San Simeon Pinot Noir, Monterey 2005

This is another great value from San Antonio Winery out of Los Angeles. Yeah, I said the City of Angels, and they actually celebrating their 90th anniversary. Not many other wineries in CA can claim that! I reviewed another of their wines, the 2002 Heritage, which you can see by clicking here. As with the Heritage this is a very good wine with good value. Another great offering from San Antonio Winery. This Pinot comes from vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, and Arroyo Seco AVA, both nice cool climate Pinot Areas and the wine spent 10 months in French oak barrels.

Color: Bright, crisp color, violet hues with deep purple core.

Nose: A tickle from some of the 14.1% alcohol but has a good pinot nose and a good dose of red fruits, dark cherry, strawberry, and sweet clove come to mind. As it opened up the oak became more prevalent but still gave loads and loads of fruit.

Palate: Nice acidity and fruit up front with a warm finish. Ripe fruit prevails but a bit weak on the mid palate. The finish follows with some nice raspberry jam flavors and brought a helping of "I want more".

Overall: A good wine and excellent value at $18. One of the better Pinot Noirs out there under $20. The problem is availability. The wines are hard to find outside of California but if you live in the right state, you can buy them online at the San Antionio Web Site.