381640 Fri Mar 16 03:34:46 -0700 2007 57 34 Wine 0 2391307 Looking for light PN but layered with flavor under $15. I love Firesteed but hard to find. Anyone had Esser Cellars? Fri Mar 16 03:34:46 -0700 2007 19281 2top 1 2391447 Sadly a lot of the "go to" wines of the past have slowly, inexorably crept above the $15 mark . . . Saintsbury "Garnet," Benton Lane, Carneros Creek, etc. and now all $5 higher or more. Depending upon where you live, you may be able to find some négociant Pinot Noir in and around the $15 mark (I'm thinking Joseph Drouhin Lafôret as an example), but your price point is a bit low for many French Bourgogne Pinot Noirs. This is one area where California does offer a wider selection than France. Look for these (listed alphabeticaly): Castle Rock "Monterey," Chalone "Monterey," David Bruce "Central Coast," Fleur de Carneros, Kali Hart "Monterey," Ramsay "California," and don't overlook Gallo of Sonoma. All of these are available for $15.99 or less. (I cheated by a buck!) Haven't tried Esser. Sorry. Fri Mar 16 06:09:38 -0700 2007 2391307 28122 zin1953 2 2392794 Where have you bought a David Bruce "CC" for 15.99 or less...........doubt it very seriously............all the others for sure............ Fri Mar 16 12:36:20 -0700 2007 2391447 66179 jonathon 3 2393703 BevMo has it on their website for $15.99. (Why would I make this up?) Fri Mar 16 17:09:47 -0700 2007 2392794 28122 zin1953 1 2392304 Wow, this is a tough call! Personally, I don't think it's possible to find anything worth drinking under $15. I have yet to taste a Castle Rock that I liked, but the Chalone is a good rec. One of the best values I've ever had was Rex Hill, from Oregon's praised Williamette Valley. Fri Mar 16 10:43:55 -0700 2007 2391307 74451 vinosnob 2 2393711 FWIW, I've had some quite nice Castle Rock Pinots, and some that were -- well, let;s say "less than quite nice." Rex Hill does fit into the price range and another good option. Fri Mar 16 17:12:01 -0700 2007 2392304 28122 zin1953 1 2392317 I agree. I just can't reccoment anything under $15. However, in the upper teens, Saintcbury Garnet and La Crema Sonoma Coast are both fine choices. Fri Mar 16 10:47:35 -0700 2007 2391307 50041 whiner 1 2392881 Au Bon Climat makes a nice pinot in the $17 range that is nice if you lay it down for a couple of years. To unstructured to drink it young. It's not that light, though. The Faiveley bourgnone is nice and it's around $16 locally. It might be light enough for you. Fri Mar 16 13:00:35 -0700 2007 2391307 11117 SteveTimko 1 2393091 A friend put me on to Sticks (Australia) pinot from the Yarra Valley. Prices seem to vary considerably - sometimes into the high teens - but I can get it from a local store in NJ for $11.99. The Sticks web site seems to be screwed up, so try this one..... http://www.clickwinegroup.com/cwg/portfolio_sticks_pinotnoir_04.php Fri Mar 16 13:59:46 -0700 2007 2391307 57768 ambrose 1 2393102 I like Angeline Pinot Noir...I can usually get it for $10 per bottle. Fri Mar 16 14:01:38 -0700 2007 2391307 21245 sarahbeth 2 2393154 Where do you buy Angeline for $10.00.............?? Fri Mar 16 14:13:54 -0700 2007 2393102 66179 jonathon 1 2393268 Mark West $10 Fri Mar 16 14:43:06 -0700 2007 2391307 14640 Sobe 2 2400019 I also love Mark West pinot noir...recently found a bottle for $8.99. Mon Mar 19 10:07:47 -0700 2007 2393268 11983 Val 2 2419284 After I bought Mark West, I was amused to note that this wine is French - Corsican to be more exact! Sun Mar 25 12:21:09 -0700 2007 2393268 57768 ambrose 1 2394084 Here is New England, Angeline is $9.99 in the liquor store. So is Castle Rock as well as other mentioned above. Fri Mar 16 20:10:17 -0700 2007 2391307 