Wine of the Week: Estancia 2007 Pinot Noir

I like Estancia's 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon so much that I keep a bottle on hand at all times. It is a great mid-priced wine that is nice enough to give as a hostess gift, or serve with dinner for guests. Mid-January, I spent a Sunday with my friend Jen, who opened a bottle of the delightfully refreshing 2007 Pinot Grigio - I fell in love immediately. So last week, when I stumbled across the 2007 Pinot Noir at Trader Joe's, I decided to take a gamble that this wine would live up to its winery brethren, and I bought it. At $13.99, it was at the upper end of my "everyday" price range, but when I tasted it, I wasn't sorry that I had sprung for it. The wine is ruby to garnet in color, with the scent of blackberries, spice, and oak. Estancia's website describes the aroma as having, "notes of dark berries, black cherry and caramel [that] accent the allspice, rose petals and soft hints of vanilla." It is a medium-bodied wine, which is very well-balanced, with medium tannins and a smooth, medium-to-long finish. The taste is dark fruit as well (blackberries and blueberries) with undercurrents of vanilla. This wine is very easy on the palate, and I was pleasantly surprised to like it just as much as the others I have tasted from Estancia. Overall, very good - save it for a (moderately priced) special occasion!