The Manciat-Poncet Mâcon Bussières Rouge 2006 is half Pinot Noir and half Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais, in the south of Burgundy), and it hails from the Mâcon Bussières AOC of Burgundy.
On first sniff, we found the scent of leather and a little bit of cherry emanating from our glasses, and when we sipped, we picked up cherry and raspberry flavor and felt a nice zing of acidity, with spice coming through on the finish. We dug the filling texture.
If you’re looking for a Pinot Noir under $20, we think it’s actually worth considering this as a solid alternative (being as it is, a blend).
Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley. They ship. You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.
Below are the events that we recommend for this weekend and beyond. Click on an event’s title for more information.
- California
- Fort Bragg (Mendocino County)
- World’s Largest Salmon Barbeque: July 5, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; $25. Fresh salmon during the day and a bottle of wine in the evening, all at the edge of the beautiful Mendocino coast. A perfect way to spend the long weekend…
- Napa
- Sonoma Valley
- New York City
- Sip ‘n Sail Aboard the Schooner Pioneer: July 10, 7 - 9 p.m.; $65. Taste a variety of wines while touring New York Harbor in an antique schooner. The host of the tasting is Pasanella and Son, Vintners, which was rated Best Neighborhood Wine Shop by New York Magazine in 2007 (see other press by clicking here). There’s a sailing this weekend, too, but it has already sold out.
- Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.: Nothing of interest happening this week. Tune in next Wednesday!
We figured we’d follow up last week’s review of Australian Pinot Noir – a seemingly unusual red varietal for a region typically characterized by warm weather – by selecting for today’s Weekday Wine a bottling of an unusual white varietal from the same place: Riesling.
Much to our liking, the 2007 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling was light, crisp (though mostly toward the back end of the mid-palate) and completely dry, with a nose of peach, slate mineral, and soft floral scents. Lime and mineral dominated on the finish.
At $14 and with a screwtop, no less, this wine, much like last week’s Pinot Noir, was yet another steal for the price.
Where to get it: We bought our bottle at K&L Wines in San Francisco. They ship. You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.
We were thoroughly pleased with our visit to Pine Ridge Winery, in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, last Sunday — the location was gorgeous, the tasting room’s atmosphere lively, the pourers friendly, and the wine, exquisite. As we pulled into the winery’s parking area, we were struck by the unique beauty of the setting. The tasting room, which resembles an Italian villa from the outside with its pastel-colored stucco walls and colorful flowers decorating the entrance, clings to the foot of steep vine-covered hills, each with layers of trees that climb from base to peak and gently follow the hills’ contours.
The tasting room itself was airy and modern, with large-tiled floors, wood-panelled, curved tasting bars, and pale-yellow and stone walls. We were presented with an option of two tasting menus, one for $15, which included Rose, Chardonnay, and Malbec, amongst others, and another for $25, which included four different styles of Cabernet Sauvignon. We recommend shelling out the extra $10 for the latter menu, which would allow you to experience high-end and extraordinarily high-quality Cabernets without having to drop, $55, $80, $85, or $100 respectively.
We left Pine Ridge Winery and, indeed, the Stag’s Leap District (which is located in a region that we had always associated with tourism) feeling as though we had discovered a gem. Of course, given the winery’s fame, we are by no means the first to have experienced this feeling!
www.PineRidgeWinery.com
5901 Silverado Trail
Napa, California 94558
(800) 486-0503