Cambria Julia's Vinyard Pinot Noir 2006

Pinot Noir is certainly not my favorite grape in the wine world. Having said that I must admit that it is a perfect pairing for certain foods. There is nothing like a fine French Burgundy to go with a great Thanksgiving turkey. It may be somewhat unconventional, but I also happen to love Pinot Noir with pizza. Finally, it seems that salmon and Pinot Noir were made for each other. Before reviewing, I should note that Pinot is the one grape where I strongly prefer the Old World style to the new.

Last night, salmon with a maple/mustard glaze was on the menu, so I set out to get some nice Pinot Noir. I had heard great things about the Cambria Julia's vineyard, and it seemed to be a potential value at just under $20. Having tried and enjoyed their Chardonnays in the past, I had high hopes for this Pinot Noir.

In the glass, the color of the wine was a very light brick red. The nose had elements of cherry, spice, Cinnamon, and smoky vanilla. All of these were nice, but it just didn't smell like Pinot Noir. On the palate you get cherry and sour cherry, some acidity and a light body. The wine had decent balance to it. In looking for flaws in this wine, there were no glaring weak points. From a technical standpoint, there was nothing wrong with this Pinot, but for me there just wasn't anything particularly right with the wine. This sounds a little corny, but this wine had no soul. It seems to me that it was made in the winery and not in the vineyard.

Although its sad to say, just under $20 is a very low price for what was supposed to be a good Pinot Noir (93 points from Wine Enthusiast). Unfortunately I feel this was money wasted and would not recommend Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006.