Pinot Noir Outside of Burgundy

By Al Spoler,

Published July 5, 2018 at 9:21 AM EDT

You don't have to spend a lot to get good pinot noir. Click the links to purchase Al and Hugh's recommendations at Kenilworth Wine & Spirits.

Audio coming soon.

The Wines

Price key: $=less than $20 $$= $20-40 $$$=$40-60 $$$$=above $60

Quality key: * = decent ** = very good *** = superb **** = elite

Pattient Cottat "Le Grand Cailloux", Loire Valley ** $ VALUE

Light, slightly tannic, fruity, flavorgul, lunch wine.

Conti di Colloredo Mels Della Venezie IGP Pinot Noir **1/2 $ SUPER VALUE

Seemingly simple, but packed with oomph, deep sweet fruit.

Terrapin Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley '16 ** $

Tasty pinot noir, fruit forward, sweet cherries, orange peel, food friendly

François Crochet Sancerre Rouge '15 **1/2 $$

Very classy, slick and flavorful, ultra-smooth, great dinner wine.

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Al Spoler

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.

See stories by Al Spoler

Hugh Sisson

As General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Hugh J. Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sissons, located in Federal Hill. A fifth generation Baltimorean, Hugh has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing.

See stories by Hugh Sisson