21245 sarahbeth 2 2982741 Hi Sarabeth - I had some Angeline Pinot Noir in the Santa Ynez Valley, CA a couple of years ago and was blown away by it. Did I buy a case? No. Now I can't find any. Are you aware of a web site where I could by a case or two? Thanks - Rocketeer Thu Sep 27 12:10:04 -0700 2007 2394084 130499 Rocketeer 1 2394232 www.chowhound.com/topics/372601 Fri Mar 16 21:41:40 -0700 2007 2391307 10520 carswell 1 2395209 Agustino Special Reserve Pinot Noir (Chile!) for $9.99. Shockingly good for the price. Sat Mar 17 12:25:41 -0700 2007 2391307 27748 rruben1 1 2395276 Estancia Beringer Gallo All inexpensive. Sat Mar 17 13:02:00 -0700 2007 2391307 48366 ChefGirl412 1 2395325 I'm not a wine expert, but I do drink wine on occasion, and I like Pinot Noir, so I've tried a fair number. My (not entirely scientific) observation is that there are excellent Pinots Noir made in California as well as in France, but that equivalently-good PN from California costs at least half again as much as that from France (in California, of all places), and that French PN is usually acceptable regardless of price (I've had bottles in the $7-10 range that were fine) whereas California PN is often not very good if it's much under $20. I regret that my memory for brands / vineyards / Chateaux is terrible, partly because I don't speak any French. Of course it is critical to buy your wine from a place that stores it properly. Sat Mar 17 13:25:21 -0700 2007 2391307 56081 HPLsauce 1 2395353 if you want to go with a california Pinot that won't break your bank account, I would suggest Husch, from Mendocino, and excellent wine that's very food friendly and you can find for under $15 in most places. Another option would be to go to a Santa Barbara Pinot like Sanford, also good and not ridiculously expensive. The russian river pinots like Dehlinger (forget the Garnet unless you want a very light style) have gotten way overpriced in my opinion, due to the hype. Sat Mar 17 13:35:24 -0700 2007 2391307 74192 chuckl 2 2395504 Sanford Pinot Noir for 15 bucks?????? Please let me know where you got thaat for that price please................. Sat Mar 17 14:56:24 -0700 2007 2395353 66179 jonathon 3 2395597 Let me know too!! $29-$30 where I live (NJ) though if I'm willing to drive 50+ miles round trip I can get it for $22. Sat Mar 17 15:43:05 -0700 2007 2395504 57768 ambrose 3 2410083 Jonathon, I think you're shopping at the wrong liquor stores!!!! I had a really lovely Pinot Noir for $15 it's Laetitia. And Jonathon, if you're wondering where I got it for that price.....it was Gasbarro's Wines on Atwells Ave, Providence RI. Thu Mar 22 05:47:25 -0700 2007 2395504 13807 JaneRI 4 2410797 I live in NYC.............Brother-in-law runs a fine-wine shop in Manhattan............. some of the prices some people mention on here are just plain bogus........... Sanford costs 19 wholesale............and your mentioned wine is 15 wholesale..........everybody discusses these prices as if those are what you can find them everywhere for...........and who can throw out a lower price........ and lots of vague statements trying to sound authoritative..........only opinions that are credible are people like zin, cars,and others..........IMO Thu Mar 22 09:34:40 -0700 2007 2410083 66179 jonathon 5 2410837 Jonathon, Laws vary widely from state to state. The WHOLESALE prices vary widely from state-to-state. Therefore, the RETAIL prices vary widely from state-to-state. Take your pick: it's EITHER some grand conspiracy where people are getting together to quote what you seem to think are low-ball prices, OR people are merely quoting the prices they pay . . . Having worked in the wine trade for 35+ years -- as an