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Alfredo Roca Mendoza Pinot Noir 2007

You might have to walk past this one a few times before you pick it up. The small black and white vineyard scene on the label depicts terroir, but it does so in a quiet way. You eventually pick up the bottle. After all, it's an affordable Pinot Noir, and you're curious about its roots in Argentina. Flipping to the back label, you read the description and discover this is one of Dan Kravitz' Hand Picked Selections. That closes the sale on the first of many bottles.

At any given time, if you find an importer that you can trust, that's great. If that importer is finding real bargains, you have a personal shopper. There are so many labels and so much good wine out there, a solid importer like Dan Kravitz can help you cut through a lot of clutter.

Alfredo Roca Mendoza Pinot Noir 2007 is a versatile red with nothing to hide. Though terroir is a difficult term to define, this wine embodies it. Beneath the bright garnet color, you begin to pick up some rocky overtones in addition to the prevailing black cherry, vanilla and roasted aromas that conspire to stimulate your appetite. Then plum and red currant preserves, herbal and earthy flavor notes carry through to a warm and rustic dry finish. There's a nice complexity here and not an overwhelming sense of oak or alcohol in the way of the fruit of the vines.

Good as a starter, you can pair this Pinot Noir with a wide variety of dishes. We can vouch for roast chicken, pork tenderloin medallions in a savory gravy, and pan grilled wild salmon. This sort of versatility makes it a candidate for the holiday table.

Price: $12 (Nashville). Closure: Nomacork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Bearboat Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2005

Unbeknownst to me, Bearboat Pinot Noir has been around a while. An unknown commodity to me when it arrived a couple of months ago in Nashville, I was destined to gravitate towards it. After all, it has all the pieces of the puzzle I'm looking for.

First, I like the label. It's smack dab in the middle of classic and tongue-in-cheek, with its engraved quality, somewhat sepia tones, and the humorous bears-in-the-boat illustration. Second, it's Russian River Pinot Noir, rarely a mistake to buy under $20. Next, there's the weighty burgundy bottle that you wouldn't want to drop on your foot, but you would want to open. And then there's all the hidden meanings. By that I mean the bear, primarily. The bear as the symbol of Russia. The bear as the symbol of California. And last but not least, the bear as the symbol of jocular middle-age gay guys (such as myself), who love to inhabit the Russian River area, particularly the town of Guerneville, often with cubs in tow.

I haven't yet grown into the body of a true bear, but that's due to all the jumping rope and bicycling that tends to keep me on the lean side. I don't have any facial hair, but that's a superficial manifestation. I'm a late bloomer, so maybe I can report back when I've reached true bear status and can afford to spend weekends in a cabin along the Russian River. Until then, I'll stick with sampling as many Russian River Pinots as I can.

Piper-Sonoma, owned by Remy Cointreau last time I checked, produces the Bearboat line. The line is reportedly a 60,000+ case business, including Chardonnay. How is it this juice never found its way past my lips before?

Nowadays $20 doesn't guarantee you a fabulous Pinot Noir experience, but rather, you're happy if you get something with some real character and finesse. With well-known wine maker and consultant Raphaël Brisbois reportedly combining his technical expertise with Piper-Sonoma's Pinot Noir sourcing prowess, you would be disappointed if something really good didn't emerge. And out of the Bodega Bay fog comes a classic palate pleaser.

Ten months in French oak is judicious, and lightly fining the wine leaves a hint of fog in the bright garnet color. Expect a Pinot that's a bit more towards red than black, but with some of both. Not surprisingly for a bubbly maker's efforts, a bit of toast surrounds the aromas of black cherry and red currant. On the tongue, you might say it's more like strawberry and red currant preserves, joined by a licorice "buzz" - more a mouth feel thing than that licorice candy or Ouzo you think of. The texture is downright silky. Overall, I give it high marks for freshness, fruit, and refined texture, and it's well worth the $20 price paid.

