[TheRiddick]

Moses,

Its in the eye of the beholder, right? I've yet to find a Burg, at less than $100+ per bottle, that talks to me, let alone one for $20 or less (for any Pinot). A lot of them have great nose, but no palate and a lot of them have no finish, even at higher price points. We could argue endlessly about pros and cons, but to my palate there is a clear difference. And lately, it is getting harder and harder to tell Burgs from well made CA Pinots, at least on the high end of both. Even the great Parker (sarcasm here), in a double blind tasting he set up a few years ago here in Napa, could not tell them apart, same goes for about 100 wine geeks and industry pros who paid to attend. The lines are way more blurred these days than anyone wants to admit to (and the point of that tasting).

There used to be some decent NZ Pinots that came close to $20, but even they are over that number lately and are mostly in the $40 range. There are just a few CA made Pinots that are in the $20 range that are worth drinking , but they all are available winery direct only and disappear the day after release (doh!).

Like I said, buy it for the WINE, not for PINOT NOIR you may be seeking, its not there.

A couple of years ago, we had a dinner at our house and a couple of guests, who thought they are "plugged into" great Pinot Noir by their local Whole Foods wine guy, proudly plopped a bottle they brought with them on the counter (Sidawys hooplawas still in full swing). Yep, Burg, mid $20s. Highly touted by the sales clerk. I didn't say anything, simply pulled out some stems, we poured and simply carried on a conversation, cheese and crackers to help out, awaiting the rest of the crowd to arrive. I then popped a bottle of CA Pinot open and poured, their eyes popped the second they stuck their noses in the glass, then they tasted and you could see their minds were now racing at full speed. Yep, a CA made Pinot Noir, in the $40+ range. Yes, I know, more than the wine they brought, but the difference was worth every penny according to them. But after that eye opening experience, they never bought a bottle of Burgundy again.

My tasting group was doing a Pinot tasting recently, someone snuck in a bottle of Burg, blind and all. Yep, no one took it for anything but a (badly made) CA Pinot, way overripe fruit, flabby and way too much oak for the fruit, all combined to muddle the nose and flavor. OK, bad year in Burgundy (2003) and all, but still, a good producer should make something decent anyway, at least enjoyable, which this was not. A $50 bottle. And this is not a lone example.

I am not saying that anyone in this thread should start buying expensive wines, simply that I find it difficult (and actually impossible) to recommend any Pinot Noir in the price range discussed, whether imported or domestic if someone is looking for PINOT NOIR and not just a bottle label that says it is. And when I see tasting notes and scores such as the one from Sam's, it makes me cringe, they simply scream "You've been warned, buy something else!"

I've had some really good German Pinot, in the $40+ range. NZ as well. But I have yet to have a Pinot made in Italy or Oz that convinced me to buy it, price independent. Burgs? I am still split on them and what I like are all in the $150-200+ range, way out of my league.