Wild Horse Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008

The pinot noir grape is a very fussy fellow.  Done well it has an amazing range of subtle tastes and is quite enjoyable with many food types or by itself.  Done poorly, it comes across as expensive grape juice.  Based on my experience, any pinot noir done well and had for less than $20 a bottle is a gem.

In that criteria, the 2008 Wild Horse Pinot Noir I had is a gem.  It is a Central Coast wine and exhibits a mild amount of the trademark pinot noir earthiness.  It is light bodied, as you would expect from a pinot noir, well balanced, and had hints of vanilla (probably from the oak aging).  The primary flavor here is a light berry, for me it came across as fresh strawberry - though your taste buds may find that slightly different.  My guess is this vintage would have benefited of a few more years laying down (which we never do - drink 'em if you got 'em).  At our local state liquor store the list price was $20, but we scored it on sale for $14.

Casually recommended @ $20, highly recommend for the price on sale.

Cheers!