I don’t understand this trend (with Pinots in particular).
Are these all 100% Pinot Noir? If not, what?
All three of these wines are 100% Pinot Noir from the Edna Valley, AVA
It’s been many many years since I went to this winery, back in my college days at Cal Poly. I don’t remember any of the particular wines, but I do a recall liking them. It’s a small operation and the staff was really nice and engaging (I remember this because college kids usually get the cold shoulder at wineries).
I saved a bottle of their juice for a while and really enjoyed it when I cracked it open a couple years ago. I want to say it was a cabernet, likely from Paso, but I don’t see that on their website anymore. As for their pinots, I don’t remember anything specific, but I do know that the Wolff vineyard puts out some great stuff. Edna is much cooler than Paso Robles, Edna Valley pinots are smoother and less likely to be overripe in my opinion.
Thank you Mr. T.
Just joined up with WW about a week ago…and not feeling the love yet. When do we get to wines rated higher than mid-80s by a publication we’ve heard of?
Patience, grasshopper . . .
You might get a lot of opinions on this one :). First and foremost, just because someone you have heard of rates a wine a “good” number doesn’t really mean jack. Just ask what the general opinion is of Robert Parker and you’ll get a ton of link to previous discussions on how wine should be made.
I tend to agree with those feelings.
However - my general advice on ratings is to find someone whose taste you agree with and follow their lead. That might mean someone big like wine enthusiast or just a fellow wooter (that’s my recommendation). Find someone who likes what you like and then ask their advice on new offerings.
Most of us have these fancy little CT links at the bottom of our posts - check a few out.
I am always amazed at some of the great finds that pop up on woot - typically I might be unsure whether to buy them, but after hearing some good thoughts by other posters I go in and I’m usually happy with my choice.
High scores from the popular wine rags are pretty much the surest possible way to guarantee that you won’t be able to buy a given wine at a hefty discount. Which is kind of the point of this site.
That said, here’s a pro tip: divorce yourself from the notion that scores mean anything and enjoy the wonders of discovering wine outside the purvey of the “king makers”. You’ll have more fun and spend less per bottle. Of course, on the flip side, using sites like this has a bad habit of getting you to spend more than you would have overall.
I’m pretty sure this is just based on cost (for most wines in general). Each year, wineries have to pay taxes on any inventory that they hold - so the sooner they sell it, the better.
However, if the wine is so young that it will not show well - they will hold it back until it hits the very beginning of the drinking window. For these Pinots - we are probably just seeing wines that are ready to start drinking, so wineries start selling them.
Short answer, probably never. Such wines don’t need woot to sell. If that’s what you’re looking for, you might as well move along.
If, on the other hand, you want good to excellent wine at fair or better prices, stick around. What you’ll most often find is wines in the low- to moderate-price range ($9 - $15/bottle) that are as good as the best of supermarket/Bevmo wines in the same price range, with much less risk of getting the plonk in the same price range. You’ll often get informed comments from actual drinkers of the wines, who can tell you not only that they like it (or not), but why. If your tastes match the reasons, you can get a better sense of whether you, yourself, will like the wine, which is the whole point. You’ll often get active, enthusiastic participation by the winemakers, describing what they were trying to get out of the specific vintage. (It is unfortunate that today’s winemakers aren’t here to describe these wines, and how they differ. It will cost them in sales.) You’ll find wines made in such low quantities that they aren’t generally available except near the winery. As a case in point, the winery website for today’s wines says that they made only 175 cases of the Runestone, and 190 cases of the Twin Creeks.
So if you’re willing to settle for uniqueness, and good value (quality-price ration, or QPR), and some informed discussion, stick around.
You typically wont.
Wine.Woot specializes in small batch west coast wines. Most of the wines you find here won’t have reputable reviews. Hence the labrat program and winery participation.
As a side note most people around here find those points to be useless anyways.
I think you may mean “critical” reviews, as in by wine critics. I don’t see anything disreputable in the labrat reports.
Actually, I didn’t have to go that far. It’s on the main page, here, along with clonal variations, harvesting statistics, alcohol levels, time in cask, vineyards used, the type of PN being attempted, and likely food pairings. So if your interest is in finding a wine like other wines that you like, you have more information than a pretty bottle and some critic’s 1-minute evaluation.
I’m not absolutely certain I have this right, but you seem to be implying that the Winemaker(s) for Claiborne & Churchill are not around to explain the three Pinot Noirs of today’s woot. Au contraire, mon ami! Firstly, there is Coby’s voicemail, which describes the wines. (He has been our winemaker since I gave him my title in 2007.) Secondly, I supplied woot with descriptions of all three wines, most of which they incorporated in their main text about the offering. As co-owner (with my wife) I would also be happy to try and answer any specific questions that haven’t been covered adequately.
Hey this is Coby PG. I am the winemaker for Claiborne & Churchill. If anyone out in Woot World has any questions about the 3 Pinot Noir’s today, please ask. I’d love to share my insight and thoughts on them or wine in general.
People may recognize C&C as just a producer of the wines from Alsace. This is true, but today we produce more Pinot Noir than any other varietal. At C&C we have a passion for Pinot Noir and I think it shows in our wines. They are very true to the varietal (Pinot Noir) and not these infused Pinot/Syrahs that you see now in California. Our Pinot Noirs are a good price out of our tasting room, but a steal at todays price on Woot.
Not sure whether I’m asking a question that has already been put out there, but since Coby is here to answer right now, are any or all of these young Pinots drinkable right now? I have no proper cellar, just boxes stacked on top of each other in a room that doesn’t get full sun on the walls. Not exactly ideal for holding on to wines for years. Besides, I’m a bit impatient and love to try new wines a few days (or weeks) after FedEx delivers them.
Thanks.
I have a question. Someone above mentioned that these seemed young. Would you say drink now, or wait a bit? If wait, how long?
(I’m already in for two, so your ideal answer is going to be “both”.)
Alison-
These are young Pinot Noir’s. But still drinkable now. The “Classic” Pinot Noir (white label) is ready to drink now. The other two wines (Twin Creeks/Runesotne) taste great, but will age beautifully over the years to come. I know its hard to cellar wine. I have the same problem at home. But with yong wines you can decant them, wait an hour and then drink them. This helps out by getting a little oxygen to the wine and it will open up. I think you will find all three Pinot Noir’s ready to drink once FedEx has delivered them.
Cheers.
Coby