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Pinot Noir is one of the grapes that really doesn’t make good cheap wine, by which I mean average prices that most of us are prepared to pay for a Tuesday night supper. There are exceptions to this rule, but they’re few and far between and unfortunately not reliable in the way that other New World wines are. If you like Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay today, you’ll probably enjoy practically the same wine, year after year, until you move on to better things, but it won’t be because the wine has changed. Pinot Noir is a tricky customer in the vineyard and so a little miserable weather and it produces miserable wines.
Unfortunately for bargain hunters, the more expensive wines we tasted were better than the cheaper ones. Montes Limited Selection Oak Aged Pinot Noir 2006 is £7.99 from Majestic. It was fragrantly cherry scented, reminding me of Tunes, and tasted spicy, ripe and moreish. Trio Pinot Noir 2006, at £6.99 from Oddbins smelt appealingly of vanilla and was sweetly fruity with liquorice on the finish. Los Fresnos Vineyards 2006, selected by Tesco, is also £6.99 and pulled in the same score with its dark, blackcurrant smell and sweet, ripe, rich taste. All three were good, solid wines and they made us happy.
However, the two versions of the Cono Sur Pinot Noir, which I have raved about in the past, were pretty mean and disappointing. The 2007 was moderately better than the 2006. It’s £5.99 in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and will probably be available soon in Somerfield and Tesco, who are still on the 2006. The 2007 has a smoky smell, and we were reminded of purple jelly babies. I found the taste sour and bitter, which isn’t ideal. The 2006 was spoilt by sulphur on the nose and was dry, bitter and sour. Our least favourite was Porta Reserva which is £5.99 from Somerfield and wasn’t nice at all. It wasn’t recognisable as Pinot and had rough tannins. The bottle stayed on the dining room table after the panel had chosen leftovers and I didn’t feel moved to pour myself a glass. I can feel beef stew coming on.
If you’re prepared to push the boat out a little further, Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2005 (Virgin £19.99) has a beautiful smoked bacon smell and a smooth, gentle, warm and oaky taste. A very good, seamless, delicious wine. Clocktower Pinot Noir 2006 (M&S 9.99) has a beautiful warm saddle smell of Pinot. It’s sweetly fruity and yet dry with a leathery aftertaste. Matetic EQ Pinot Noir 2005 (Majestic £16.99) has a fragrant, attractive smell and delicious taste. Try this if you're not sure about Pinot, it's fab. Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 2005 (Waitrose £8.49) also has a very attractive, smokey bacon smell and a dry, but attractively smokey taste. Not at all simple. It’s probably my favourite.
A word of warning, though. Open the bottle in plenty of time and make sure it’s up to room temperature. Then sit back and concentrate on the wine, swirl it round your glass a bit and taste it slowly - don’t just glug it.