Price: $8.97 at Total Wine 

Style: The “Tom” (Medium body with some more interesting and complex flavors.)

Rating: “Good”

Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles”

Review:

Quite good at this price with a much more pronounced nose than you can usually expect from a value Pinot. It carries more than just fruit, delivering mild smokiness, cola, and a bit of spice. In the mouth, it’s smooth and well balanced with the flavors matching the profile and strength of the nose. A smooth medium finish wraps it up. It may not be “grand cru”, but it’s certainly satisfying if you can pick it up for under $10!

Winemaker’s Notes:

Our 2013 Pinot Noir reveals itself in elegant turns—from vibrant red cherry, raspberry and juicy dark plum, to hints of sun-warmed red rose petal and fragrant oak spices. The textbook perfect 2013 vintage gave us time to easily focus on each and every vineyard block as they ripened under sunny skies without threat of rain. Supple, fine-grained tannins softly frame this Pinot Noir’s fruit-forward, cashmere-textured flavors.

More Info:

https://www.acaciavineyard.com/en/

Although now delivering several other varietals, Acacia got its start in 1979 as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay specialists and they still retain a strong focus on those varieties. In fact, Acacia was one of the first wineries in California to offer vineyard designated Pinot Noir.  They are one of the larger vineyard owners in the Carneros region (kind of crammed in at the very southern tip of Sonoma and Napa) and also purchase grapes from throughout the Sonoma and Napa valleys.

A by Acacia is their entry-level tier of wines.  At under $10, they are incredibly inexpensive compared to the average Acacia Pinot closer to $50-$100.