Cheap Pinot Noir, Any Good Ones?

Cheap Pinot Noir, Any Good Ones? – Episode #259

June 19, 2007

Pinot Noir is HOT and everyone is all about it but are there any good ones under ten bones?

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Comments on this episode(243) Leave a comment ›

“Hands down Talus Shiraz was the most god awful wine i have ever tasted…” by Dennis
“A question…is Pinot Noir considered a light bodied wine or full bodi…” by Adrian
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Wines tasted in this episode:

Talus Pinot NoirOther California Pinot Noir
Lindemans Pinot Noir Bin 99Australian Pinot Noir
Cavit Pinot NoirTrentino Alto Adige IGT
Barkan Pinot NoirIsraeli Kosher Wine

243 Responses

June 19, 2007

ChrisR
#1??? Oo boy!
June 19, 2007

Rob B.
Second!!! Too bad there wasn’t a good one in the bunch. QOTD:2004 Mcmanis Merlot.
June 19, 2007

TheDumbPhase
Pinot under $10 bones? I’m guessing PAZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
June 19, 2007

Brandon M
cheap Pinot is fun! When you find a good one, run with it….i.e. Bogle
June 19, 2007

SS Chris
TheDumbPhases’s new screen name is TheBuzzKill….you killed that THREAD.

Wassup GV!!!! Gettin’ back in the swing??
June 19, 2007

Leigha33w
Pinot Pinot everywhere and not a drop to drink here at the office.
June 19, 2007

Jon B.
wow a pretty bad round of wines for you today…QOTD the entire Barefoot lineup that you seem to always get from co workers as a gift.. I guess it’s the thought that counts. later
June 19, 2007

FredinNYC
Wow! Two “wet paper” wines two days in a row!
June 19, 2007

Kathleen
It’s not cheap, it’s QPR. QPR Pinot Noir. Or maybe it’s cheap until you taste it, then you decide if it’s QPR or not.
Kathleen
Albany, NY

Wine and Stories from the Vineyard blog – http://www.myspace.com/gamay
June 19, 2007

keelegl
QOTD: 2004 Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay. Oak explosion….just bad.
June 19, 2007

Jon B.
wow a pretty bad round of wines for you today… QOTD the entire Barefoot lineup that you seem to always get from co workers as a gift.. I guess it’s the thought that counts. later
June 19, 2007

Tom T.
LOL, Gary, did you taste cooking wines by accident? Sometimes you do get what you pay for. Thanks for the honesty. Yeah a corked wine happened to me once. QOTD – I bought a certain sparkling Shiraz and after about 1/2 glass poured it down the drain.
June 19, 2007

Karl Laczko
Hi Gary, nice to be back. Cheap Pinot – had mixed success, never tried any of the ones you had here, and sounds like just as well (shame about the corked). Is this the lowest average score for an episode?

I like Tyrrel’s from Australia and Cono Sur from Chile, but those are more expensive than yours. I try to spend at least 12 bones on a Pinot.

QOTD – a Sangiovese di Romagna from a local supermarket. It was wines like that which made my minimum spend at least $10.
June 19, 2007

jason carey
the worst i ever had and unfortunatly am still confronted with at parties is Andre “champage”
that is my all time most hated wine.
June 19, 2007

Bossman
That wasn’t Thunder, that was a deluge of mediocrity. You’re a braver man than I, Vaynerchuk. Don’t ever let it be said you don’t take one (or four) for the team. Tell me, was it a Talus rep that tried to bean you with the cork at the 7:50 mark? (Nice feigning it never happened BTW).

QOTD: I can only speak from since I began keeping notes and it’s Shoofly Aussie Salute 2005 (88 pts. Josh Raynolds), I wouldn’t give it to my worst enemy. However, I have had a few that went straight down the train pre-keeping records (which were promptly and forver forgotten being the traumatic experiences they were). Godspeed.
June 19, 2007

KyBoy
I was not surprised by these results…it seems impossible to find a nicely valued pinot. The best I’ve found is Rex Goliath (47 Pound Rooster) Pinot Noir. Give it a whirl…not bad for under 10 bones.
June 19, 2007

Harold
A Lindemans and a Talus…I don’t like the looks of this. You’re a good man Charlie Bro…Gary Vaynerchuk.
June 19, 2007

Shad
Funny enough worst wine under $10 was a Pinot Noir from Alice White…bitter, bad….could barely get through it even with food.
June 19, 2007

Dan
Any Yellow Tail red.
June 19, 2007

Barry
Castle Rock makes a killer Pinot Noir at $9.99, available at Trader Joes and other major wine outlets. I wouldn’t put it in the category of the $40 to $50 Pinots, but it is as good as most $20 Pinots I’ve tried.
June 19, 2007

JC
Mad Dog 20/20, or was it the Boons Farm?
June 19, 2007

Orion Slayer
Woah, that’s almost as bad as the 2-buck chuck episode. Not a bad show, just a bad experience for your palate!

QOTD: The worst has to be a Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon. Ewwww! I can’t describe it adequately, but it was just…terrible. It didn’t taste spoiled or corked, it was just, bad.
June 19, 2007

Joseph M. Kennedy
QOTD: This pomegranate wine.. I can’t remember the name, but man… don’t try that.
June 19, 2007

BrettInLJ
Back in 1997 I was on a date in college and ordered a Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir. I new NOTHING about wine, but favored Pinot Noirs ever since. The worst under $10 bottle I have had was the Charles Shaw Beaujolais. I remember it from your Two-Buck Vaynerchuk episode and since it was around, had to see for myself. The action figure in underwear description you gave was dead-on.
June 19, 2007

Cam
You’re a brave man, Gary!

QOTD: Whew… I can’t remember the name of the worst, but boy do I remember the taste. It was $6 for a Cab, and it was absolutely undrinkable. We couldn’t even use it to cook with (which is often what we do with wines that aren’t great). Just terrible.
June 19, 2007

Dominus
No surprise here. Effort alone to make pinot noir should cost at least 15 bones.

QOTD: Worst wine under $10? I’ve only had two wines under $10 that I can recall (Summerfield Chard and Sunday Mtn SB)and both were pretty good. I don’t buy or try under 10 bones wines unless they have been recommended by a friend or the G-Man.

Cheers
June 19, 2007

Neil
A show featuring Pinot under $10 is bound to fail and it did.

QOTD: I had a Pepperwood Grove Pinot that was terrible however I used it for Coq Au Vin. I know, it was a risk – I didn’t know how it would turn out but the heat/braising did it well. Then again, the bacon and the veal stock probably helped prop it up some.

On its own Pepperwood Grove would fit nicely in todays round up of swill.
June 19, 2007

wildebeest
QOTD: the worst was a Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon. Think cheap Pinot with fake smoke flavoring added in an attempt to beef it up a bit. Absolutely horrible.
June 19, 2007

Wine Lush
QOTD: There are no bad bottles of wine, just wine I’ll never buy again.

Sometimes wine is what it is. Shame about the Israeli wine. Who opens the bottles?
June 19, 2007

Mike S.
Pinot Noir under ten bones gives me the heebie jeebies, although I’ve had some really good regional Burgundies for around $20 (e.g. Frederic Magnien).

As for the QOTD, unfortunately I’ve had too many wines from the big, mass market producers to name. That said, Mas Delmera makes one of my favorite everyday wines for around $8. Gotta love Spain.
June 19, 2007

wildebeest
gotta love that SF glass!
June 19, 2007

Adam
By far it was Pepperwood Grove Pinot.
June 19, 2007

Kelldey
Ewww! Seems like you got some really yucky wines today, G-man! Too bad.

QOTD: Has to be some variety of Boone’s Farm, during the broke collegiate days. Nasty! I have friends who still drink it. Ewww!

I loved the quip, “These are the girls your mom warned you about.” Hee!

If nothing else, at least we know what NOT to buy!

Thanks for all you do,
K
June 19, 2007

LMoC
QOTD: Ironically enough, my worst wine under $10 would have to be the Barkan Classic Merlot. Before I knew much about wine, I would buy Barkan Classic because it’s so cheap and widely available here in Israel. I’ve also had at least one “corked” bottle from this label.
When I see people in the supermarket eying the Barkans, I politely urge them to consider the lower end wines from the Golan Heights and Galil Mountain wineries, some of which have great QPR.
June 19, 2007

Kelly
Every wine I have had from Israel has been corked, what is that all about?

QOTD: Since I am a ck I have had tons of under ten dollar bottles of wine, the worst in recent memory would have to be a Cortijo Tinto Rioja–I couldn’t even drink it, I had to pass it off.

