Everyday Wine in the City - Angeline Pinot Noir and Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir

The bottles of wines we paired with our home meals in the past eight weeks were so-so except for these two - 
Angeline Pinot Noir 2010 Russian River Valley
and Avant Garde Pinot Noir 2008 by Domaine Carneros.


Mijo thinks that the other wines were okay wines and not bad at all and that I am just biased toward Pinot Noirs. Maybe that shows that I am such a Pinot-phile?



Angeline 2010 Pinot Noir RRV. I've had wines from with an Angeline label before. I remember having a late lunch at Willow Wood Market Cafe in Sonoma County last year while pairing the lunch with a 2007 Angeline Sauvignon Blanc. It was a tasty wine. So when I came across a Pinot Noir under this label at the grocery store I thought I'd give it a try. I got lucky again because this wine is a winner in my book. 



We paired it with cured meats, a gouda cheese, and pork tamales on the day we opened it. The next day, we paired it with grilled meats and tomato salad.


Tasting Date: June 8 thru June 11, 2012 
Tasting Partners: Mijo 
Wine Name: Angeline 
Producer: Martin Ray Winery
Region/Appelation: Russian River Valley 
Grape Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2010 
Alcohol: 13.8% 
Color Hue: light red 
Aroma Intensity: mild fruits 
Developments: medium body 
Aromas: berries, raisins, cherry, 
Dry/Sweet: less sweet 
Body: medium body 
Acidity: low acid 
Tannins: low level 
Flavors: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, chocolate


Avant-Garde 2008 Pinot Noir by Domaine Carneros. I picked this wine during our trip to the tasting rooms of Domaine Carneros, so I knew we are going to enjoy this wine. We paired this wine first with a deep fried whole tilapia from Balompie Cafe. What a perfect combination - fruity flavors with fresh fish with a squeeze of lemons and fried onions and green peppers. The next day, we paired this wine with goodies I picked up from Canyon Market and a slice of bread by Russian Friday.


Tasting Date: week of June 25, 2012 
Tasting Partners: Mijo 
Wine Name: Avant-Garde 
Producer: Domaine Carneros
Region/Appelation: Carneros
Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008 
Alcohol: n/a 
Color Hue: light to dark red 
Aroma Intensity: mild fruits 
Developments: medium body 
Aromas: cherry, blackberry, caramel 
Dry/Sweet: less sweet 
Body: medium body 
Acidity: medium acid 
Tannins: medium level 
Flavors: strawberry, cherry, caramel, coffee


~rl