In spite
of the name, this is not some innocuous sweet Pinot Noir that doubles as dessert.
The name in fact was based on the imagery of the label, taken from an oil
painting. Cherry Pie is a companion brand to Layer Cake, which also successfully
used imagery to build its brand. Fortunately, this wine works. There is mild
red raspberry, strawberry, Bing cherry, fairly integrated oak (30% was new
wood), soft tannin and finishing with a hint of sweet tobacco. The majority of the
fruit is from Monterey, with 21% from Santa Barbara, and 16% from Napa. The
blend varies from year to year, the 2016 iteration for example had Sonoma Coast
fruit – it also sold for $28. The growing field of terrific Pinot Noir under
$25 is quickly growing and the competition is a very good thing for the consumer.
Cherry Pie helps raise that bar and this is more than worth its retail price.
ORIGIN: Monterey, Santa Barbara and Napa
counties.
ALCOHOL: 14.2%
PRICE: $22.99/ 750ML
SCORE: 92 POINTS
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