Lorca 2001 Gary's Vineyard Monterey County Pinot Noir

Lorca Wines is located in Rutherford, Napa Valley, and produces Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with grapes from Monterey County, Pinot Noir form French-clone vines of Gary Pisoni and Gary Francione of Santa Lucia Highlands, and an old vine Petite Syrah from Napa Valley.

The Lorca 2001 Gary's Vineyard Monterey County Pinot Noir has a dark ruby red color in the glass with a hint of purple.

The nose is pretty intense and complex with dark cherry, raspberry, dried herbs, earth with a hint of smoke, vanilla, and a trace of liquorice.
The palate is less intense with more dusty earth accenting the black cherry and dark raspberry, all with a touch of spice. The tannins are somewhat smooth but still has a "wood" quality to them. We are not talking splinters in the mouth but still a notable amount. Moderate acidity.

I found this wine at my local Total Wine & More for $23.99 and it is sold for a surprisingly higher price online. They best deal I could find was at WineZap.com from $45.99.

This was an enjoyable wine for the price I paid. However if I have to pay closer to $50, as seems to be the case in most stores, I have several better options in mind.

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Nice Budget Chardonnay

Francis Coppola Diamond Collection, Gold Label, 2004 Cardonnay from Monterey, is a good everyday chardonnay. Eat it with a fish or chicken dish, or sip it on its own. It has a nice creamy texture with some crisp acididty. The color is golden wheat and on the nose you can smell pear and tropical friut. The palate reveals appel, light citus, oak and again, tropical fruit. This is an great crowd pleaser for a budget. The cost is $14 per bottle. This is an easy one to find at the major grocery store's shelves. If you have no luck there you can buy it at www.wine.com or find it for as little as $10.99 at www.wine-searcher.com.