Fiat Vino

I found out about this winery while trying to figure out how to get some Sea Smoke wines. A bit pricey but oh so good! A beautiful, medium-bodied Pinot with a nice nose of fruit and a light easy palate. Overmatched and appearing a bit thin compared to the full-bodied, concentrated, and fantastic '07 Chasseur Umino Pinot we tasted it with, but the Les Larmes really was never meant to stack up. It did however offer a more feminine style that was great in its own right.

Utterly fantastic. Among the best Pinots I've ever had. A full-bodied, concentrated, powerful pinot that is well balanced with all the right components but nothing overpowering. Lovely nose. I can definitely see this improving with age but it is drinking very well right now.

I nice balanced Pinot. Ruby-red color. Cherry, cola, herbaceousness, bodaceousness. A bit of zest, spice. Earthy, caulk nuances. Some heat. A toasty, oaky, spicy, long finish. Good tannic structure. A little more bodaceousness. Love the glass "cork"!

Nice fruit driven Pinot. Won't offend anyone but won't WOW anyone either. It was paired perfectly with that relaxing moment after putting the kids to bed. Available everywhere. Not a steal at $18, but you could do much worse.

We had a taste test between the 2007 and 2008 Brewer-Clifton Santa Rita Hills Pinots. These are the entry level appellation designated pinots (although at $35 they are not entry level priced) from BC, which is more known for their vineyard specific pinots. SURPRISE, they tasted very similar. Both were tasty, medium-bodied wines with good, but not overpowering fruit. It was probably a few years early to drink them both; the 2008 seemed especially young. We went back and forth on which one we preferred - the ratings would suggest the 2007 is the better bottle, but one would be happy with either. We served them with coq au vin; the pairing seemed appropriate.

Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2008 Cost: $15 I read Fess Parker has been making some good wines lately so I picked this up at the local grocery store. Cost about $15. Not my favorite - not bad but can do better at this price point. I find some wines better on day two, this one was undrinkable.