07 Blue Pirate Pinot Noir

I got a call from a friend of mine offering me the chance to purchase this Oregon Pinot by the case for a very reasonable price. This wine retails for about $20, but I got it for roughly $7 per bottle "case price". Funny thing, the day I purchased this wine, I was sitting in a Ruth Chris steak house in Alabama and looking through their wine list. They had this bottle listed for $57. YTalk about ripping off the consumer. After getting home and actually trying this wine, it drank more like the $7 than the $20 and nowhere even close to $57. This is an interesting pinot. On the nose you get cherry jolly rancher and cherry instant jello. Nothing else. The wine provides you with an enjoyable fruit filled glass of juice. There is not any depth to this wine and do not think is was really designed to compete with the Oregon Powerhouse Pinots...but somewhat enjoyable. This is a good wine to pull out at parties and consumes in quantity...not quality...I would not pay over $10 bones for this in the market...

I rate this wine 5 BigBecks out of 10.

As for a value Pinot with some good qualities...I rate this wine 7 BigBecks out of 10.

07/08 Sans Liege " The Prophetess"

I have become a huge fan of the wines that winemaker Curt Schalchlin is producing at Sans Liege. The quality and flavor palates of his bold blends are somewhat overwhelming and remember...he is a one man shop. Curt recently sent me his new release of "The Phophetess"which is a blend of 56% Syrah 07 and 44% Mourvedre 08. Upon opening this wine, aromas of spices from fennel and fresh baked rhubarb pie filled the nose. Upon tasting the wine, you get a rush of deep dark black fruit, smokey tones that is paired with well balanced tannins. Anyone that appreciates finely crafted wines will adore this battle between old and new world winemaking techniques. this wine will also be better appreciated if decanted for 2-3 hours. This wine is a steal at any price.

I rate this wine 8.95 BigBecks out of 10