10 Pinot Noirs You’ll Feel Great about Sipping
By virtue of loving wine, most of us love, or at the very least have a healthy appreciation for Pinot. In the past 10 years, though, we’ve seen prices continue to soar. Premier, Grand Cru, and even many Villages level Burgundies have become either unattainable or at a price point where we feel guilty pulling a cork on a random Wednesday. As land continues to become more expensive in both California and Oregon, even many domestic Pinots have become special occasion wines. A number of labels have been created to satisfy the need for affordable Pinot, but many are mass-produced endcap destined bottles made without the highest quality and ethical standards in mind. It’s never been more confusing to navigate the genre. With this in mind, we’ve created a list of affordable Pinots you can feel good about cracking any night of the week.
August Kesseler “The Daily,” Rheingau $20
August Kesseler is easily one of the most entertaining people you could meet. I’m convinced he has managed to subsist on drinking nothing but wine and coffee for the past 30 years, but when you make wine this good, there isn’t reason to drink much else. Kessler wants every wine he puts his name on to be a “premium” wine; therefore, even his “Daily” wines contain grapes from some of his finest vineyard sites. There is an unmistakable raw earth quality to these Pinots, like red beetroot, along with bright, punchy pomegranate. This bottle alone is a great argument to drink more German Pinot.
Ant Moore, “Signature Series,” Marlborough $19
New Zealand boasts a wealth of Pinot Noirs, many undiscovered. Ant Moore is breaking the mold in Marlborough, where organic farming methods are still outliers. Ant not only farms 100% organically, but makes his wines with all native yeasts, a practice very rare for the region. This Pinot is bright, mineral-driven, and light on its feet. It’s a great outdoor red that brings pure pleasure while staying true to Pinot typicity.
Cantina Tramin, Alto Adige $18
Cantina Tramin is a cooperative winery in Northern Italy basking at the foot of the Alps. Its unique terroir provides an incredibly mineral backbone to the wine. It’s light on its feet with notes of pomegranate, rose, and orange oil. There will be no confusing it with the richer styles of Burgundy and Oregon. Over the past decade, the cooperative winery has been converting to organic practices, now 90% free of herbicide use.
Two Paddocks, “Picnic,” Central Otago $18
Another New Zealand gem, Picnic is the newest Pinot in Two Paddocks’ collection. The Pinot Noirs of Central Otago on the South Island tend to have a spicier slightly more dark-fruited character than those of Marlborough on the North Island. While many wineries go outside of their own vineyard sites to source fruit for their “entry-level” wines, Picnic is comprised of grapes from Two Paddocks own organic vineyards, and the quality shows. While there are the calling cards of baking spice and raspberry, the wine doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a delight on a patio. This wine is a little tricky to get your hands on in the states, but we are hoping to see more quantity in the coming vintages.
Catherine Marshall, Elgin $12
If you like a richer style of Pinot Noir, this wine is for you— spice-laden with boysenberry and dried herbs. Catherine has long-term relationships with farmers in Elgin, South Africa, where she hand selects the grapes. She and her team have full control of vineyard processes. Elgin has a cool climate perfectly suited to Pinot Noir and is seemingly growing exponentially in quality each vintage .
Barra, Mendocino $20
This is one of those Pinots you taste and double take on the price. Really? Only 20 bucks? Charlie Barra was one of the first growers in the North Coast of California to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. When everyone else was still focused on bulk wine, Charlie saw the writing on the wall. The vineyards are farmed organically because they believe it is the best thing for the planet. This is super classic California Pinot--cranberry, cherry, licorice. You can drink it with dinner any night of the week.
Guillot Broux, “Coteaux-Bourguignons” $23
Ok, so we’re kinda cheating here because technically this wine has a little Gamay in it, but you wouldn’t know it. This little-known Burgundy appellation allows for the mixture of Gamay and Pinot Noir. This wine will be ridiculously delicious for roughly 7 years, but it won’t age like the Premier and Grand Cru Burgundies, hence the price. But, oh what a delight to drink Burgundy on a Wednesday, and this truly does speak of Burgundy- mushroom, earth, dark cherry. So satisfying.
Soter, “Planet Oregon,” Willamette Valley $20
This is a project started by Soter Vineyards, a biodynamic farm in the heart of the Willamette Valley. Soter has consistently been a visionary when it comes to sustainability in Willamette, and this wine is no exception. The team set out to make an affordable wine that would be true to Oregon style, and they succeeded.. Plus, 1$ from every bottle sold goes to the Oregon Environmental Council.
Red Tail Ridge, Finger Lakes $22
Nancy Irelan of Red Tail Ridge is doing incredible things in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. In addition to practicing organic viticulture, the winery building became LEED certified in 2011. Another Pinot pick that is way over-performing for its price category, here we see a brambly quality— wild berries, fresh-cut herbs, and graphite mineral.
Vincent Wine Co., Willamette Valley $19
This layered aromatics leap from this glass. Humble and quiet winemaker Vincent Fritzsche has created a wine with loads of personality. Vincent has long-term relationships with a number of grape growers and gets to call all the shots in the vineyards. He uses a delicate hand to produce a wildly expressive wine layered with dark cherry, baking spice and sage.
NOTE: Prices are based on average retail price and may differ a bit, depending on your state.