I'm fairly new to wine and the ABC Santa Barbara PN has sent me down a pinot rabbit hole this fall. I've seen Cristom mentioned quite a few times so when I saw this at Costco I figured I'd pick one up.
This thing slaps. Cherry, leather, cola, violet (or some sort of flower? I'm not super familiar with different flowers), strawberry, slightly earthy nose. On the palate: cherry, raspberry, vanilla, cola, cinnamon. Dry, plenty of acidity but not overly acidic like some I've had, more tannins than the other PNs I've had which I really like. Very intense flavors and pronounced nose. This pinot fucking rocks, outstanding. It's on the deeper colored end of pinot noir which I enjoy. I had a Kelley Fox Mirabai the other weekend which was much lighter and more fruit forward and acidic. The Cristom style reminds me more of ABC but a better version, which seems much more balanced to me but then again I haven't had that many PNs yet.
My local Costco also had a Domaine Drouhin Dundee Hills for ~$43, is that my next buy? What else should I explore?
by Eetabeetay
9 Comments
Yep, this one’s a banger at $40ish. They have some pricier single plot wines that are also great, but not so much on the value.
This is in a foot race with domaine Nico on best bang for the buck in that price range.
One of my fave Pinots under $50 for sure, absolutely elite. [here’s my note on it!](https://www.reddit.com/r/wine/s/NBzegxmDns)
Make sure you seek out a Kelley Fox Mirabai, and a Hartford Court “Land’s Edge” (the former is especially light and ephemeral in a beautiful way, and the latter is a great example of “heavier” PN done right imo.)
5-6 years ago this was really one of my favorite value wines. Brings a tear to my eye seeing at 40 now.
my buddy who has a really great palate swears by Cristom.
Just finished a bottle of the Domaine Drouhin- So good. I paid 48 and it was well worth that. Also love that Cristom but would give edge to the Drouhin.
They love whole cluster to get those aromatics and adds to tannin texture.
Gabba gabba we accept you one of us. 😉
Bummed I had to drop their club subscription due to my work situation. Look forward to joining again once money permits.
Yep it’s real good and extremely reliable and widely available
If you love this try some Bourgogne rouge from a producer in the 40-50 range