importer, wholesaler, retailer, sommelier, as well as for wineries in both production and the front office -- I've *often* seen one state's retail equal another state's wholesale price. Thu Mar 22 09:46:11 -0700 2007 2410797 28122 zin1953 6 2424583 You want to see low wine prices...check out Florida or California. The prices paid in those states is completely different than the rest of the world. The cost of shipping and freight, state and local taxes, as well as state laws forcing standard mark-ups or laws that allow wines to be sold below invoice price all help determine the price of the wine. I work for a high end Napa Valley winery and I can tell you our wine retails anywhere between 125.00-225.00 depending on the state. Tue Mar 27 06:47:03 -0700 2007 2410837 62812 chickstein 7 2424694 And I am sure, chickstein, that doesn't include the secondary market. Tue Mar 27 07:28:06 -0700 2007 2424583 28122 zin1953 8 2424907 You are so right. I didn't even get into quantity purchases. Tue Mar 27 08:24:51 -0700 2007 2424694 62812 chickstein 5 2411253 Hey Jonathon.....I gave the name of the RETAIL wine shop where I paid $15 for Laetitia pinot noir....I'm no wine expert....maybe it's a different vintage from the one you know or something like that? I don't know what to tell you except call Gasbarro's in Providence at 401.421.4170 and ask them what they charge. Or if you give me some time I could dig up the receipt.....it was for a work function (Gasbarro's rec - I had never heard of it), so I had to expense it out - the receipt is sitting in a file cabinet in Acct right now. Thu Mar 22 11:21:31 -0700 2007 2410797 13807 JaneRI 5 2471504 Last spring, Crossroads Wines on 14th St. in Manhattan was selling 2002 Sanford Pinot for either $14.99 or $15.99. I couldn't believe it. I asked them how this was possible, and the clerk just smiled and said "we buy in bulk". Best price to quality ratio for pinot I've ever seen. Wed Apr 11 13:38:09 -0700 2007 2410797 19098 equinoise 3 2479613 Why are you so hornery? Are you the price police? Add value, not attitude. Fri Apr 13 19:34:25 -0700 2007 2395504 75494 FDawson 1 2396019 I've paired the Firesteed PN with my wife's NO-influenced cuisene on many occasions, though not lately. In CO, it was easily available, but I have not seen it in AZ. Back then, it was in the US$15/btl. range, so I would assume that it was more expensive nowadays. That said, I do not think that I have had a <US$15 PN, in the last Sat Mar 17 19:21:19 -0700 2007 2391307 11329 Bill Hunt 1 2396663 O'Reilly's PN is around $15 and is consistently very good - excellent. I think there is fairly wide distribution of it as well. Sun Mar 18 06:51:53 -0700 2007 2391307 50082 TonyO 1 2397291 Thanks for the leads. I am checking them all out. Has anyone got an opinion on Acacia or Talus PN. I see them here at $10. Sun Mar 18 12:10:34 -0700 2007 2391307 19281 2top 2 2398167 That is a GOOD price for the Acacia. At Costco (AZ), it normally runs ~US$25. It's our house PN, and I find it drinks well in its youth, plus gains some complexity with a few years of cellaring. It's a fruit-forward (typical CA) PN, that likes food with some heft to it. It is not a real fruit-bomb, though it is also not a Burg-style PN. If you can get it for $10, I'd say to buy a case of it. If you have a cellaring option, it'll hold up to several years, getting more subtle and more nuanced, as time goes by. Hunt Sun Mar 18 17:39:13 -0700 2007 2397291 11329 Bill Hunt 2 2411973 A by Acacia or the Carneros? And what vintage? I can find A by Acacia for about $14 but the Carneros is routinely $20+. Thu Mar 22 14:15:52 -0700 2007 2397291 57768 ambrose 3 2418976 I'm not familiar with the "A." The