I have had a handful of Pinot Noir’s recently and for some crazy reason they have all been corked. Everytime I think of Pinot Noir I get a terrible feeling in my stomach. The only decent Pinot I have had in the past few months was a Lily. I wanted to buy the Paul Hobbs or Melville but the group decided on Lily.

PLEASE HAVE MJK ON THE SHOWWWW!!!!
June 19, 2007

Ken B.
Gary,

I was hoping that you might find a good Pinot at this price point; but I really doubted it. I have tried the Cavit before and it was terrible so I am not surprised. I think if people are going to drink Pinot; they have to decide that they are going to budget more money to enjoy it.

QOTD: Cavit Pinot and it was truly terrible.
June 19, 2007

DK44
Man, tough show!

Let’s try again in $10 – $20 range and see what happens.

QOTD – answer
Has to be the 2 buck chuck. Never throw a wine tasting and tell people to bring “whatever”. From then on, only themes and suggested ranges!

keep on swirling!
June 19, 2007

Jeremy
As a ck I am sort of an expert on under $10 bottles of wine. The absolute worst was the Barefoot Cabernet. Discusting is the only way to put it.
June 19, 2007

NathanN
Gary you have been SKUNKED! Hope you make up for it tomorrow.

Thanks for the attempt to discover some great Pinot Noir QPRâ€™s for us.

QOTD: I have had some real bad wines before but another awful under $10 Pinot Noir is Castle Rock Monterey County 2005. Took two sips and then down the drain it went.
June 19, 2007

Medo
It looks like no wine of the bunch is worth the label and the bootle Thanks for sorting this out for us Gary!

QOTD: Le Patron in 1.5 l for 3â‚¬ at the gas station.
June 19, 2007

KAHUNA
Cali can take their crappy Pinot and stuff it where the sun dont shine. Ok I am not a Cali pinot fan.
June 19, 2007

John Blue Label
You took one for the team today, GV. Sorry you had to taste those.
I’m not a real Pinot fan anyway. I refuse to be told to drink by Hollywood.
QOTD: Two Buck Chuck Cab served at a charity function. Good news is I won some great Bordeaux in the silent auction.
June 19, 2007

CNW
Geez, I was pulling for the last wine but man – three strikes!
QOTD: There have been so many that it’s hard to just choose 1~:)
June 19, 2007

Suzanne
QOTD: When I was little, one of my uncles used to drink something called “Cold Duck.” I vaguely remember other relatives making fun of him for drinking it. Wine snobbery circa 1965!
June 19, 2007

tim
QOTD: Had to be a 2 buck chuck Beaujolais. It was really scary. Would love to hear if you do run across a somewhat widely available Pinot in that price range.
June 19, 2007

Bart F
QOTD: $4 South African Pinotage from Trader Joes! First time I ever poured an entire bottle down the drain.
June 19, 2007

matthews
wow some stinker wines today huh? hope your a little nicer to yourself with your selections tomarrow. QOTD-boxed franzia burgundy i drank with my friends years ago when we were young. that stuff gave me a hangover before i even passed out.
June 19, 2007

Harold
QOTD; a horrible bottle of Sangiovese that (unfairly) put me off of Italian wines for years. I’m only now starting to brave them again.
June 19, 2007

TimInFL
I agree with DK44…Letâ€™s try again in the $10 – $20 range and see what happens. I think anyone who “Truly” drinks Pinot, is looking for DEALS in that range. I’m happy under $30…ecstatic under $20. However, I am off the Pinot kick now and was a HUGE drinker of the stuff PS (pre-sideways)…I have watched the prices sore and quality come down…I needed a new fad…I switched Malbec. I like that itâ€™s been completely different each time I get oneâ€¦like all over the mapâ€¦Still tying to figure it out! Besides, it strikes up a nice conversation to all the novices out there!

QOTD – Excelsior Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – South Africa (Can’t Remember Year off-hand)…$8.99…Tasted like Tarred, Provolone Cheese dipped in Pickle Juice and rolled in smoked-skittles! Nasty, Nasty Juice! Got it from my neighbor who “liked the label”
June 19, 2007

Harold
Hey Bart F., I’m guessing that it was the Zarafa that you didn’t like. I actually thought it was pretty good but from what I’ve been able to glean from reviews, there seems to be a lot of bottle fluctuation.
June 19, 2007

Steve-o
Sideways, while a very good movie, has had FAR too much influence on rubes who are desperate to sound like the know what they’re talking about. Although it is fun to scare people by occasionally screaming “I’M NOT DRINKING ANY FU&*ING MERLOT!”

QOTD: Boxed “Sangria”. I was 18, poor, and we all needed to get hammered. never…ever…again…
June 19, 2007

Joe
Under $10: $2 buck chuck Chard.

But maybe had even a worse $60 experience on Father’s Day – 2005 Sea Smoke TEN (Pinot). I was so dissapointed.

I got my allocation last week, and wanted to treat myself on Dad’s Day. HOT. The most obivious alcoholic wine I ever had. Worse than most Zins and Shiraz’s. it was like drinking Armagnac – with the burn and heat flash in mouth and throat. The grapes were ripe and of fine pedigree….I believe it was downright awful wine-making. I am very dissapointed in 2005 Sea Smoke.

Joe
June 19, 2007

lifestooshort
re: cheap PN: Yikes? Ugh. The vine Gods were not smiling today. But the wine trolls were apparently out in force. Good excuse to treat yourself to something good later…
June 19, 2007

Ben N.
QOTD: 2-buck chuck or turning leaf.
June 19, 2007

John Witherspoon
QOTD : J. Wray and Nephew “Red Label Wine” tasting description – Flat Doctor Pepper mixed with Robotussin (sp?)

my sister and her new husband were in Jamaica for their honeymoon and picked this up at the drugstore for me knowing how much of a wine enthusiast I am, $2.99, what a steal. haha

J DUB
June 19, 2007

Brant
Great episode, even if the wines were terrible. Worst ever: Barefoot Cab – absolutely hideous.
June 19, 2007

Dusty
wow, was the high score of the day a 73? gary, you’re a braver man than i. atleast today. QOTD: some shiraz from california. guy brought it to a blind tasting i had. had to rinse my mouth and glass with listerine before moving on.
June 19, 2007

Colleen
Not a big fan of Pinot.. especially sub $10.00..
QOTD: 2005 Yellow Tail Shiraz..awful!
June 19, 2007

waibeans
Ohh man.. I can just feel your frustration GV. Echoing Johnny Blue.. sorry you had to go through that.
June 19, 2007

DaveyDonut
y0wza, that was bad. A few years ago (when I was moving on from Three Buck Chuck), I was drinking the Camelot Pinot Noir from California. It was about $6, and it was pretty decent, actually… the best $6 wine I had had. I don’t believe they make it anymore… at least I can’t find it in Oregon. Oh, I just looked it up… they do still make it, and funny, just like this first wine you had, the grapes are now grown in France. Surely it has gone down hill as well. If I could find it locally, I’d try it again, but surely since it’s now from the other side of the earth, it will at a minimum be a totally different wine than what I had years ago, and likely not as good.

QOTD: There’s this $3.50 Italian wine at trader Joe’s… Carvaglio… or something like that. Oh my god, it’s horrible…
June 19, 2007

MrTC
Was that the worst episode ever (in terms of wines)? Sure was a lot of fun watching though . Mind you, Pinot Noir is a fickle grape and I’m not surprised that 5-8 USD efforts are awful. Having said that, I’ve had 13-14 USD Pinot Noir which blew most of what you find at that price range out of the water (it was a Bourgogne too). No ‘deal’ feels better to me than finding a good PQR PN.

QOTD: I try to forget these as fast as possible, so can’t tell you the worst ever. But recently I had a supermarket-bottled Cotes Du Rhone Villages (Rasteau) which was just awful. In fact it took me by surprise, because usually you can find some real steals in CDR Villages.
June 19, 2007

wm mole
Time to fire up the “way back machine”. Worst was the infamous “Red Mountain Burgundy” $1.99 a gallon. Animal house special!
June 19, 2007

John P
I don’t drink many Pinots and I have sworn off any under $10.
Gary, you could tarnish that great palet of yours, be careful.
I would rather pay twice the price and drink half as much.

