Monday, November 25, 2013

Drinking Delicious Pinot Noirs on a Budget

I want to start out with a short disclosure.  I am a mom before anything else therefore my love of wine often gets put on the back burner.  The reason for this is that I can not commonly afford to spend a lot of extra money on wine.  Imagine my enthusiasm on finding some delicious high quality wines that rate high and have cost less than $20 per bottle. 

Finding good wines that are cheap sounds like something that is never going to happen but today thanks to wine ratings you can do just that.  In fact there are a lot of different wines that have a rating of 90 or higher that are not going to break your bank.  For me personally looking at these wine lists, I am almost always drawn to dry red wines because this is my preference.  I have been fortunate enough to taste a variety of high quality wines from around the world and I have found that there are some amazing wines that are still very affordable.

Robert Oatley Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2011 is one of those high quality wines that is from Australia.  This wine is known for its gentle oak influence, vibrant and juicy notes.  It is made in Victoria which is an area that is well known for its Pinot Noirs so the grapes that are grown here are grown for the purpose of growing this type of wine.  This can make a huge difference in the overall product as seen with the amazing Pinot Noirs that you can find coming from Oregon and Northern California.  Location does matter when it comes to good high quality red wines.

Liberty School Pinot Noir 2012 from North Coast, California.  This wine offers those bright floral notes that are reminiscent of fresh cut strawberries that one often sees with Pinots in general.  The wine has a surprisingly silky finish for something that costs less than $20 per bottle and when I was drinking it, I was able to escape and feel as though I was drinking something far more expensive.

Sibling Rivalry Pinot Noir 2010 was actually a bottle that I purchased with the intention of sharing it with my younger brother because of the humor that I saw in its name.  This wine is amazingly delicious and one of the best bottles of wine that I have ever tasted for the price of $15 per bottle.  This one also originates in Victoria, Australia.  It has extra dimension compared to other wines and features a rich delicious texture when drinking it.  It truly invites you to picture yourself surrounded by luxury regardless of where you happen to be enjoying your glass.  For me it was in my bathroom while soaking in a bubble bath, using Mr. Bubbles because I didn't have any of my own bubble bath left.  Yes even in the least luxurious of places I felt like I was living a life of luxury.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir 2012 was a wine that I quickly became excited about.  It is produced in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  Oregon is my favorite place in the entire world so I found that the fact that it was originating somewhere that I loved to be something special and a reason to celebrate.  Once I tasted the wine I remembered by Oregon wines are my favorite.  This wine is the favorite on my budget friendly tasting menu for a number of reasons.  It was bright and offered beautiful strawberry aromas.  The flavors were well balanced and it featured some delicious earthy notes along with the perfect balance of oak.  It was a winner in my book and one wine that I will definitely be purchasing again, most likely on a regular basis.

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