Hello Sonoma: Robert Stemmler Nugent Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007

Time for a quick snap-back to the domestic wine market, I stumbled across this great Pinot Noir from the folks at Robert Stemmler at the Costco on Morena in San Diego just last month. I cracked it open, just a few days before my Mediterranean adventure. Cooked up a little wild-caught sock-eye salmon, with my special recipe and some other tasty fixn's and my wife and I were in Pinot Pairing Paradise [title for my new book]. This is the type of quality juice that has me one; wanting to jump inside the bottle to slurp up the remainder and two; tip the bottle on its side which causes it to pool, so I may get those last few precious drops into my glass.  
 
The Nugent Vineyard is an 11-acre site located on relatively level ground in the heart of the Russian River Valley. The vineyard from which this fruit was harvested was planted in 1997, you can see why there's so much depth to wines being produced from this vineyard which is just now hitting its stride [hint-hint, their 08 vintage is looking good]. For you budding Viticulturalist out there in the audience, you'll find their vineyard boasts of tightly-spaced rows chock full of equal amounts of two Dijon clones of Pinot Noir.

Sad to say and hard to admit, but this was my first experience with this winetastic juice and it was a sheer pleasure. After the first pour a bright colored core of strawberry and red raspberry invite the first sip. Diving into the glass, inviting aromas of baking spices, fresh baked cherry cobbler and sandalwood. On the palate a truckload of finesse coupled together with opulent fruit. This wine is sleek and elegant showcasing a mix of dried cherry, strawberry jam fused with a touch of spice and cedary oak nuances, leading to a sumptuous, long lasting finish. Oh by the way, it paired oh-so marvelously with our Salmon-Bake. To say this wine was good would be a vast understatement, because it did in fact "wow" my socks off [like Jennifer Garner did in Alias].

So I gave this wine a healthy score of 93 points and would highly recommend it to you. Most likely there's no longer any of this wine anywhere to be found, especially at the incredible price point I paid at Costo, just $28, quite a steal. I've seen this same wine elsewhere selling between $40 and $44, in that category it's not the everyday drinker, but something you want to uncork at the end of a tough week in the trenches. However, if you can still find this wine for $28, umm I would suggest that you buy them all [or at least a case], especially if you're a huge pinot-head like me. Until next time folks I hope you all continue to sip long and prosper, cheers!

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