Alta Maria Vineyards
Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
Santa Barbara County, Central Coast, California, USA
Friday night, check my wine fridge, ah - a forgotten QFC purchase! Excellent! Don't be fooled by the cool label, this is a Pinot Noir made and priced to compete with other low to mid tier grocery label Pinot Noirs. True the grapes come from the Alta Maria Vineyards, Santa Maria Valley AVA-Santa Barbara AVA, but none of the delicate care of a producer to direct customer production has been employed. That's not to say that the taste and price point are not approachable, (winery direct sale of comparable wine will set you back $40+ bucks a pop), it's just don't expect to get blown away. Pair it with some chocolate while you watch TV, and you'll be fine. Interestingly, Joe Wagner and Paul Ontiveros had previously teamed up in a similar venture with the Meiomi brand before it was sold to another company. I guess you just can't keep a good team apart. Drank this one by itself (and maybe a wee bit of dark chocolate) while watching Netflix. ~$16 | #altamaria #pinotnoir #santabarbara
On the eyes: Deep, clear cranberry magenta, med/med+ stain, med tears, no gas/floc.
On the nose: Forest floor, sour red fruit, wet slate, a bit floral. Med alcohol.
On the tongue: med tannin, med+ acid, med alcohol, med smooth body. Bright cranberry, unripe strawberry, stewed fruit character with light toasted, vanilla oaky flavors on the finish. Not a very long finish and a bit unbalanced on acid.
Friday night, check my wine fridge, ah - a forgotten QFC purchase! Excellent! Don't be fooled by the cool label, this is a Pinot Noir made and priced to compete with other low to mid tier grocery label Pinot Noirs. True the grapes come from the Alta Maria Vineyards, Santa Maria Valley AVA-Santa Barbara AVA, but none of the delicate care of a producer to direct customer production has been employed. That's not to say that the taste and price point are not approachable, (winery direct sale of comparable wine will set you back $40+ bucks a pop), it's just don't expect to get blown away. Pair it with some chocolate while you watch TV, and you'll be fine. Interestingly, Joe Wagner and Paul Ontiveros had previously teamed up in a similar venture with the Meiomi brand before it was sold to another company. I guess you just can't keep a good team apart. Drank this one by itself (and maybe a wee bit of dark chocolate) while watching Netflix. ~$16 | #altamaria #pinotnoir #santabarbara
On the eyes: Deep, clear cranberry magenta, med/med+ stain, med tears, no gas/floc.
On the nose: Forest floor, sour red fruit, wet slate, a bit floral. Med alcohol.
On the tongue: med tannin, med+ acid, med alcohol, med smooth body. Bright cranberry, unripe strawberry, stewed fruit character with light toasted, vanilla oaky flavors on the finish. Not a very long finish and a bit unbalanced on acid.
Juicy fruit, cherries, smooth no aftertaste.
Juicy fruit, cherries, smooth no aftertaste.
1 person found it helpfulJul 2nd, 2016Joseph Wagner's Meiomi copycat for Kroger. Mission accomplished
Joseph Wagner's Meiomi copycat for Kroger. Mission accomplished
1 person found it helpfulMay 30th, 2016I was excited to see this in QVC and wanted to support Alta Maria after enjoying their wines out of the tasting room in Los Olivos. This wine was not to my taste. Over extracted and slightly sweet.
I was excited to see this in QVC and wanted to support Alta Maria after enjoying their wines out of the tasting room in Los Olivos. This wine was not to my taste. Over extracted and slightly sweet.
Sep 26th, 2017
Light bodied. Easy to drink. Good price point
Light bodied. Easy to drink. Good price point
Apr 10th, 2017
This was definitely a smooth drinker
This was definitely a smooth drinker
Dec 1st, 2016