I tried a Sea Smoke Botella 2003 last night in my search for good pinot
noirs I can find locally and I loved it. I did some research on the
Internet and I've found Sea Smoke is the subject of considerable debate,
with some people loving it and others hating it. Parker, I believe, gave
it a 90 while Wine Spectator reportedly gave it a 93, although I can't
find it using my trial Wine Spectator online membership.
I searched alt.food.wine and found only one reference to it. Anyone else
in the group tried it? It does have a big, oaky taste to it, but as much
as I hate oak in whites I like it in reds, especially when it's well
done.
There were some tannins and I tasted black cherry and some other fruit.
The finish was superb, especially after I let it breathe for about a
half hour. I'd take a sip and then smack my lips over the flavor.
Probably one of the most pleasant buzzes I've had from wine, although
maybe we're not supposed to admit that here.
Some of the backlash against it seems to be because it's one of the
"Sideways" pinot noirs. I loved it. Any others like it? Or can anyone
else recommend a good pinot noir for $30 or less?

"Steve Timko" wrote in message
. net...
I tried a Sea Smoke Botella 2003 last night in my search for good pinot
noirs I can find locally and I loved it.

Glad to hear that. I've heard good things about Sea Smoke (_love_ the
name!) but haven't tasted one yet.

I bought a couple of bottles of their "10" bottling on futures, which was
still pretty darn expen$ive at ~$60US. I was hoping that it won't
disappoint. Now I'm _betting_ that it won't!

Tom S

In article ,
says...

"Steve Timko" wrote in message
. net...
I tried a Sea Smoke Botella 2003 last night in my search for good pinot
noirs I can find locally and I loved it.

Glad to hear that. I've heard good things about Sea Smoke (_love_ the
name!) but haven't tasted one yet.

I bought a couple of bottles of their "10" bottling on futures, which was
still pretty darn expen$ive at ~$60US. I was hoping that it won't
disappoint. Now I'm _betting_ that it won't!
Parker gives the 10 and Southing nearly the same scores as Botella, so I
dunno. Not at all a conventional Pinot Noir. With it being this big and
oaky, would it be better to drink it in a bordeaux glass than a pinot
noir glass?

"Steve Timko" wrote in message
. net...
Not at all a conventional Pinot Noir. With it being this big and
oaky, would it be better to drink it in a bordeaux glass than a pinot
noir glass?

I really couldn't say, since I haven't tasted it - but I'll let you know in
10 years or so when I open the first bottle. Maybe sooner if I (hopefully)
get to taste it from someone else's cellar. :^)

Tom S

In article ,
Tom S wrote:

I really couldn't say, since I haven't tasted it - but I'll let you know in
10 years or so when I open the first bottle. Maybe sooner if I (hopefully)
get to taste it from someone else's cellar. :^)


I've had the 'Southing' alongside other pinots (like Williams-Selyem) and
it didn't really stand out to me. I can't recall much about it. Just
another pinot, IMO.


Dimitri

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote in message
...

I've had the 'Southing' alongside other pinots (like Williams-Selyem) and
it didn't really stand out to me.

That's a pretty high mark to compare it to! The Williams-Selyem Pinots I've
tasted are velvety and gorgeous. If the Sea Smoke is anywhere close to that
it's gotta be delicious.

Tom S

In article ,
says...

Parker gives the 10 and Southing nearly the same scores as Botella, so I
dunno. Not at all a conventional Pinot Noir. With it being this big and
oaky, would it be better to drink it in a bordeaux glass than a pinot
noir glass?

Oops! To Correct myself, Parker gives the 2003 Ten a 96 and the Botella
a 90. So quite a bit of spread there.
It's in early maturity now he said.

In article ,
Tom S wrote:
"D. Gerasimatos" wrote in message
...

I've had the 'Southing' alongside other pinots (like Williams-Selyem) and
it didn't really stand out to me.

That's a pretty high mark to compare it to! The Williams-Selyem Pinots I've
tasted are velvety and gorgeous. If the Sea Smoke is anywhere close to that
it's gotta be delicious.