price was for the Carneros. It is routinely in the US$20-25 range. I just picked up a half-case and it was $22.99. Hunt Sun Mar 25 10:02:40 -0700 2007 2411973 11329 Bill Hunt 4 2419277 If you go to the Acacia web site, you'll see that this winery makes several pinots. The two most often seen in stores are the "A by Acacia" and the one you recently purchased. I'm pretty sure the $10 Acacia mentioned above is the "A". BTW, you got a pretty decent price for the Carneros. I've seen it as high as $28. You should look for the "A" and let us know how it compares to the Carneros! Sun Mar 25 12:19:09 -0700 2007 2418976 57768 ambrose 5 2420115 I'll keep my eye out for it. In many ways, AZ is a pretty limited wine market. Costco brings a decent portfolio of merchandise. I also happen to live near one, that gets all of the "allocated" wines. Only problem is that it may be "here today, gone tomorrow." The only "other" Acacia PN, that I have seen in PHX is the Beckstoffer SV, and that too, was at Costco. While I like the Beckstoffer, @ US$49.95/btl. I have yet to decide if it's got the "bang for the buck." For that price, there are quite a few other PNs, that I find better. I'll check some of my normal wine shops and look for the A. Would you compare the differences between these two to, say the Saintsbury Garnet to their regular PN? Just curious. Hunt Sun Mar 25 19:01:11 -0700 2007 2419277 11329 Bill Hunt 1 2397857 Pinot Noir under $15 is tough - i would check out "Vox Populi". It's produced by Moillard, a Burgundy Negociant, but the fruit is sourced from Romania. It has expressive black cherry fruit with coffee and baking chocolate overtones and a little bit of spice on the palate. Pretty generous and full-bodied without being high in alcohol like a lot of domestic pinots at that price point. Unfortunately, the Chardonnay doesn't quite deliver the same quality being a bit overoaked, but if you can find it, that pinot is a great buy! Sun Mar 18 15:33:38 -0700 2007 2391307 83851 BostonCorkDork 1 2398109 I'd throw in Echelon as drinkable for @$10, iirc, haven't tried them for some time however. Have seen Acacia around the $15 price which is pretty decent juice. Not sure if it's still available, but the Hayman Hill '05 Santa Lucia Highlands was the deal of the year at $10-11. Sun Mar 18 17:12:13 -0700 2007 2391307 18150 PolarBear 2 2398901 2005 Echelon is definitely drinkable, and running $9-12. Sun Mar 18 22:54:56 -0700 2007 2398109 10133 wally 3 2424542 Fluer de Carneros, is $13.99 at BevMo and is a favorite and a good choice! For those of you that are paying over $20 this is not bad. I was in there a few weeks ago and saw that it was $14 remembered it was always around $25. I don't know why the difference now but, here is the link for BevMO. http://www.bevmo.com/productinfo.asp?sku=00000002846&Dn=166+168&Nr=Store%3A99&Ntt=carneros+pinor+noir&N=168+0&Nty=1&D=carneros+pinor+noir&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All Tue Mar 27 06:31:12 -0700 2007 2398901 50431 chef chicklet 1 2424585 My suggestion would be Matua Valley Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Retails for under $15.00 in most markets. Tue Mar 27 06:47:54 -0700 2007 2391307 62812 chickstein 2 2471531 I just looked through this post, and I don't think I saw one mention of Oregon pinots. I think the Argyle basic cuvee is around $16 now, and that's pretty good. I have also liked A to Z and Big Fire, which are around $15. None of these will compare to a $30 pinot from any region, but they will exceed a watery $15 bourgogne. Wed Apr 11 13:43:25 -0700 2007 2424585 19098 equinoise 3 2473385 I will admit to being something of a Pinot Noir snob (my wife likes them and I collect