QOTD: I bought two bottles of d’Arenberg “Laughing Magpie”
and found the first so bad it went down the drain. Then,
opened the second to see if it was me/them and poured that
one down the drain too. It did not make me laugh. That
was about $40 down the drain, I think……
June 19, 2007

tarheel17
QOTD: I can’t even pick. . .any of the sub-$10 Chardonnays fit in there. THe most recent was Toasted Head. Ick. HMRex Goliath Rooster too.
June 19, 2007

Plminer
That episode looked brutal for you Gary, thanks for taking one for the team.
QOTD: By far Yellow Tail “Shiraz”, worst sheeyot I’ve ever had. Even worse than 2 Buck. Yep, that bad.
June 19, 2007

FredinNYC
QOTD: I’ve had very nice surprises in the under $10, and very bad surprises in the over $100. I guess it all comes down to expectation
June 19, 2007

italianwinelover
urg!!! sorry you had to go through that pinot hell!!! Even after watching Sideways didn’t get into Pinots, but definately began disliking Merlots!

QOTD: Hmmmmm….too many in my past to single out one, but Yellow Tail really was bad. THANK GOD there is you-Gary-to stop me from drinking bad wines!!!!! Thank you!!!
June 19, 2007

mbannon
BWAAHAA Ha ha ha, that was AWEsome Gary!!! High score of 73?! Classic. Also confirms my own experience with cheap pinot (notice I use “cheap” instead of “inexpensive”). Under $15? Fuhgeddaboudit.

QOD – Tough call, but I think the Little Penguin cab is somewhere in there.
June 19, 2007

Spacejay
QOTD – Fat Bastard. It was like drinking bacon fat.
June 19, 2007

slappy
QOTD: Wild Irish Rose. We used to pick it up for 1.25. Sorry
June 19, 2007

AlisonD
QOTD: 2 Buck Chuck – any of them!
June 19, 2007

tomfar
Looming disaster for Pinot. Dreck is dreck, no matter the varietal. Merlot was a victim of it’s own success + cycles of the wine business = don’t invest in marginal Pinot regions, 5 years???
June 19, 2007

ChrisR
Hey I was first? There’s two 2 ChrisR’s now!
Somebody is highjacking my screen name!
June 19, 2007

hugh
let’s face it……who makes great “cheap wine”?…..spain!!…..and i’ve never had a spanish pinot noir….why???….because the Spaniards are smart….you can find many great $15 and under tempranillos and garnachas, so why even try pinot….they know, as i do….pinot noir + under $15 = CRAP!!!

if you want under $10 and quality, look to Spain or Cotes du Rhone!!

oh, and at last, a corked wine!!!
June 19, 2007

tomfar
QOTD – travelling in Europe after high school we bought a bottle of cheap spanish wine in a plastic bottle in the late 70’s. Somehow I forgot the name, vintage, cepage, etc, etc, etc.
June 19, 2007

vivaitalia
I don’t think it’s the price that doomed those wines but the fact that those were the grocery store over produced brands that you can find all over the country. I can’t even imagine the production numbers. The really good cheap wines i’ve had were usually from countries that aren’t big in the wine world like hungary and austria. Spain though by far has the best qpr wines (even in the 5-7 dollar range!) that i’ve had. Maybe an episode on what you know are high quality $5 wines sometime in the future? QOTD Cribari chianti (the kind that comes in a giant jug and you find at truck stop cafe’s and such) And this burgandy that’s from one of the generic cali super brands I can’t remember. I’ve been getting alot of corked wines lately.
June 19, 2007

yowens44
Never really been into Pinot and this episode doesnt help. QOTD: Honestly, and I hope he’s not watching- my friends Cab/merlot blend he’s making in his basement I tried this weekend. Horrible. Smelled like bleach + fungus.
June 19, 2007

MikeBro
Oh Yuck on the Pinots today!

QOTD: Under 10 bones would have to be any boxed wine, they are all pretty bad. Did have some Boons Farm long ago that made sick. That would have to be the worst under 5 bones.

Gary, lets do some 15 to 20 dollar Pinots. Oh wait you probably already have, I’ll check some past eps.

Thanks,

MB
June 19, 2007

ChadD.
I agree with Tim above: got to be the TJCS Beaujolais-stangest wine ever. But now that I think about it…my family and friends keep giving me “wine” from several local “wineries” from back home (Southern IL). They ALL taste like cheap kroger brand grape juice mixed with cheap vodka.
June 19, 2007

Kraemer
A decent, sup 10.00 dollar bottle of Pinot? I think they don’t exist. It’s way too expensive for a winery to produce a cheap, quality, $10.00 dollar bottle of Pinot Noir simply due to the delicate nature of the grape and all of the care involved. It’s expensive.

Sorry about your luck today, Gary. I had a similar experience last night.

QOTD: Oh jesus, I wish I still had the bottle as I don’t remember the name of it. It was a 2001 Napa Valley Pinot Noir of some sort and I had decent expectations for it due to the vintage, but was sadly dissappointed. The nose was dull and lifeless and the chasiss was overcome by prominent grapefruit flavors. Overall it was completely unbalanced and shallow.
June 19, 2007

Autoproxy
For a good Pinot value, I’d suggest Beringer Founder’s Estate. Has to be better than what you tried today. You guys sell it for $8.34, and it’s the only varietal in that series that I like.

QOTD – probably too many to list. The *worst* though? Maybe any/all CA Sauvignon Blancs that I’ve tried…just not the right terroir. Or poor efforts from producers, who knows.
June 19, 2007

Russ J
Who didn’t see this coming from a MILE away? I’ve had the Cavit and, I think, the Lindemans. Just awful…..but not the answer to the QOTD (also asked some time ago in the Forum) which was Corbett Canyon Merlot, under $10 in the magnum and WAY overpriced. And I drank several glasses of this crap. Why? Because there clearly is something wrong with me, and it was a party and that’s all that there was. It was a nightmare in the canyon…canyon…canyon….Next time, I’m hitting the Arbor Mist!
June 19, 2007

Glazer
QOTD= The worst under $10 Pinot has to be Lindemans. I describe the taste as, if you decided to go out and run 10 miles on a hot summer day holding a handful of pennies, and then at the end you stopped and dropped the pennies and then decided to lick your hand, that’s wahat it tasted like. :
June 19, 2007

Tommy Vernieri
I have the Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir (from France), now I’m interested to see how bad it is after making this “worst list” twice. My worst wine was just this week, White Lie Early Season Chardonnay. It was marketed as low calorie wine for women; tasted like funky water. The whole bottle got dumped.
June 19, 2007

Brad
Definitely a tough price point to find sound pinot noir in…a grape that fairs remarkably poorly at high yields (considering it’s already a low yielding grape w/ little vigor), unlike cabernet. Having said that, the bottles you chose are fowl! How about a little Bogle or Echelon in the house? Represent w/ some decent producers! Cavit?! Might as well bring back the Charles Shaw w/ some Bolla on the side!
June 19, 2007

JonE
Balls out G-Man to take the chance. Well done.

QOTD: without a doubt anything from Fox Hollow.
June 19, 2007

Sean
the wine was called Pinot Evil…..and it was….
June 19, 2007

Robin
Nice shirt.
QOTD: My worst $10.00 bottle of wine: I’m not sure how much these wines cost, but a friend and I took a tour of New Mexico wineries in our area – up to Santa Fe and Taos – and this is the only time it’s happened to me – I took a sip of the wine in the first winery and realized that this liquid should not be swallowed, it was so incredibly awful,and my friend was doing the same thing-looking around for a place to get rid of the wine. I think we finally swallowed it, but were very careful from then on.
I don’t understand what the problem is. The winemakers were so nice, and some of them had even studied at the University of Davis. But they didn’t even seem to realize that the wine was swill. The other people in our group were actually purchasing some of the wine. It was eerie.
That being said, Gruet (Albuquerque) champagne (he purchases his grape) makes good stuff, and Casa Rondena does reasonably well. Nothing under $10.00 though.
June 19, 2007

PapaMike
Were you cursed on this show or what? Better luck tomorrow.

