WTN: 2010 Eola Hills Pinot Noir

[Jenise]

Light red, light body. Dilute flavors of cherry and cranberry with a bit of sandalwood. Balanced so easy to drink, but it lacks even a modicum of substance which makes it overvalued at the $18 I paid locally. Pass!

I would agree with your assessment of this wine. I would also make the comment that finding Pinot Noir from anywhere that is varietal is a challenge for me. Since I sell wine for a living I do get to taste quite a few. My one to beat is still Greenstone Point from New Zealand at $10. It is available up there in Washington. From Oregon look for Underwood Cellars for around $10. At least that is what it sells for here. Also Eola Hill usually sells for $10-13 here.

[Jenise]

Hi Michael, at $10-13 I'd have had nothing to complain about. I'm temporarily in south eastern Washington where there is no retail for good wine, its just two supermarkets with all options at under $15, basically. So, want Pinot? It was Kendall Jackson or this, so I was happy to take a chance on the Eola, a brand I've always thought of as decent even if never impressive so my hopes weren't high, but still it underperformed. This location has given me the opportunity to look for that great bottle of Idaho wine, btw, but don't hold your breath.

Hey Jenise, I used to buy a lot of St. Chappell sparkling Riesling for 5-6$ when fishing in Idaho and loved it. Their late harvest Riesling can also be very good and cheap (think intense apple flavors). These are not wines to contemplate but I still wish they were available out east. I'd avoid the red wines however unless things have changed in the last 15 years.