Bearboat goes great with, what else, wild salmon! It's only Monday, and we had a couple of end filet's from a sockeye, so this fish found its way onto our plates in the form of salmon cakes. Instead of the usual salmon from the can, we crisped the fish, then poached it the rest of the way in Picpoul de Pinet. Then we picked it into small pieces, let it cool, grated in some sweet onion, cracked in some pepper, lumped in some leftover mashed potatoes, shook in some whole wheat panko crumbs, shook in some celery seed, added a beated egg, and formed patties. Back into the original pan they went, with more olive oil and butter, and the result was lots better than the standard Monday night salmon cakes. Pinot Noir, in this case Bearboat, is a great match for such fare. The meal became complete with the side dishes: speckled butter beans, turnip greens, cole slaw and fresh heirloom tomatoes (for the 40th day in a row!).

Price: $20 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir 2007 (Chile, Australia)

Apparently we can't get enough, so Pinot Noir is flowing in from everywhere. Interestingly, although the most expensive Pinot Noir in the world is French Burgundy, and although the U.S. Dollar is at a disadvantage to the Euro and many other world currencies, and although shipping costs are soaring, a lot of inexpensive Pinot Noir is being imported to the U.S. from France, as well as other less well known Pinot Noir appellations.

Don Sebastiani and Sons' Pepperwood Grove unit is now offering two 2007 vintage Pinot Noirs from two lesser known Pinot Noir appellations in the southern hemisphere: Chile and Australia. I spotted both of them on display at Frugal MacDoogal's warehouse store in Fort Mill, South Carolina (just across the border from Charlotte, North Carolina). And the price each is low, under $6 at the time of purchase.

Both are bright ruby/garnet in the glass, the Australian a bit deeper in color but lighter in alcohol (12.5% vs. 13.5% for the Chilean). Don & Sons must have been shooting for the same flavor target when sourcing these lots, because they are similar. They both offer up light spicy red berry and black cherry fruit aromas. But the Chilean sibling has a bit more roasted, you might say earthy, expresso character. The Australian shows a bit more fruit and is a little softer with its cola and vanilla sensibilities. Neither is big, bold, or an artisan's statement. Both are easygoing, here for the now, for the drinking, and at home with a bit of a chill on the wine to take the edge of the summer heat.

Don and Son's timing is right on the money. You can't go wrong with either of these Pinot Noirs right now, and you might even have as much fun comparing them as I did.

Price: $5.50 (Charlotte). Closure: Neocork (Synthetic LDPE cork, recyclable).
Alcohol content: 12.5% (Australia) - 13.5% (Chile).

Montoya Monterey Pinot Noir 2005

Not too light, not too heavy, that sums up the body of this very affordable Pinot Noir. The flavor profile is like breakfast in a wine glass. First, there is a waft of smoked ham, and that gives way quickly to strawberries, dried cherries, red currant preserves and sweet spice. If you're taken to eating breakfast for dinner, here's your wine. Or, this is an ideal wine to quaff right by itself, any time of day.

Montoya reports the grapes come from older vines from the 1960's located in southern Monterey County. French and American oak barrels, new and used, added to the smoke and spice notes.

I liked this Pinot just as much the second day after it was opened. That's always a good feature in any affordable red wine.

Price (Nashville): $13. Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2006

I didn't try this wine for a good while because the name rubbed me the wrong way; it's just too clever. Cono Sur = Southern Cone? But the price tag finally got to me. That lured me as did the curiosity of trying a Chilean Pinot Noir. It didn't hurt that Vineyard Brands imports the wine, because I've come to trust their palate.

The result: I'm on my fourth bottle and for my money Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2006 beats the other $10-$11 Pinots out there that currently rule the low end bins. You know who you are. I'm a big Salmon eater and this one works great with my bear like eating habits.

But I still don't like the name and the Cono Sur website is too clever for my tastes as well.

Outstanding value ($11). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 14%.

Style: Light, tart, red fruit forward, with a touch of smoke.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Bright cranberry translucent. Aromas: Redcurrant, cranberry, plum, strawberry. Light bodied on the tongue, the sour cherry flavor mingles with light spicy smoky notes and the finish is elegant, gay, dry, not overpowering but rather uplifting.

Comment: Mrs. Slocombe said "Ignore the shoes". I say "ignore the marketing".