QOTD: Mother-in-law cracked open a bottle of Grandpa’s cherry wine once. Tasted like vinegar but I couldn’t convince her it wasn’t good.
June 19, 2007

Douche
Decent, cheap Pinot does exist, I’ve had several great examples of it over here in the UK, all of it from Chile. No other country seems to able to compete with Chile in this price range for Pinot. Quite how they are doing it must be a mystery to the rest of the winemaking world, eh?
June 19, 2007

Badger Ann
QOTD: Hands down, it was Yellow Tail Merlot. I drank it on a dare.
June 19, 2007

RIck K
Wow, I was really excited when I saw the title today. I have been on a search for a $10 bottle of Pinot to drink daily. Hope you can redo this episode and find a few. We are counting you. You need to test that 4th bottle tomorrow by the way. We are waiting on pins and needles.
June 19, 2007

Greg B.
WOW, I don’t know Big G. Did you really think you might find a gem in that Locker Room? No frigin way.
I bet you could with Shiraz, but not Pinot.
QOTD Leaving Cork’d Wine and the Like out. I would have to say a few bottles that I got from Trader Joes were god-awful. One Chilean and the other a French nightmare.
Keep seeking out the deals for us G. I don’t think I can stomach doing it myself.
June 19, 2007

RIck K
Wow, I was really excited when I saw the title today. I have been on a search for a $10 bottle of Pinot to drink daily. Hope you can redo this episode and find a few. We are counting you. You need to test that 4th bottle tomorrow by the way. We are waiting on pins and needles. QTD Citra Montepulciano 2000 $3 a bottle
June 19, 2007

BCWinesAreIn
QOTD: It would have to be the Naked Grape Shiraz. You’d think anyone could make a good Shiraz, right? here’s an example of one that doesn’t. Horrid stuff. They sell if for less than $10 Canadian here in Vancouver.
June 19, 2007

Winodontist
Franzia out of a box, ummm delicioso!

Everything I like in Pinot Noir is $25+
June 19, 2007

caleb
1st corked bottle ive seen on wltv so far…..any others i missed?
June 19, 2007

Randy
Man, this and the Two Buck Chuck episode. Go pour yourself some awesome wine tonight and give your palate some lovin’.

Sweet that you had Stardust playing in the background. That takes me back to Winter ‘99 in Munich, Germany, where I worked from January through April and saw just how bleak Europe gets in the depths of winter.

QOD: Honestly, seriously, I don’t buy wine under $10. Not ever. But I will tell you that for $11 (at least in Glen Ellen), I can get a Coteaux du Languedoc (organic grapes) that ROCKS.
June 19, 2007

RonC
Would have liked to see you include the Agustinos Pinot Noir Reserve 2006 ($9.99) that you sold with free shipping a few weeks ago in your selection.

QOTD: There’s a three way tie for the worst $10 and under bottle of wine I ever tasted;
Two Buck Chuck Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Bon Vivant Vineyards Gala Rouge Pinot Noir
2005 Little Penguin Pinot Noir

Taks a couple of Rolaids and forget about this episode.
June 19, 2007

nasty nate
Best bargin Pinot is Les Jamelles 88 Points Wine Enthusiast. Little Vin de pays producer that brings it for around 9-12 depending on where you get it.
June 19, 2007

MossyMo
QOTD: Not under $10 (which makes it even worse), but I’m going to say the 2005 Layer Cake Shiraz…terrible!
June 19, 2007

canadapete
I was scared you might of something good to say about that heinous Lindemanns garbage. I should have known you would come through. I’m actually rather pleased you had the same discription as I did ‘a hot, kick in the teeth,’ Thanks but no thanks.
June 19, 2007

Neil
I think Kahuna is still mad at because Gary is using the SF WLTV glass and as for his opinion of Cali Pinot Noir, fine, don’t buy any – there will be more Littorai, Londer, Papapietro Perry, Kosta Browne, Flowers, etc, etc, for us locals to drink. I had a bottle of Gevrey Chambertin the other day and side by side with a DuNah, the Cali won hands down. (in my opinion)

One good thing to come out of the Sideway’s Phenom, good Merlot can be had at a fraction of the price of Cali Cab. I enjoyed a bottle of Silverado Merlot, and I agree with Gry Vynrchk it did drink like a Cab. Nice QPR

Anyway Kahuna while you’re slamming California Pinot, why don’t you.. “blow me a kiss while you’re leaving…” (Bud E Love reference)
June 19, 2007

wolfie
entertaining episode, but a little painful to watch. i knew where it was going the second i saw that bottle of lindeman’s.

qotd? don’t remember the name, but i had some $6 portugese stuff that was pretty brutal. i choked my way through a glass, left it overnight, tasted it again the next day and dumped it down the drain.
June 19, 2007

Kraemer
The Beringer founders estate is actually a fairly solid Pinot for under 10 dollars come to think of it. Their Private Reserve is decent too, but that’s a different story heh.

It always pays to know somebody that works in the industry
June 19, 2007

geespot
Yeeeech! Under 10$ Pinot is always disappointing. I remember when I was getting started with wine I bought almost all of them and couldn’t find one worth a second glass. Worst wine in a while, Inheritance 2004 Petite Sirah from Lone Dove Vineyards in Lodi, CA. If it weren’t for the porcelain staining possibility, I might have used it to clean my toilets. It was that bad. Seriously, I think some paint thinners might be more palatable.
June 19, 2007

mas
Wow… that has to be the worst show ever.

QOTD: 2005 Ruffino Chianti – their entry level bottling – literally liquid Drano. Had it around Thanksgiving 2006 – so it was hard to believe that a red wine 2005 was already in bottle and through the distribution channel. This was just awful stuff.
June 19, 2007

Madrone
Here is my thought at this price and this quality level: Start thinking of something other than wine. I’m a wine geek always looking for a reason to drink wine but after this episode I think about something like beer (maybe a belgian or a good domestic micro) or a mixed drink or a martini. These are all better sensory experiences than a really bad wine. Save your money for something better and while you wait perhaps drink a mojito.
June 19, 2007

Bobinnati
Yikes! If you couldn’t even find a good bottle of Pinot under $10, what chance do we have?? QOTD – Fish Eye Shiraz – U – G – L – Y – it ain’t got no al – i – bi, it’s ugly, yeah, yeah, it’s ugly……
June 19, 2007

amgryger
Really cheap pinot noir kind of scares me. The least expensive pinot I have had that was decent (somewhat above adequate) was a Bourgogne Rouge at around 17 bones.

QOTD: I have had a lot of pretty horrible under $10 wines. Two-buck chuck cabernet is pretty awful, though possibly not as bad as yellowtail shiraz. I also had a another california cabernet that was wretched, which I think might have been called “Cedar Creek,” but that’s a memory I tried to block out.

It should probably be noted that, with the exception of two buck chuck, all of these wines came from liquor stores that are built primarily out of bulletproof plexiglass…
June 19, 2007

Jan Wicher
QOTD: Brown Brothers 2006 Lexia (i don’t buy it but was subjected to it at a dinner party). Sugar syrup would be better to drink to this.
June 19, 2007

portman
Ugh. Under $10 pinot? no chance.

QOTD: Little Penguin pinot and 2 Buck Chuck chard.
June 19, 2007

Montrose
QOTD: I had the worst liquid sold as wine in the United States after the government put measures in place to assure food quality: a cabernet from India I purchased becuase I wanted to “expand my horizons” and it said M Rolland consulted. If I had consulted on this stuff, I would have said “no.”
June 19, 2007

Marc
QOTD: I’m in too good of a mood to think negatively, so I’ll turn it around and say the best under $10 wine I’ve had is probably the Las Rocas Garnacha I ordered off your recommendation.

Is it common for Israeli wines to be corked? I bought two this year for Passover and both of them were corked, and including those 2 I’ve only had 3 bottles of corked wine in my life (I think). The only time I’ve had uncorked Israeli wine is when I’ve actually drank it at a winery in Israel. Maybe they’re not so good with the shipping?
June 19, 2007

EricB
Well I could have saved you the pain of tasting Talus – that tied with Carl Reh Riesling Spatlese 2002 for the worst under $10 I’ve ever had.
Try HRM Rex Goliath for a good cheap pinot ($9). At a pinot tasting / dinner, it was very similar to Elk Cove’s and La Crema’s basic $20 offerings.
June 19, 2007

Brooklyn Paul
Hey, someone tell Kahuna there wasn’t a single California Pinot grape in the bunch! Pay attention big guy!

So… too bad there was nothing there worth tasting. Always on the lookout for a cheap Pinot.

QOTD: Hmmmm…don’t buy a lot of sub $10 wines, and those I do are usually on a rec, so really can’t remember any bad ones. You know what they say?… “GaryV, drinking bad wine, so I don’t have to!”
June 19, 2007

phermented1
I do not know who is worse, the people that produce that plunk or the people that buy it.
June 19, 2007

Susan
Gary- Still ‘drinking bad wine, so I don’t have to’ !!!!!
Great stuff!! I have had the Cavit. It really is off balance!!
Too acid!!!
Thanks Gary!!!!
June 19, 2007

Susan
That would be too ACIDIC!!!!!!
June 19, 2007

stewart l
With how bad these wines are, why do you even carry them in your store?
June 19, 2007

Dennis Cox
I see Pinot Noirs from places that historically never have had it planted. I avoid those. Like Italy. If I want to spend less than $10 on an Italian wine it’s made from an Italian grape.