Maybe a high mark to compare it to, but it didn't compete well. As I
recall, that tasting had Williams-Selyem (a few different bottlings),
Sea Smoke, Siduri (another favorite of mine), Domaine Drouhin, Sanford,
Fort Ross, Scott Paul, Testarossa, Patricia Green, and a few other pinots.
Tough competition, but here was no compelling reason to choose to choose the
Sea Smoke over any of the others and I definitely would choose Williams-Selyem
or Siduri over most of the rest. Sea Smoke isn't really close to
Williams-Selyem in my experience.


Dimitri

In article ,
says...

Maybe a high mark to compare it to, but it didn't compete well. As I
recall, that tasting had Williams-Selyem (a few different bottlings),
Sea Smoke, Siduri (another favorite of mine), Domaine Drouhin, Sanford,
Fort Ross, Scott Paul, Testarossa, Patricia Green, and a few other pinots.
Tough competition, but here was no compelling reason to choose to choose the
Sea Smoke over any of the others and I definitely would choose Williams-Selyem
or Siduri over most of the rest. Sea Smoke isn't really close to
Williams-Selyem in my experience.

Can I ask which one? I count 15 Williams-Selyem pinot noirs on their Web
site:
http://www.williams-selyem.com/selye...sp?cat_id=1001

In article ,
Steve Timko wrote:

Can I ask which one? I count 15 Williams-Selyem pinot noirs on their Web
site:
http://www.williams-selyem.com/selye...sp?cat_id=1001


That tasting had the Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley,
and Central Coast bottlings.


I like the Sonoma Coast the best of those.


Dimitri

In article ,
says...
In article ,
Steve Timko wrote:

Can I ask which one? I count 15 Williams-Selyem pinot noirs on their Web
site:
http://www.williams-selyem.com/selye...sp?cat_id=1001


That tasting had the Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley,
and Central Coast bottlings.
Thanks. The question, of course, was purely rhetorical from my
standpoint because I won't get on their mailing list and I'll never have
an opportunity to buy some.
So the question I posed in my first post still stands. Any
recommendations for $30 or under pinot noir that has wide distribution
that I might be able to buy?

In article ,
Steve Timko wrote:

Thanks. The question, of course, was purely rhetorical from my
standpoint because I won't get on their mailing list and I'll never have
an opportunity to buy some.


You don't have to be on the mailing list to buy their wines. However,
perhaps they are harder to find wherever you live.


So the question I posed in my first post still stands. Any
recommendations for $30 or under pinot noir that has wide distribution
that I might be able to buy?


I like the Patricia Green basic bottling (under $20), Sanford, some of the
cheaper Hitching Post bottlings, Gary Farrell, Au Bon Climat (always a
good bet for QPR), and Archery Summit. Some people also like Melville, Foxen,
Byron, Rochioli, and Babcock. Longoria also has offerings at that price point,
but is is sometimes harder to find. The basic Domaine Carneros bottling
is pretty nice, as is the basic Domaine Drouhin bottling. For a little more
($40) I like Siduri, Ken Wright, Ojai Vineyard, Domaine Serene, and Flowers,
among others. There's a lot of good pinot at that $25-40 price point. For
under $20 I go with Patricia Green and Sanford. For under $10 I go with
Rex Goliath.


Dimitri

Steve Timko wrote:

So the question I posed in my first post still stands. Any
recommendations for $30 or under pinot noir that has wide distribution
that I might be able to buy?

I'll put in a plug for probably my favorite winery in the Central Coast
area: Domaine Alfred in Edna Valley. Their basic PN is $23 at my local
retailer (here in Silicone Valley), and very, very tasty. I love their
Chardonnay as well.

Curt

"Curt Wohlgemuth" wrote in message
...
Steve Timko wrote:

So the question I posed in my first post still stands. Any
recommendations for $30 or under pinot noir that has wide distribution
that I might be able to buy?

I'll put in a plug for probably my favorite winery in the Central Coast
area: Domaine Alfred in Edna Valley. Their basic PN is $23 at my local
retailer (here in Silicone Valley), and very, very tasty. I love their
Chardonnay as well.

I'll recommend Baileyana (also in Edna Valley). Their Chardonnay isn't my
usual style, but I was surprised to find that I liked it also.

For bargain basement Pinot Noirs don't overlook the big producers. Kendall
Jackson, Meridian, BV, Mondavi and Gallo of Sonoma all make respectable
wines in the $10 range ± a couple of dollars.

Tom S