March 14, 2023
20-Buck Bottle: Pinot noir with a connection
This pinot is worth going a few dollars above our budget
by Anita Skogland
2020 T. Solomon Wellborn Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Calif.
Available at: winestore.
Price: $24.99
On The Nose: Dark cherry, plum, hint of oak
On The Palate: Medium body, light tannin, low acidity, mushroom, cranberry, hint of jam
On The Plate: Pair with clams and linguine in red sauce, lemon chicken, loaded vegetable frittata, hearty winter greens salad
Our Take: It is a balanced, decent value pinot noir slightly above our usual price point — but worth the extra money.
Fun Fact: Rumor (mostly confirmed within the industry) has it that this wine is produced with fruit from the famed Campbell Ranch on the Sonoma coast. Dan Kosta of Kosta Brown is the wine maker. There are some years where there is excess juice produced in some famous wine regions. Bottling too much wine under a high end label tends to dilute its market value, so producers get creative in using the juice under unrelated labels to get some additional cash flow.
