winery in Orgeon.

The Rose is a bit darker than many but really packs a dry strawberry/cherry punch. It certainly has a bigger fruit component and bigger flavor than many Rose wines. But I liked the balance and bigger flavor. It held up to chocolate and salmon off the grill.

Acrobat Rose is pretty easy to find and generally $14-$15.

Acrobat 2011 Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir, SRP $15.00, Recommended.

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