'03 Meridian Pinot Noir

[Innkeeper]

'03 Meridian, Central Coast, Pinot Noir ($9.99 Jason's Ellicott City, MD). Alcohol level 13.8%. It has been a while since anyone posted on this one. Am sure it has gone up in alky since then. It showed good red cherries and other berries on the nose and upfront. Gave a load of crisp acidity resulting, along with the tannin and alky, in some tartness on the palate. Not disasterous. Nice finish. It was almost certainly too young. Would give it at least another year. Still ranks up there with the five or six best Pinots under $10.

Matched it and used it in our ham slices in cream sauce. Lovely.

[Innkeeper]

Saw this recently as one of the better CA Pinots at the $10 price point, so we picked one up. It is an '05 and cost $10.99 at a NH Liq Store. It still carries a Central Coast appellation, and weighs in at 13.8% alcohol.

We found it almost identical to the '03 posting. Went very well with salmon burgers, and salad with low fat blue cheese dressing.

It was a very good recommendation for this price.