Saintsbury 'Garnet' Pinot Noir - $12.99

Wine Details

Price: $12.99
Producer: Saintsbury
Region: Carneros
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Container Size: 750 ML
Flavors: blackberry, cherry, cola, spicy
  • Award Winning
  • Red Wine
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Product Description

  • For more than 20 years, Saintsbury Garnet has stood as the benchmark for high value, high quality Carneros Pinot Noir. We created Garnet in 1983 with the idea of making a highly perfumed, freshly styled Pinot Noir that would reflect the character of the Carneros climate and soils. Each year we comb through the numerous barrels of pinot in our cellar to identify those lots that will combine to create an early-drinking, refreshing style of Pinot Noir. Because we have worked with such an array of Carneros vineyards over the years and know well the various vineyard characteristics, microclimates and soils, we already have a good idea of which lots will make up Garnet in any given year. We choose those wines that display precocious raspberry and black cherry fruit, a plump middle and soft ripe tannins to create this delicious, approachable Carneros Pinot Noir. 2006 marks our twenty fourth vintage of Garnet Carneros Pinot Noir. The 2006 vintage was one of the longest and coolest seasons on record. The extended ripening period allowed our winemaking team to make a wine with a full compliment of red fruit flavors and subtle aromatic notes of forest floor, spice and lilac. The 2006 Garnet Pinot Noir exhibits the floral purity of pinot varietal character in perfect balance with just firm enough tannins and crisp acidity. Because of a short pinot crop, Saintsbury produced 2000 fewer cases of Garnet for the 2006 vintage. We encourage everyone to place their orders early and often. This vintage will be gone sooner rather than later.

Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
CGCW - 83 Details: Quiet in fruit and seasoned with notes of dried brush and straw, this medium-bodied bottling is as restrained on the palate as it is in its aromas. Its angular, almost chalky feel and short finish are not of much interest in this vintage. 2005 CGCW
Tanzer - 85 Details: ($18) Medium red. Strawberry and raspberry aromas accented by cedary spices. Supple and a bit diffuse on the palate, with muted flavors of strawberry and underbrush, plus a hint of dill. Finishes with light, slightly edgy tannins. 2003 Tanzer
WineSpectator - 86 Details: An open knit, creamy wine with spicy cherry, cola and blackberry flavors that show up with green tealike tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2007. 19,800 cases made. (JL) 2002 WineSpectator blackberry, cherry, cola, spicy
Tanzer - 89 Details: ($17) Full, deep red. Sappy aromas of maraschino cherry, wild strawberry, sassafras, herbs and mint, all lifted by a note of orange peel. Concentrated, dense and fat, with strong wild berry flavors accented by mint. Seems a bit extractive for this relatively inexpensive early release but manages to maintain its freshness. Offers almost Burgundian texture and weight, and very good persistence. A superb value. Also tasted: 2002 Chardonnay Carneros. 2002 Tanzer cherry, herbs, maraschino, mint, orange peel, sassafras, strawberry, wild berry
WineSpectator - 87 Details: Lots of ripe, rich, jammy blackberry and black cherry fruit that is supple and well-centered, offering depth and concentration, with surprisingly firm tannins (for Garnet). A winner. Drink now through 2005. 17,900 cases made. –JL 2001 WineSpectator black cherry, blackberry, jammy
WineEnthusiast - 84 Details: Drinks rather earthy and simple, and also short on fruit. There’s some cherry and raspberry flavor but it’s thin. Instead, oaky flavors are meant to substitute. 2001 WineEnthusiast cherry, earthy, raspberry
Tanzer - 88 Details: Bright red. Fruit-driven aromas of cherry, raspberry and orange peel. Tangy flavors of spicy red fruits. Finishes brisk and persistent, with easy tannins and a note of strawberry. 2000 Tanzer
WineSpectator - 87 Details: A smooth, elegant, refined style, with ripe cherry, mushroom, earth and anise flavors that pick up a floral note. Drink now through 2004. 13,315 cases made. –JL 1999 WineSpectator anise, earth, mushroom, ripe cherry
WineSpectator - 87 Details: Clean, ripe and spicy, with black cherry, wild berry, strawberry and tea. Delightful. Drink now. 10,500 cases made. –JL 1997 WineSpectator black cherry, spicy, strawberry, tea, wild berry
WineSpectator - 87 Details: Starts out simple, with modest berry and cherry notes, but the flavors unfold to reveal more complexity and depth, and for this price you get a lot of Pinot Noir for your dollar. Drink now through 2000. 10,500 cases made. –JL 1996 WineSpectator
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Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Cheese Sharp Cheddar, Feta, Goat Cheese, Swiss, Brie, Gouda
Red Meat Curried Beef, Grilled Flank Steak, Hamburgers, Curried Pork, Pork w/Fruit Sauce, Roast Pork Tenderloin w/Sage, Curried Lamb, Sausage
Pasta & Grains Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauces, Pasta with Truffles
Poultry & Eggs Roast Chicken with Herbs, Roast Turkey, Roast Duck
Vegetables Beets, Beans, White, Mushrooms
Pasta & Grains (Grilled) Tofu
Vegetables Tomato, Vegetable Gratin or Stew
Fish or Shellfish Seared Ahi Tuna
Sauces Red Wine Sauce
Herbs & Spices Anise, Fennel Seed, Tarragon, Basil, Cinnamon, Mint, Pepper (black, white, green), Rosemary

Awards and Accolades

  Name Vintage
Award Winner From $15 to $20 - Robin Garr's Best Values 2007 2005

Wine Terms

Name Value
Carneros This small section of Northern California is situated at the base of both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Carneros has made its reputation with its Pinot Noirs, which are filled with strawberry, cherry, spice, and chocolate, and are very rich and seductive. Chardonnay is also excellent, very buttery but not too fat.
Pinot Noir (pee noh nwahr)—A tricky grape to grow, Pinot Noir makes some of the best wines in the world. The prototype wine is red Burgundy from France but Oregon, California, New Zealand, and parts of Australia also produce good Pinot Noir. The wine is lighter in color than Cabernet or Merlot with relatively high alcohol, medium-to-high acidity, and medium-to-low tannin. Its flavors and aromas can be very fruity or earthy and woodsy, depending on how it is grown. It is rarely blended with other grapes.
United States Wineries exist in all fifty states, but the most predominant (and best) wine comes from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State, with New York gaining a foothold in the industry. American wines make up about 75% of all wine sales in the US. The appellation system uses the term AVA (American Viticultural Area) to determine where wines were produced, but grape varieties can be planted anywhere in the country. American wineries generally use varietal labeling, and government regulations require that the variety on the label must make up at least 75% of the blend (in Oregon it’s 90%). The words reserve, special selection, private reserve, classic, and so on have no legal definition in the US. Some wineries use these terms to indicate their better wines; others use the words as a marketing tool to move lower quality wines off the shelf.
California California produces the majority of wine made in the United States. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir dominate the wine production in California, but many other varietials thrive in the California climate. Many fine wines are produced in California using Mediterranean grapes.

Tasting Notes

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