Patriarche Pinot Noir Vin de Pays 2004 12% about $9
My first meal consisted of cold beef spare ribs with cracked peppercorns, potato salad, and cucumber and onion salad. My first reaction was – this is a real Pinot Noir at a great price. Its light acid did a great job of cutting the congealed fat. It was shorter and less complex than other Pinot Noirs that cost a lot, lot more.
The next meal was cold barbequed chicken with cucumber and onion salad, and potato salad. There was a lot of extract and quite a good length. I tasted tobacco and dark fruits.
The final meal involved grilled hamburgers with spicy Thai sauce, a cole slaw advertised as a health cole slaw – whatever that means, and once again potato salad. In this case spicy meant really spicy. The sauce was too assertive; I had to remove most of it. While I like spices I want the wine to be there. Once that problem was solved the wine was fine. I tasted black cherries rather than the sweet cherries that I had been promised. I was not disappointed. I also tasted the underbrush and that didn’t disappoint me either.
Final verdict. We have a winner. We have a bargain. The two are related. At twice the price I wouldn’t bother. But at the present price I’ll be coming back. And I’ll be looking for another Vin de Pays to try soon.