Chalone Monterey County Pinot Noir 2005

Complex enough to hold your interest for a few bottles, everything about this Chalone offering is on target, the flavor, texture and under-$15 price.

Winemaker Dan Karlsen reports Monterey County Pinot Noir 2005 has a small amount of Petite Sirah included for aded weight. Cases produced: 70,000.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.9%

Style: Red fruit and exotic spice, light and smooth.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Bright garnet, translucent. Aromas: Strawberry, red currant, leather, hints of clove and nutmeg. The mouthfeel is soft, velvety smooth and lightly tart. Red currant and clove flavors lead to a dry finish that liberates a hint of oak.

Wallace Brook Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2005

Oregon Pinot Noir from top producers, the sort that hits all my flavor and texture "hot buttons", is usually a bit out of my everyday price range. It may be worth the price paid, but it usually takes on "special occasion only" status.

One way to keep to a wine budget is to find "second labels" from top producers. Wineries more often sell the extra wine that doesn't match their stylistic or business requirements, but sometimes they bottle it under a second label.

Like in Burgundy, in Oregon lots of "unmatched" Pinot Noir finds its way into "negociant" labels. Perhaps it is just the temperamental nature of the grape. Fortunately Adelsheim Vineyards offers up some of their extra wine under the Wallace Brook Cellars label. Wallace Brook Pinot Noir is sourced from vineyards in the northern Willamette Valley and aged in French oak barrels (up to 1/4 new).

Unfortunately the quantity is limited and varies from year to year, with less than 1,400 cases produced of the 2004 vintage. Wallace Brook shows up on a lot of restaurant wine lists.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Bright ruby, translucent. Aromas: Intense cherry, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate and hints of earth. Light bodied and tart with fine tannins, the juicy red fruit flavors combine with citrus and light buttery oak spice and mineral notes, leading to a vibrant dry finish.

Excellent value ($16).  Closure: Neocork.  Alcohol content: 13%.

Food pairing: By itself, or if it doesn't disappear first, with pan-seared salmon.

Eugene Wine Cellars b2 Oregon Pinot Noir 2004

Starting with the 2004 vintage, b2 (b-squared) is a new label of Eugene Wine Cellars and the acronym refers to founder and Vineyard Manager Bruce Biehl, his brother Winemaker Brad Biehl and a host of other "2-b" word sequences. The b-squared idea surfaced because Bruce had been signing his name b-superscript-2 for years, and the winery needed a label with more National appeal than the previous label which featured an image of local landmark Spencer's Butte.

The wine behind the label is a textbook example of a berry-and-earth Oregon Pinot Noir. The Biehls have lots to work with taking into account Bruce's more than 20 years experience with his own vineyard management company and Brad's winemaking background which notably includes a UC-Davis degree and 20+ years experience including helping to build Oregon's acclaimed King Estate in the 1990s. Together the Biehls have both access to great local grapes and the ability to turn them into great wine.

Since 2000, the 2 brothers have been building Eugene Wine Cellars - not along the oh-so-popular wine route which runs from Corvalis to Newberg - but in downtown Eugene Oregon. Their adaptive reuse of the former "Food For Lane County" building brings local customers in for wine, food and music, while it serves as a production facility and tasting room for their Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and other wines. People from all over the world visit the winery creating a nice mix of local and global patrons.

Grapes for b2 Oregon Pinot Noir 2004 were sourced from 6 vineyards in four counties within the Willamette Valley: Pendarvine, Dion, Dylan's Run, Dunning, Elhanan and Johnson/Enyeart. Lots were fermented and aged separately. According to Associate Winemaker Greg Sothras, the lots were aged an average of 16 months in a mixture of 1/4 new oak and 3/4 "neutral" barrels of various ages (most from King Estate, some from Benton Lane and other sources) and thereafter blended and bottled. Only 1555 cases were produced.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Bright red garnet, translucent. Aromas: Bright red berry fruits, freshly tilled earth, clove/spice and slightly smoky vanilla. Medium-bodied, nicely tart, warm and dry on the tongue, the flavors range from red fruit preserves to pepper and baking spice and the finish is generous and dusty dry.

Excellent value ($18). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%

Food pairing: Pan-seared salmon.

