Kenwood Russian River Pinot Noir 2009

Pinot Noir is just the best isn't it? I'd drink daily if I could, but let's face it, it's cost prohibitive. Good Pinot in my cellar runs $40 plus per bottle. I really wanted to find a daily drinker Pinot but hadn't until now found one I liked.

Kenwood's 2009 Pinot Noir Russian River now fills my void. This is a full, somewhat spicy and fruity wine that has a bit of complexity. This impresses me as a bottle which should be over $20, but it's quite a bit less than that.

10% of the grapes went through fermentation in stainless, and all of it saw 11 months in "newer" oak. Not bad for a sub-$15 bottle! Thus, we purchases a case.

From Kenwood's notes:

"Sixty-two percent of the grapes were grown on estate vineyards. A small amount of Syrah was added to the final blend to supply additional body and complexity."

"This vintage of our Pinot Noir serves up a delicious array of cherry and fresh fruit flavors, combined with spicy notes and smooth tannins that make for an exceptionally enjoyable wine."

T-Scale 89 points. Cellartracker community average - 89.9. Price $13.99 per bottle. Hot deal for daily drinking Pinot Noir.

Hanna Bismark Mountain Merlot 2000

After nine days of winery tours in Napa, Sonoma, and Anderson Valley, this is the first of the wines I shipped home to get uncorked. Hanna Winery is located in the Alexander Valley close to Silver Oak and Alexander Valley Vineyards. Our tasting at Hanna was well done by a friendly staffer who offered us library selections as well as current releases.

Most of you know that I'm not usually a Merlot lover, but there are some exceptions. Some Merlot (think Petrus, Cheval Blanc) has structure and long cellar ability. Some Merlot comes off flabby, gritty, and too jammy and fruity. I'm not quite at the "Miles Raymond" feel for Merlot, but I do poo poo it often.

Hanna's Bismark Merlot approaches this often overdone varietal with the structure I like in a long-term wine. As a bonus, we were able to sample the 1994, 1995, 2000, and current release from the same vineyard. There was a bit of life left in the 94, more still in 95, but the 2000 was the winner. The tannin subsided leaving smooth blackberries and dust on the nose. No harsh tannin remained on the palette and no flab or jam remained. What remained was one of the best Merlot-based wines I've tried. My only regret was not buying more of these.

The library wines are out of Hanna's cellar and ready for you to buy at a big discount! Instead of hiking up the price, they've lowered the price of the library selections. I'm going to get a few more of these before they're gone. They're drinking very well right now.

http://www.hannawinery.com/