QOTD Corbett Canyon Cabernet (it said on the label). My wife and I each took one sip, looked at each other and I said,”Thompson Seedless.” We poured the rest out and opened another bottle.
June 19, 2007

wtvLurker
i also got sucked in by the title but was disappointed that you didn’t find a good pinot in this episode. i am a long time (way pre-sideways) fan of PN. i was pissed for a while when sideways caused alot of good pinot to go up in price. i began to avoid pricey pinot (all pinot?). but recently im beginning to think that all the buzz has brought more supply and since quality in wine production *generally* improves, maybe its been a good thing. at around 10-13 bones there seems to be more and more decent new pinots. the agustinos, bogle, castle rock are some examples. i hear the cycle gladiator pinot is not bad for ~9 bones but haven’t tried it yet. what ever happened to the bad fish and hammond pinots gary?

a few episodes back your qotd was about whether or not to change the format. i think the consensus was to generally keep it the same (taste & results live) but occasionally mix it up and throw in wines you tasted recently and liked. i think this is a perfect opportunity for gary to taste some more at/under $10 pinots behind the scenes and do an episode with just the winner(s).
June 19, 2007

Dave Canada
I’ll be honest Gary….I don’t usually drink wine under $10 for the exact reason this show illustrated….most of it is CRAP!
Also, why not spend an extra $5-10 and get something that is so much better. I just really don’t see why these wines exist? Make stuff that is worth drinking damnit!
QOTD – Ontario Cabernet….God I have had some shitty Ontario Cab (there are good ones I know…)
June 19, 2007

Justin
Hey Gary,

It looked like you weren’t enjoying this episode, but I have to admit I was loving it. I don’t have a ton of disposable income right now, so it’s great to hear some actual criticism of cheap wine just for contrast. Pinot’s are just too popular to have any quality at this price point though…but I highly recommend other ‘cheap wine’ episodes (for the other end of the sideways spectrum, do a cheap merlot episode).

QOTD: Can’t recall the brand, but it was a Chilean Malbec, and it tasted like a bucket of chalk. Like drinking the water used to wash a chalkboard.

-Justin
(out of lurker status)
June 19, 2007

E-Rock
Everything from CA under $10 prety much blows.
June 19, 2007

SteveW
QOTD: Any wine from Trader Joe’s that costs less than $5.
June 19, 2007

TommyBoBo of WI

If it was under $10 it would have been years ago and with inflation now a $20-$30 bottle. Life is too short to drink bad wine. Pay a little more, put yourself in a sweet spot of probability that the wine will be good.
I love what you’ve introduced to me these many months,,, but I ain’t drinking no *uck*** $10 WINE!!!!
June 19, 2007

selby hinkebein
cheap pinot usually taste like weasel piss Saintsbury had a decent P.N called GARNET@ $18
June 19, 2007

stevo
I bought a Bordeaux from Trader Joe’s a few months ago for $7.99. Two sips was too many…right down the drain it went. I’ve blocked the name from memory.

BTW: Who is this Steve-o character?? I’m the real stevo!
June 19, 2007

Mike In SLO
QOTD – A Los Vascos Cab I had a while back. Brett monsters!
June 19, 2007

Grapedigger
Good Pinot
June 19, 2007

Grapedigger
Mission impossible: Find a good Pinot
June 19, 2007

Mike In SLO
Brett monster? What’s that shirt look like?
June 19, 2007

Harley Stan
Wow,three bombs in a row and a corked bottle

QOTD Denver, oh that was yesterdays question. Worst wine was simply called winemaker from moldova, it had a really cool bottle for 6 bones but the juice was horrid.
June 19, 2007

MikeyB
qotd: can’t think of terrible one since I usually wait for a recommendation, but this past Sunday my uncle did a blind light beer tasting and one of them (bud light) had been sitting in his fridge since 1986. I’m not kidding. Almost lost my lunch right there. I mean this bottle didn’t even look like a bud light. He says it was an accident. I think he was trying to unload some junk.
June 19, 2007

Tad
QOTD…Mark West Pinot Noir. I tried to find a good cheap bottle like this episode and came away with the same results.
June 19, 2007

Jerry the 2THDR
QOTD: I didn’t know you could but a bottle of wine for under $10. A box yes a bottle no. 2thdr
June 19, 2007

Justmarsh
I’m glad you did this episode. I’ve never tasted a good pinot under $10. What’s better buying 4 undrinkable $8 bottles or one good $30 bottle?
June 19, 2007

SacramentoCharlie
…Good Episode…blah, blah, blah…let’s talk about the new ad in the new Wine Spectator !!! Nice Pub !!! We’ll be seeing GV on Conan or the Today Show before too long. Forget LeBron, we are all witnesses to GV blowing up !!!
June 19, 2007

JoeinLA
Great Episode even with the awful koolaid…

I loved the ” I might want to run this glass through the carwash” line…

Another night/ next day of Palatte recovery. Last time I think it was Sauternes atfer the two buch chuck debacle.Whats it going to be tomorrow?
June 19, 2007

Napa Spa
worst ever? – pepperwood grove pinot noir or sutter home pinot noir it’s a toss up.
June 19, 2007

Shadowbird
Never had Pinot Noir, but after this episode, I may hold off on that.
June 19, 2007

Shadowbird
QOTD: I did once have a bad bottle of Barefoot Shiraz, though. Couldn’t even drink one glass.
June 19, 2007

Frank B
all two buck chucks. My sink got a real workout that day
June 19, 2007

E
71 is so prime.

I guess that wasn’t a Zork on the last wine, after all.

The Mark West pinot is another French wine masquerading as Californian–Corsican actually, but it’s still nasty.

2005 Cerejeiras from Portugal was under $10 and not good, but I slagged it already, so instead a confession:

The other day I was wandering through the grocery wine aisle seeing if there was anything new in, when I was accosted by a passing hipster who had apparently decided I looked like I knew what I was doing.

So he admits to not knowing much about wine, and wants something sweet.

But before I give the riesling any thought, I see right in front of me a bottle of Yellow Tail shiraz/grenache, which I have had prior experience with.

Against my better judgment, I know it’s just the thing, but at least I remembered to make sure he wasn’t eating anything with it.

OK, all better.
June 19, 2007

BW
QOTD – 2 bottles from west slope of Colorado. Absolutely the worst ever.
Can’t remember the vintage or producer, just remember they were the only 2 bottles
I ever poured down the drain – one white, one red… Bought just for fun, since we live in
Colorado. Do your self a favor, pass on anything from Colorado. I haven’t tasted a good one yet.
June 19, 2007

Mtn Charlie
Shadowbird, Don’t give up on Pinot. I have tasted some exceptionally fine Pinots.

Gary, I was hopeful, but I kind of saw that coming. A little surprised it was so devastatingly 0 for 4.

QOTD: Christian Brothers Cream Sherry
June 19, 2007

Larry
Anything white zin (before I knew ANYthing about wine and still like to drink soda). There’s a crapload of bad vino out there – which I try to forget ASAP once encountered. I shall try to keep records for the future – mea culpa.
June 20, 2007

Tofferotti
Sad episode. I’m tired of all this wine that keeps disappointing. I know you do find some that is good but all that sticks out in my head is the bad stuff.

QOTD: Smoking loon Chardonnay and almost any white zin
June 20, 2007

vinovintner
Gary, Thanks for the Pinot Noir tasting. I suspected the outcome would be very dissapointing. I have tasted all three of these wines in the past and came to the conclusion that they are simply deplorable wines. It is very difficult to produce Pinot Noir and be able to sell it for less than ten bones.

Talus brings the grapes in from France. Let me think about this. How long does it take for the grapes to come from France. The grapes aren’t very fresh. They probably use juice that has been hot pressed and shipped in sealed containers. The hot press process significantly degrades the quality of the wine that is produced. I am certain that all of the Pinot’s that are priced very low are done so because they use the “hot press” procedure.

Hmmm, good winemaking practice is to work with grapes that are freshly picked. No wonder the wine stinks. Good Pinot Noir winemaking techniques requires cold soaking immediately after the grapes are harvested and a controlled primary fermentation that can last up to three weeks. Cheaper isn’t better in my book. You basically get what you pay for. Quality speaks for itself.

