2011 Caretaker Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley

This bottle was a Trader Joe’s impulse buy…  wanted Pinot, had never tried this one and liked the price – $10!   I opened it with my friends while we were cooking Mexican food, and yes, we were day drinking.   I noticed that this Pinot was light in color, and the nose was a bit subdued but I definitely got some cherry and a bit of gingerbread cookie spices.

My friends agreed on “light” and “spicy”.   The finish was pretty tart and toasty at the same time.   The girls enjoyed the wine, and I thought it was decent for the price but I’d probably pay $5 more and try to find a Russian River or Sonoma Coast Pinot on sale.  Or pay the same price for a zin or GSM  :-)

$10 at Trader Joe’s

Single