New Zealand Pinot Noir?

[dananne]

Hi, AW. I've tried several NZ pinots this year. My favorite has been the 2000 Forrest Marlborough ($17). My brief tasting notes read "Yummy cherry cola flavors. Not as light as some others." The 1999 Giesen ($16) showed some pine needles and was yammy, though young and not terribly complex. A simple, cheap ($9) quaffer for picnics, porch parties, etc. is the mass produced Brancott pinot.

You mentioned Italian pinots -- I had one recently that was very complex, earthy, with strong mineral notes wrapped around some wild berry flavors. It was the 1998 Cantina Salorno Alto Aldage Tolloy Pinot Nero. Picked it up on closeout at Tower here in Atlanta for $15.