Should we be influenced by Hollywood? Absoultely not. We should trust our own palattes, not on what a fictious character says about wine in a movie.

One of the worst wines that I have ever experienced was Yellow Tail Cabernet/Merlot blend. Yuck. It was like drinking cough syrup. Two buck chuck is a bad example of what a cab should be. It is completely devoid of character with no complexity at all.
June 20, 2007

glenn
great episode! i have to take this glass thru a carwash! instant classic. + a corked one.
June 20, 2007

TWofPasadena
Gotta say I saw the results of this one coming before I even hit play. Sorry you had to put your palate though that, Gary. But hey, that’s why we love you.
June 20, 2007

nougat
Gaz, I’ve had the hold sign on pinot for the last few years and you just saved me a few bucks. Cheers!

I was recently gifted a 1.5L Aussie chardonnay, Masterpeace (nice play on words) which was pretty bad.
June 20, 2007

glenn
and who the hell opened a 05 SS Ten already? you didn’t like it? maybe b/c it is two years away from approachability?
June 20, 2007

Megaton
Worst wine under ten bones?

Well, it was way under ten bones. It was basement wine from the town of Corniglia in the Cinque Terre. It was a golden, white wine that came in an apple juice bottle “corked” with a rolled up piece of wax paper stuffed in the neck. We were hiking through the Cinque Terre and stopped to buy wine out of an old woman’s basement because we read that they make good wine there. We drank it for the romance. Everyone was a hot mess the next day.
June 20, 2007

Jim H.
Gary,
Really, Pinot Noir ar those prices? I have yet to enjoy any Pinot under $12. When you get to $5 and $6, good God man!

QOTD: All Charles Shaw wine. Just dreadful stuff.
June 20, 2007

EthanPSU
Gary thanks for trying to pull in the Israeli wine here! I’ll stop hassling you now… Just one more example of why the wine world needs to embrace the screw cap!!!
QOTD: Some red wine from the Ukraine which had a strange picture of a 19th century woman on the label but as for varietal I haven’t a clue. I could barely swallow it but the Ukranian girl I was with at the time had picked it up for dinner so I had to force it down with a lot of food. At least she thought I loved her cooking.
June 20, 2007

thabeav
Ouch. Predictable, but painful.

The only good Pinot I’ve had in that range is from Augistinos (Chile) from WL. Hmmm…maybe taste that one again on your next value pinot episode?

QOTD: I have had three Cali Chards in the 10-40 dollar range in the last week – ALL were nothing but buttered popcorn. I lost my left leg to the oak monster. WHY??? Why do they always use so much damn oak? In contrast, had a chablis from Servin yesterday- was absolutely amazing.

Gary – could you taste the SBRAGIA gamble valley chard? It’s 95 points from james laube, with more oak than a sawmill!! I’m interested to see how your palate compares to Laube’s.
June 20, 2007

EdKoo
Let’s see, there was the line of dogtail I tasted which was pretty terrible. There were a few wines from Uruguay sitting somewhere that I didn’t want to taste because I didn’t want to go blind. There were also the cavit pinot grigios, the beringer white zinfandels, and a whole mess of other stuff.
June 20, 2007

JCfromtheWC
I actually enjoyed that episode a lot. How about a value pinot episode – under $25? There was a great topic on the boards about this yesterday. It would be great to see some fo these head to head.

QOTD – That’s a tough one. I tend to try to forget them. Does Carlo Rossi count or is that not wine?
June 20, 2007

msb2ncsu
QOTD: Too many to name, to be honest. Tail end of college we were broke and still trying to get into wine so whatever Harris Teeter had on Bonus Buy was the take home prize. I distinctly remember an Australian shiraz with a koala on the label that I spit back into the glass and a Gewurzt in a bottle shaped like a black cat that caused more damage to my mouth than a Starbucks espresso.
June 20, 2007

Metal Dave
QOTD: Cono Sur Pinot Noir. I also had an Errazuriz Shiraz-y thing that was right disgusting. Nothing however beats that Cono Sur. Absolutely appalling. One of only 2 wines I’ve ever dumped down the sink (the other being the Errazuriz). Freaking gross. I have NEVER, on that note, tasted a good Chilean wine. They must exist, but I’ve sure never had one. Thought the Los Vascos might “bring some thunder” but really it was worse than most vin de table I’ve had.
June 20, 2007

Capt M
Love this episode. Maybe I was too tired last night, but I laughed silly while watching. QOTD: it was a french wine which name I don’t even want to remember
June 20, 2007

Capt M
Did you see my comments on cork’d about Palo Alto, $5.18 wine? It’s ridonculous. I bought the last two bottles off the shelf last night, but a friend told me where to find plenty, but for $5.99. Let me know if you can’t find it in NJ, and I’ll be happy to send you a couple.
June 20, 2007

PhilB
QOTD: Vega Ferrera Crianza 2001, Somontano

I love Spanish wine and this Somontano region is all that bad, but this wine had a pure nose and palate of smoky garbage and unripe green pepper… PURE crap!
June 20, 2007

Casey
Good episode. Really liked how you went after this one, and even tried to salvage the positive, informative message at the end. Good.

QOTD: Hokkaido (Japan) Naigra Grape based wine- horrible.
June 20, 2007

Lynne
Loved the episode. I felt your pain. I’ve had two of the four. Once.
Favorite worst wines are Franzia boxes, Woodbridge and there was something that called itself a wine that had a picture of a fish. It tasted more like fish.
June 20, 2007

march_58
QOTD: Probably Woodbridge or BV Coastal Cabernet.

I think you hit the nail on the head Gary when you said after tasting the Talus that there effort was part of the problem in the wine industry today. Why make a wine that’s no good just because you can. Why not concentrate on a few varitals and do them well instead of putting out an average to well below average portfolio.
June 20, 2007

Ryan D
Wow… tough episode!!! Hopefully you can do Pinot Noir again soon and actually give us some to try, haha.

QotD: Sutter Home Merlot, baby… had a nose of urinal mints and I would rather drink… um, pretty much anything.
June 20, 2007

SP
Nice episode Gary, I am thinking about one day doing a Pinot Noir Challenge, a blind tasting consisting of: 1 or 2 Cali, 1 or 2 Oregon, 1 or 2 Burgandy. Depends on the number of people I get. If only one, would try to keep in the $20/btl price range. If two from each, have 1 15-20 dollars, and then the other 25+.
June 20, 2007

MC Dubs
If I remember correctly, the Can-Am Connection was Rick Martel (aka “The Model”) and Tom Zenk. I just checked Wikipedia and Tito Santana and Martel were a tag team back in the day, but they were called Strike Force.

QOTD: The red champagne I had at the town “festival” in the Italian Alps between my junior and senior years of college. I don’t know what was in it – or why I kept drinking it – but it was very wrong on so many levels.
June 20, 2007

Oleg I.
Louis Latour Pinot Noir 2005, 7.99
June 20, 2007

GeneV
Love the glass!!! Reminds me of a great evening. Memorable episode–lowest ratings ever.

Worst under $5 wine was in France–Vin de Pays for the equivalent of 10 cents a bottle (in 1979). Industrial cleaning fluid.
June 20, 2007

Herm
I think it would have to be Ripple…..If you mix Ripple with Champagne you get Champipple….Don’t try it
June 20, 2007

Elliot Essman
My worst under $10 wine – and this lists for $9 at WL so I suppose the taste-challenged guest who brought it may have paid more – was the Corvo Red. I read somewhere they produce a million cases of this a year.
June 20, 2007

TSchampaert
Tough ep Gary. Surprised that you didn’t get a bottle to rinse your palate … .
QOTD: A Barbera d’Asti of Capetta. Tasted like wet cardboard with pigeon droppings and charred Brussels sprouts. Horrible …
June 20, 2007

Halden
Cheap Pinot Noir is like the movie that inspired the PN Trend unimpressive.
June 20, 2007

dadobs
What an ep, GV–like watching a three Yugo pile-up on I-80.

QOTD: Forest Glen merlot was pretty bad and reminded me of spoiled seaweed. OEven better: dandilion “wine” from the Amana Colony Iowa winery. We all burped up flowers for three damn days. Scarred me and my intestines for life.
June 20, 2007

DryDrew
….. What a nightmare!