Eugene Wine Cellars also serves as a custom crush facility and has been making Pinot Noir for Iris Hill, whose 2005 Pinot Noir Winewaves recently reviewed.

Eugene Wine Cellars is expanding with the purchase of more stainless steel tanks and is co-producing a semi-sweet Riesling with veteran Doyle Hinman, former founder of Hinman Vineyards which is now Silvan Ridge. The label, "H5", will start with about 1,700 cases this spring and grow to 7,000 over the next couple of years, sourcing nicely acidic fruit from Washington State. Eugene Wine Cellars is also putting in a bottling line and intends to stay with corks for Pinot Noir.

Iris Hill Oregon Pinot Noir 2005

Hug a tree, get on a bike, take time for the arts, and have a glass of alternative Pinot Noir. With the attention focused on Oregon Pinot Noir labels an hour north, some very good things are happening under the radar around the Emerald City, Oregon's hip college town located at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers.

Eugene is halfway between the state borders north and south and there is a growing winegrowing industry visible alongside the decline of logging. Home to the University of Oregon and the birthplace of Nike, word has it a lot of "aging hippies" find refuge here.

Iris Hill Winery was founded by Pamela Frye and Richard Boyles when they returned to their stomping grounds after a world business tour of duty to start a family, plant a wine estate and indulge their dream of making wine. The first vintage for their Iris Hill label was 2001.

Their Chalice Vineyard located 18 miles southwest of Eugene is the source for all their wines at present, with only 44 acres of vines producing out of 870. The majority of the property is in forest, Christmas tree plots and grazed. The vines are planted facing South in terra cotta clay loam soil.

Frye and Boyles are organic grape growers and they practice sustainable viticulture. Last year they began using biodiesel blended fuel for their farm equipment. Like many Oregon growers, they participate in the LIVE (low input viticulture and enology) program and they are obtaining Salmon-Safe certification.

Iris Hill Pinot Noir 2005 is the product of low-yielding estate vines, aged an average of 9 months in French oak barrels, 1/5 new. The wine is custom crushed in Eugene. Production is in the neighborhood of 3000 cases annually.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep cherry red with bright edges, almost transparent. Aromas: Bright cherry, strawberry, toffee, and background notes of minerally earth, cold blossoms and black olives. Light-to-medium bodied and sweet-tart on the tongue, the bright red cherry-berry, light spice, citrus and sage flavors are lively in the soft smooth finish. The empty glass smells great.

Excellent value ($17).  Closure: Real cork.  Alcohol content: 12.5%.

Food pairing: Roast chicken with herbs.

Van Duzer Willamette Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2004

The sunset in late January near Dallas Oregon is bold, beautiful and richly textured as it seems to last forever going down over the Coast Ranges. The vineyards in this "Van Duzer Corridor" are spread out far and wide. When the Pinot Noir vines awaken, they benefit from more than their fair share of the sun and the gentle cool west wind, and wines which capture the beauty of this sunset are made from the fruit they bear.

Zephyra is the name of the beautiful lady who graces the label and she represents the west wind of Greek mythology, Zephyr.

The Van Duzer family winery, is owned by Carl and Marilynn Thoma, and practices sustainable farming on their 77-acre estate 3 miles off Highway 99W. This is the Thoma's long-term vision and they continue to invest in it with the best people, techniques and equipment available. A new winery building was opened to the public last year, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Winemaker Jim Kakacek reports Estate Pinot Noir 2004 is 100% varietal, hand harvested, cold-fermented, and aged 10 months in French oak barrels, approximately 1/3 new, 1/3 one-year-old and 1/3 neutral. Kakacek has overseen winemaking at Van Duzer for the past 12 years.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep cranberry garnet with a purple haze, semi-opaque. Aromas: Luscious pungent pomegranate, cassis and black cherry, fine sweet spice and faint hints of earth. Gorgeous rich smooth texture is the real story here, possessing a nearly full body for a Pinot and enough backbone to carry it well. Rich dark red fruit and spice flavors reverberate alongside supporting notes of oak in the double encore of a finish.

Excellent value ($26). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Food pairing: Salmon, pan-seared and then poached atop red onion in white wine and butter.