My all-American wine tasting extravaganza moves south from Oregon down the coast to northern Sonoma’s Russian River Valley for the Frei Brothers Pinot Noir 2007 ($16). I don’t usually favor heavier-style Pinots, but the Frei has a soft-enough texture that helps to balance out the slightly aggressive color and body. It has an exceptional balance of tannins and integration of flavor at this price point.

For the tasting, the dark color threw me off immediately, so I was expecting something harsh, but the delicate bouquet of cherries, mint, lavender and spice hinted at great things to come. I was pleasantly surprised at the first taste, which brought dark cherries, earth and oak. There were tons in interesting flavors, all of which were wrapped up in a neat package – nothing crazy, but very enjoyable to drink.

Quaffability Rating: 90

Next week, I’ll be writing up a review of two wines from Beringer. The catch? I didn’t taste them – instead, I had my co-workers try them when I was on holiday and write down their impressions. I haven’t read all of the tasting notes yet, but I’m interested to see if they all jibed.