WTN: 2001 Pedroncelli Merlot

Found it in a nook of the cellar. I was bracing for lack of any signs of life. Boy, was I wrong! The cheap cork closure showed no signs of leakage. Bricky red, sandalwood/cedar nose, berries, plum, faint tobacco, soft tannins. This was a really enjoyable bottle.

Fun how that works. A few years ago an fellow tailgater brought an '87 Mouton-Cadet that had been "stored" on top of his refrigerator for 20 years and we decided to see what was left. It was more than drinkable. And really amazing for a sub-standard vintage. I think wines are often more durable than most people think. Pedrocelli makes some better-than-average wines and at very affordable prices. Their Rose' of Zinfandel has come in as one of the top wines in our rose' tastings. They have a good value-based philosophy.

Many, many moons ago when I lived in California, I found that Pedroncelli was one of the best value wines around.

I'm glad to see that they still do good work.

Yup, the world of wine is full of mysteries: little-known wines that provide enormous satisfaction, "off-vintages" that are delightful....


Alex R.

I haven't always liked the Cabernet, but if you dig good, old-school CA Zin, Merlot, Pinot, and even SB and Chard from a family-owned winery that is priced the same as all of the CA industrial crap, you cannot beat Pedroncelli.

Cheers,
Bill

Richard & Alex,
Pedroncelli certainly makes great value wines. I have been on their club list for a while and never had a bottle that was below average. I have never tried their Rose of Zinfandel, but the winter-that-refuses-to-leave in Reno has not put me in a Rose kind of mood yet (It is about to snow here as I type)
Bill,
Yesterday I opened a bottle of their 2008 Morris Fay Cabernet-Alexander Valley (from the last club shipment) and it was good drinking. It is not a Napa Cabernet for sure, but it certainly is a good representation of Alexander Valley..and it is $12
-Shaji