Let’s just get it out of the way. The Bogle 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is ruined by an overwhelming buttery note. This wine has several other redeeming qualities, but they don’t outweigh the butter.
I’ve started to despair of finding a sub-$20 Pinot Noir that’s worth drinking. Certainly sub-$15 is even tougher. My requirements are not high – just something that tastes recognizably like Pinot (rather than the all-too-common “generic red”). Anything more than that is just icing on the cake.
The Bogle Russian River Pinot Noir from 2005 was an excellent easy-drinking, fruit-forward, all-Pinot-all-the-time wine. I downright loved it. And it sold for $11-14 wherever I saw it.
Unfortunately the 2006 was flat and lifeless, and while the 2007 has some character, it’s fatally flawed.
I bought a bottle of the 2007 in the spring (of 2009), and didn’t think much of it. But when I saw it again last week at The Wine Stop in Burlingame – for just $11.99! – I thought I would give it another go. I bought four bottles and have tried three of them.
Yes, there is red-blooded American Pinot all over this wine. From the smell to the taste, definitely there in a way few other budget Pinots ever manage. Very promising. And there’s no harsh “budget wine edge” to the texture, either – if anything, this is almost too viscous or richly-textured for a Pinot. None of those positive attributes overcomes the buttery-ness that’s obviously present at the beginning and just grows as the wine opens up, like a blight in your garden. In beer this character comes from a chemical byproduct of fermentation called diacetyl, and it’s often a ruinous flaw. Definitely kills this wine.
I don’t know Bogle, but I think they’re a big purchaser of bulk or declassified wine from name-brand wineries. Nothing wrong with that at all. But that generally means you get less consistency from year to year, so you’ve got to be careful.
Anyway, Bogle’s 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir is not worth even $12. If you want Pinot, then double your reservation price to $25. If you want good red wine in this price range, then try something from outside the US.
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2 Comments
You need to try more Washington reds, the best value reds on the planet.
Yes, love Washington reds. But very little Pinot grown up there – have to head to Oregon.
Pinot in general has such low yields that I think it’s really difficult to produce well at an affordable price.
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