Vino: 2015 Cigar Box Old Vine Pinot Noir
Bodega: Cigar Box (Imported by Liquid Brands)
Goods: Pinot Noir
Locale: Chile — Central Valley
Booze Factor: 13.5%
Fare: $8.99
Whereabouts: Costco
Yea or Nay:
Scoop: I’ll be honest, I love Pinot Noir. My favorite varietal was always Cabernet Frank but I developed a deep love for Pinot Noir. Not a lot of Pinot grows in the Paso Robles wine region where I am from but my family’s property was up on a hill on the west side and we tended to stay 10 degrees cooler in the summer and 10 degrees warmer in the winter so we weren’t as hot or as cool as most vineyards down below us and in the afternoon, the breeze coming from the ocean (about 15 miles away) cooled the vineyard down. Pinot Noir was the first vines my dad planted and they came from the old HMR Estate (now Adelaida Cellars), who was known for Pinot Noir at the time. My father and Dr. Hoffman (HMR) were both physicians in the area so they always had lots to talk about. When I was producing wine, it was my long-term goal to produce a brand dedicated to Pinot Noir and make it in the large puncheon barrels, but unfortunately, that never came to fruition.
Okay, enough about me, on to Cigar Box. As any Pinot Noir lover knows, it’s not very often you come across inexpensive Pinots, and if you do, they rarely live up to your expectation. I wish it wasn’t the case, but its true. When I came across Cigar Box at Costco, I didn’t get my hopes up too quickly because of this but I also reminded myself that Costco does an excellent job sourcing great wines. On a hunch, I bought six bottles, and boy was I happy I did. I tend to classify Pinot Noir into three categories: Old-Style Pinot (made in the traditional way), Big Pinot (trying to truly knock your socks off, like Cambria Winery’s Clone Series), and Thin Pinot (what you usually get when buying inexpensive Pinot). On my first taste of Cigar Box Pinot, I immediately classified it as an Old-Style.
For the price, I found this wine to be extremely well-balanced. Lot’s of fruit in the beginning and very nice smoky cedar/leathery feel. Its nose is exactly what I’d expect from an Old-Style Pinot and its got a nice smooth finish. For the price, I was blown away and I’d buy more of this in a heartbeat. This wine would be great with just about any meal but for me, I like to savor my Pinots so I rarely eat food with them because I want to enjoy just the wine for what it is. If you come across this wine, buy a bottle or two, you won’t be disappointed for the price point.
Until next time…
