Martin Ray Pinot Noir Sonoma County 2016

A few years ago, we had a great visit to the Martin Ray tasting room near Santa Rosa California. The staff was knowledgeable and a lot of fun. Anyone who is a regular Total Wine customer has seen Martin Ray Wines along with their lower priced Courney Benham and Angeline Wines. These are some of the best "winery direct" wines in the store.

However, the Martin Ray wines can be found at retailers other than Total Wine and I found this bottle at Costco. This wine sells for $25 at Total Wine and Costco is selling it for $15.99 which is a 36% discount from the full price. Even the best Total Wine coupon cannot match the Costco price.

This Pinot is made primarily from grapes grown in the Russian River Valley along with a lesser amount of fruit from Carneros. It is aged 11 months in French Oak and has 13.8% alcohol.

James Suckling rated this wine at 94 points. He found the wine to be medium to full bodied with flavors of dried cherry and strawberry. I generally approve of the ratings by James Suckling but in this case, I have a differing opinion. I found the fruit flavors to be muted and dull. There was more oak than I want in Pinot Noir.

SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

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