(Hay that last bottle dos not count Gary! And dos not solve “THIS” issue)
June 20, 2007

GottaGoDrink
Gary- No surprises in this episode. I am still looking for any pinot from CA that I like. I haven’t given up, but…

QOTD- Former life- MD 20/20, although it delivered a huge alcohol hit. Current life- 2001 Buckeley’s Shiraz, indescribably terrible and an RP89.
June 20, 2007

luvgrapesqeezings
QOD: Cisco wine or ‘wine-drink’ is the worst. I had it once when I was 23 y/o
and I got a headache as soon as it had hit my lips!!!!!!!!!!
Gary, you should give a shout out to all the Andre lurkers out there.
June 20, 2007

bruce gardner
The reason wines this bad are produced is because people keep buying them. Yuk. I disagree with your dcore on the Talus. I don’t think it even deserves the minumum score.
June 20, 2007

Pastore
QOTD: Two Buck Chuck Cab. ’nuff said.
June 20, 2007

Ken
QOTD: Any Fontera Cab Merlot blend from Chile.

Q: Can anyone recommend a good Pinot Noir for uder 15 bones? Thx.
June 20, 2007

Andy
QOTD— I guess it was Night Train when the funds were low….
June 20, 2007

Brett M
QOTD: Sticking with the theme of bad cheap Pinot, Vampire Pinot Noir from Romania for 7 bucks. Worst swill I’ve ever tasted.
June 20, 2007

Wandamae
By now you….and we….know there is really no such thing as any good wine under $10 and $5.01 is really desperate. Gary….you should ‘up the annie’ just a tad and keep these episodes out. They are a waste of time and energy and I think by now your audience is more educated.

With that said…hmmm under $10….haven’t had lately…unless you count the Merlots over $25 blind tasting I went to where someone bagged a 2 Buck for fun. It was immediately discovered and dumped. Tasted like the Hollywood Hills fire.
June 20, 2007

Kirk
QOTD: The WORST under $10 bottle of wine I have had was the Cline “Cote de Oakley” 2002 white last summer.

Andy: Look for Vox Populi a romanian Pinot Noir. It’s $9 here in Maine or Firesteed from Oregon ($14). Remember with Pinot it’s really hard to find good bottles. These bottles are average run of the mill 80 point wines in my book. Nothing special or that I would want to drink on a daily basis. If you got the Pinot bug splurge and really enjoy your wines every now & again. I would rather drink one very nice bottle a month ($40) than 4 blaze’ bottles. What about you?
June 20, 2007

Jen Loves Wine
Hey Gary — was hoping for the best on this one, but after some early experiences with
June 20, 2007

Lawrence Leichtman
Worst under $10 wines, certainly anything from Lindeman will fit that category, what a terrible producer of wines to begin with. The worst I’ve ever had were wines from a Missouri winery called Wiedeker. Really awful crap.

I’m surprised you even attempted this. Pinot Noir is a delicate grape and no, not because Miles said so. Going around to over 100 wineries that produce Pinots in 6 countries that is the word from every winemaker and supply/demand makes expense so good Pinot Noir has to be sourced from good grapes in the first place. Anybody buying juice out of the country (and that Talus was juice not grapes when they got it) will produce poor wines in my experience. Yes, many CA wineries in CA source their grapes (not juice) from other places in CA but they do their own crushes and at least control that aspect of production. All of the wines you tasted were just attempts to climb on the Pinot band wagon. Where Pinot Noir is grown in Italy and Israel tends to be too hot for Pinot as well.
June 20, 2007

Lurkerdog
GVNC: Very timely QOTD. Last night I opened a $9.99 Zinfandel and it was terrible. It tasted like I bit into an oak tree that was soaked in Tobasco sauce. It was hyped by one of your competitors as “A great deal on boutique Napa Zin…was $22, now only $9.99!” 2002 Rockledge Napa Zinfandel. By the way have you ever tasted Two-buck Chuck on your show?
June 20, 2007

thkorent
QOTD: It was an Italian Chianti from cecchi. can’t remember the vintage but back off across all of ‘em.
June 20, 2007

DARREL LAS VEGAS
CHARLES SHAW you cant even cook with this stuff or give it to someone you DON’T like!
June 20, 2007

KW
Not a big Pinot Fan – most of them are too light for my taste.
Corbett Canyon Chard. Yuck.
June 20, 2007

msb2ncsu
” thkorent:

QOTD: It was an Italian Chianti from cecchi”

You know, I was gonna use that in his QOTD the other day about worst wine in the last couple weeks. We picked up a Cecchi Chianti to have with some pizza and it was horrid. Seriously, one of the worst wines I have ever had.
June 20, 2007

Marko TJ From Finland
Hi Gary,

There is no competition on worst wine ever.. like i said on 256 Talus Pinot Noir takes the cake, i really would like to know who’s the jackass that desided to import that junk all the way to Finland.
June 20, 2007

MannyPants
Appreciate the effort even though there didn’t seem to to be a winner among these bottles. QOTD: IM Rose, not a fan.
June 20, 2007

Len C
you complain that everyone is buying the oak monster shirt and not the GV so you wear the oak monster?????
June 20, 2007

Fco.
Gary…..thank you for this episode. This really went out of the way to show me just how much suck at the wining thing. I had that Cavit, at Olive Garden, this weekend and since watching this show I am trying to pay attention to the bouquet and the flavor and all that. Anyway, I drank it, liked the smell, pretty much came to the same conclusion as you, then drank it and…I thought it was alright. A little off balance but not terrible, certainly not as good as some other Pinot’s I’ve had…

…and now I just realized Cavit is terrible and I do not know what the hell Pinot is supposed to taste like. This irks me, I am obviously way off base here. You know what would be good? For you to talk about exercises people can go to learn what certain wines are supposed to taste-like, in an average sense. Perhaps show an average pinot, a unique pinot and a sh!tty pinot and then let us know so we can go buy all three and compare ourselves. Know what I mean? Just an idea, cause I am clearly lost here.
June 20, 2007

Steve B
There are some worth while Pinots available for under 20USD, but you have to look hard and the production numbers are very small. Two that I have had are the Hayman&Hill Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands(~$15) and the Samantha Starr Pinot also in the same price range.(Same winemaker as Talbot Winery) These are not as big and complex as say a Pisoni or Roar, but its hard to beat the price.

QOTD — 2buck chuck Cabernet; virtually undrinkable!
June 20, 2007

Karl B.
QOTD – Worst under $10 wine? Clearly the Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon. I had one sip and poured it down the drain. Some people even gave it ratings that made it seem drinkable (WS). Gary – I’ll let my memory lapse on whether you rated it………….

By the way, what does happen to all of the bottles of wine after you have opened them and completed the WLTV episode? Is it party time for the staff? Do you fill the bird’s water dish? Tell me….
June 20, 2007

Taco John
Zarafa Pinotage. Horrible. Pretty much the worst edible liquid I’ve put in my mouth. The dominant flavor was burning rubber, and it was a feat to make it powerful enough to overcome the heat.
June 20, 2007

GlassRunnethEmpty
QOTD: Worst under $10 wine was something someone brought to the house last year. It had a frog or penguin or some cutesy little critter on the label. Totally undrinkable and not even fit for cooking. Poured it down the drain.

Mirassou had a very drinkable Pinot Noir for under $10. I believe it was the ‘03 and ‘04 vintages which received 90/91 from WS. We bought one bottle, found it very drinkable, so bought a case. Not sure the ‘05 has faired as well. Aside from Lindeman, I’ve never heard of these other labels….and I can’t say I have much respect for the Lindeman label.
June 20, 2007

Boston Ben
Wow – this may have been the lowest rated overall tasting ever for WLTV.

QOTD: Had some super-nasty Baco Noirs from Ontario – they get really stinky and nasty on the nose, try to make up for it in residual sugar. Sutter Home White Zinfandel was pretty bad, too, even though they invented White Zin back inna day. All reviewed on my Cork’d account at:

http://www.corkd.com/people/bostonben/journal
June 20, 2007

DyDrew
QOTD: When I bought my first investment house in the dirty Jers. (The one I was working on so late at night. As if you read all the comments, Gary.)
June 20, 2007

surf.sf
Charles Shaw… smoking loon pinot…

Was surprised by the title of the episode but not the results! Every Pinot to me under $12 just tastes like cherry soda, not Pinot.
June 20, 2007

Wimberly Miree
Not a surprising result. I have tasted only one or two drinkable Pinot Noirs under $10 ever. Heron (California)makes an acceptable one that can be bought in Birmingham at $9.00. They also make a Merlot, with grapes from Southern France, that is even better, for the same price.
June 21, 2007

Mason
Not much to rave about here, eh? Suggestion: Follow up this show at a later date with a show on steals from Bordeaux…you know, not Margaux, or Latour, but some of the lesser known, but great wines from Chateau that don’t get all the recognition. What say you?

