Mark Lipton wrote:
Last night, Jean and I stopped by a local upscale convenience store to
pick up a few items for dinner, and ran across a bottle of the 2001 HRM
Rex Goliath Pinot Noir, overpriced at $9.99. After all the buzz it's
received in this forum, we felt compelled to give it a try.

color: ruby red, surprisingly dark
nose: initially, a big whack of smoky cherry; after pouring into the
glass, the nose subsided a bit (and is there a trace of cork taint?
blast and damn!) but remained clearly varietal
palate: silky, medium body, good cherryish fruit with some smoke and
minerals, ripe but not overripe with enough acid to make it pleasant
with food. Although I had expected an oakier wine, any oakiness it had
showed only as the roundness of the wine (has it integrated since
earlier this year? dunno)

Overall, a surprisingly good PN. It had clear varietal character and
surprising substance and could easily be mistaken for a CA PN selling
for twice the price. Possibly the best CA Pinot I've had for $10 since
the halcyon days of Napa Ridge in the early '90s.

Mark Lipton

Hi Mark,
$9.99 - ouch. It's a regular on my shopping list, and I usually find it for
$6-7. Good to hear another positive opinion (haven't heard any negatives yet).

Cheers,
Dick