small production PNs from CA) Buying a good PN for under $15 is difficult, however, if you bump the price up to to $20 there are quite a few that are quite good. As others have said, Oregon PNs are a good value, and there are some very good CA PNs available at that price too. Producers that make good PNs in that price range include Acacia (Pinot Noir Napa Valley-Carneros) Argyle (Pinot Noir Willamette Valley) Benton-Lane (PN Oregon) Sebastiana (Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast) Erath (Pinot Noir Oregon) Rex Hill (Willamette Valley or Kings Ridge) and Willamette Valley (Pinot Noir Oregon). Of course, all of these producers also make "higher end" Pinot Noirs, but these should fit your needs. You might also look as some of the PNs coming from New Zealand (Marlborough) Thu Apr 12 05:36:26 -0700 2007 2471531 11814 dinwiddie 4 2477547 gotta concur with dinwiddie; "good" PN under $15 is a dicey proposition. I also agree that by getting up to the $20 range, you have a lot more quailty options. Look for Chehalem (OR), King Estate (OR); if you can find it, Navarro (Mendocino, No. Coast CA) Earlier posts mentioned Firesteed and while it may just have been me, or a particular bottle, I thought it was terrible stuff. Fri Apr 13 08:47:03 -0700 2007 2473385 31795 ibstatguy 5 2479563 Try the Mark West. Nothing close in the price range Fri Apr 13 19:01:59 -0700 2007 2477547 14640 Sobe 6 2480671 Unfortunately Mark West is no longer in the under $15 range (unless someone is trying to clear it out) it fits into the under $20 though usually., Sat Apr 14 11:01:53 -0700 2007 2479563 11814 dinwiddie 7 2480927 Just picked up two bottles at Old Doc's (Fresno) for 8.99 ea, yesterday. The label said Napa Carneros, irrc, packed it off for a wedding today so don't have it on hand to recheck. Perhaps they ship a reserve or other higher end elsewhere? Sat Apr 14 13:06:57 -0700 2007 2480671 18150 PolarBear 7 2500844 What?? It's $9.99 at most places. I've seen it at $11.99 but nothing more than that. Fri Apr 20 15:45:09 -0700 2007 2480671 14640 Sobe 8 2982933 I forgot that some folks live on the west coast. Here in Montgomery County MD, where the county is the only wholesaler and jacks up the prices of wine, it is costly. Thu Sep 27 12:46:20 -0700 2007 2500844 11814 dinwiddie 9 2988700 dinwiddie, http://b-21.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CWESPN05AE Sat Sep 29 13:21:12 -0700 2007 2982933 14640 Sobe 5 2989190 I agree the Navarro (like Husch, also from the Anderson Valley) is a great deal for a lighter-style Pinot Noir, but it's a little harder to find if you're out of state I think. Poppy is relatively cheap ($13.99 at my local wine shop in SF) and not bad, though it's a little too berryish for my taste. A step up from Castle Rock though. The much-heralded pinot noirs of Santa Lucia (Chalone in this price category) are lovely. But they are not even close to anything like their French counterparts. They are their own animal, really, much thicker tasting. Sat Sep 29 17:39:24 -0700 2007 2477547 126908 iwantmytwodollars 4 2988706 dinwiddie, have you tried 2004 Daedalus Willamette Valley? Sat Sep 29 13:24:25 -0700 2007 2473385 14640 Sobe 1 2988720 I tried many brands of Pinot Noir and found that Echlon Pinot Noir is the best and most people I know prefer it once they had it. No bitter taste like some of the other brands. The cost is between $12.00 - $14.00 (I have had more expensive brands that are not as good). Let me know how you like it if your try it. Sat Sep 29 13:30:48 -0700 2007 2391307 99845 Donna52479 2 2991130 I enjoy mirrasou, i runs 7.99 on sale alot. I ,love the smoothness. Sun Sep 30 17:37:01 -0700 2007 2988720 63433 drewb123