QOTD: Had to be Yellow Tail Cab/Merlot. Sorry to rag on Yellow Tail, but it just doesn’t carry much weight after you have discovered other really well made wines. Really a watered down, lackluster effort for wine (to me).
June 21, 2007

YoungDave
SUCH a (nearly) impossible task to find bargain quality Pinot since the popularity of “Sideways.”

QOTD: The WORST under $10 wine that I’ve had recently was at a friend’s house, he bought it, thought he got some kind of a deal, but it was absolutely horrendous. It was CK Mondavi Cabernet, was lighter than many Pinot Noirs that I’ve had, and the the mouthfeel was equally light with a hint of chemical flavors as well. No real fruit or tannin structure to speak of, and, quite frankly, the buzz after a couple of glasses was odd and unenjoyable. I would’ve been THRILLED for some fake fruit and masking residual sugar here, but not even that prefered flaw was present. Just bad. Thanks for asking…and bringing that memory up again.
June 21, 2007

vibemore
Bummer. I like finding the good stuff that is inexpensive. QOTD: Probably the Napa River Cabernet I had two weeks ago courtesy of Trader Joe’s.
June 21, 2007

Gary B
OK, maybe you guys should try Cono Sur Pinot Noir, Chile. At $6.99 it’s a good deal. Like the Lindemann’s it is somewhat light in color. It has a moderate nose, with the typical Pinot “dirty thing” going on. It is not over oaked and frankly pretty balanced for a cheap wine. I’d give this a thumbs up for a summertime front porch red wine.
June 21, 2007

J Crazy
I will bill you for my time with the shrink. Mr. Vay-ner-whatever…the QOTD brought back so many unwanted memories of college that I’m afraid I just can’t function anymore. Franzia, Carlo Rossi, c’mon man, how deep inside my repressed memories do you want me to go. The doctors tell me I should express my feelings to you; I should let go of the past. Oh god…I once had a bottle of “Chianti” that smelled like dead road kill fish that had been laying in the hot sun of Thailand for 4 weeks.
I’m sorry, I can’t go on. Where’s my doctor?!
June 21, 2007

Mark Lewis
I wish this episode had different results. It would be great if the search continued. I personally don’t think there’s a good Pinot Noir until you get to the $12-$18 range.

QOTD: Any wine that comes in no single serving bottles.
June 21, 2007

Martin
I had a $9 BV Pinot Noir that was terrible; I suspected they half-filled the bottle with tap water!
June 21, 2007

Clifford James
This was STILL a very worthwhile episode Gary … most of us are aware that you can’t find a quality Pinot Noir under $10, but it was great to watch you try. Please try the Israeli PN another time!

Worst bottle under $10 lately? Protocolo Red! Even though many on the boards claim it is a good value, I’d MUCH rather spend another 2-3 buckos to get something I can actually drink.

As always, thanks for all you do!
June 21, 2007

DOF
I used to live in Willamette Valley Oregon. I could get nice Pinot Noir from local wineries for
June 21, 2007

desmaic
qotd: bridgeview pinot noir. absolutly terrible especially for an oregon winery with a huge reputation… funk that junk… though i must say i have had some fonteira or (or something like that) from a 1.5 that sucked so horrendously, i couldn’t finish one sip.. and it burned it’s crappy pap into my taste buds….
June 21, 2007

scott heller
Gary
Someone brought Pinot no evil. It was terrible. Thank goodness I brought a Pinot Noir from Warm Lakes in New York that was ok
Thanks
June 22, 2007

shaggy D
maybe next time we can find some good 10-15 dollar bottles. I know there out there.
June 22, 2007

Jeff
QOTD: Louis Pierre & Fils Chardonnay from the Languedoc. It was undrinkable.
June 22, 2007

Carlitos
Man! You should have known what you were getting into!

And we apreciate your efforts, GV!!!
June 24, 2007

Lar
Gary,

we’ve a supermarket in Ireland called SuperQuinn.

Anyhoo, they do a Pinot Noir from Chile called “Veranda” which is currently under 10 euro.

Not sure if it’s available stateside, but if it is, I’d recommend it. It gives some of the expensive Bourgogne’s a run for their money.

Lar
June 24, 2007

Lar
Gary,

quick technical issue when adding a comment – I was midway watching the Pinot Noir episode when posting my last comment. On clicking ‘add comment’ the page refreshes, making your viewers have to start afresh.

If you’re doing any more work on the site with Dan Cederholm, mention “AJAX” and how it may help your visitors add comments while still viewing the vid without a refresh.

Lar
June 24, 2007

Mike Erdely
Dang. Rough show.

QOTD: I’ll have to agree with others…. Yellow tail reds.
June 25, 2007

Fran Benavidez
Great show with not surprising results.

Worst wine? Can’t remember the name, but remember the occasion: nice, romantic evening under the stars, crispy fire burning in the pit, and after one-god-awful sip of this wine, we chucked the whole bottle in the grass. Hence, the finish was long, as it left a purple stain on the grass for a few days!
June 29, 2007

april
Worst wine under $10 = Woolworths House Red Wine … there’s lots of good cheap wine in South Africa, but this is not one of them.
July 3, 2007

Happy Wine Guy
I had a red blend called “Relax” that was undrinkable.
July 12, 2007

Daniel Rymer
Worst bottle of wine — I can’t even remember the brand, but it was a Cabernet from Aldi that I paid $2.00 for!! On hindsight, it was probably a good value/quality, but wow!
July 17, 2007

mcj
I can’t remember anything less than an 80 in recent years. I’m sure I had some nasty stuff (from a jug, of course) back in college.
July 18, 2007

Donald Pipkin
Gary – you should do the inverse of this show – a show on value Merlot!
July 25, 2007

drummerboy
Finally catching up on the episodes….
August 22, 2007

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August 24, 2007

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August 26, 2007

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[...] Cheap Pinot Noir, Any Good Ones? – Episode #259 – Wine Library TVCheap wine and a three day growth. It all started when Bambi had just turned …. and I try to insist on nursery tunes instead but she is having none of it. … [...]
December 12, 2007

Sharon
Hi Gary… I dimly remember having some RETSINA in the 80s, which was like battery acid or industrial lubricant, some sort of a non-food liquid masquerading as a beverage.
Hey, log into myspace and friend me up!
February 8, 2008

Surekat
poor GV… i have never, ever had a wine from barkan that i enjoyed.

but i DID once have a ‘97 romanian PN at $3.50 that was FAB (my dad kept on buying cases of the stuff until the shop ran out), so there must be other good PN’s out there for less than an-arm-and-a-leg. thanks for making the effort to find them!

QOTD: in the army they used to serve a kidush wine that was literally called “victory wine”. need i say more?
April 30, 2008

Donna Marie
QOTD: Haven’t had any.
July 18, 2008

Dessert Wine Nerd
Ouch…. another 0-4 episode. Tough deal. Thankfully Hollywood didnt make me go crazy and buy up wines without doing some research first (namely, you). I do love your rants though when you taste poor wine. Sad thing is my parents drink some of these (Cavit). QOTD: Without question, the Charles Shaw brands. My parents buy these because of the price point, and I tasted a Chardonnay and some red and both were awful.
August 9, 2008

Garo
you are the best man. I really didnt know anything about wine until I started watching you.
September 8, 2008

Paul V
QTOD: So keeping in theme for this episode, it too was a pinot N. About three years ago I was living by myself in the deep suburbs of Pittburgh and we had a small wine shop in town. I didn’t know too much about wine and one day while walking home from work I stopped in.

They had a Pinot Noir for $6.00.
Regretfully I forgot the maker of the wine now, on the tip of my tongue though.
I popped it when I got home.

The mouthfeel was quite thin, almost thinner than water.
The attack was seriously all oak
I tried to get some fruit flavors out of it – anything – cherries, raspberries anything to no avail.
It was horrendous. It was hot, it was oak.
It was so bad I tried to find reviews of it online to see if it really was that bad. I couldn’t find any mention of it anywhere.

I’d give it a 50 pts because the scale doesn’t go below … screw it.
I’m giving it a 47.

Great show. Shame the last one was cork’d. What a fitting end to the show though. Horrible, Bad, Horrible, Cork’d.
keep up the great work,
June 24, 2009

Adrian
A question…is Pinot Noir considered a light bodied wine or full bodied?
September 30, 2009

Dennis
Hands down Talus Shiraz was the most god awful wine i have ever tasted. So happy to see you agree