PINOT PINOT EVERYWHERE!!!!!
With the harvest going full tilt, if you are a fan of Pinot, then 2009 will be your year - there is a lot of it (especially compared with the last few years), and the quality is extremely good. I have been tasting quite a bit of the new stuff from all over the North Coast (Anderson Valley, Napa-Carneros, several appellations in Sonoma County, even Marin County), and it is yum-yum-yummy!
The quantity is WAY up - the frost damaged vines from 2008 have fully recovered, producing a bountiful crop, that, for the most part, had a nice mild growing season, and are bursting with flavor. One good thing for consumers - prices on these wines should be reasonable, given the amount of fruit, growers trying to find a place for all of it, due to the sluggish economy. I know of some growers who got $5,000 a ton (and more) last year stuggling to get as low as $1,500 a ton this year.
Now, some of these wines won't be on the market for a while, but with a good supply ready to hit, we should start to see prices ease up a bit on this most alluring of reds!