I have a dear friend who holds value in great regard. He spent years working in finance, so what a dollar will buy is very important to him. Recently, he reached out with a question about his purchase of a $10 bottle of Pinot Noir. He thoroughly enjoyed it and bought a few more. His question to me was is it really good or was he just kidding himself?

His purchase was a bottle of 2021 Pinot Noir. I let him know that the vintage was an outrageously successful growing season for beautiful, expressive grapes. This may have been the exception, yet it was very possible that it was a pleasurable bottle. It also may be that the vintner had an excess of grapes in this vintage and sold off some fruit that another winery took and made this very nice Pinot Noir for such a low price.

The word I emphasize is “exception.” Ten dollar bottles of wine from California are few and far between. Why is that? Well, consider what costs go into making a bottle of wine:

I first met winemaker Kale Anderson at a wonderful wine experience hosted by Pahlmeyer Winery, where each participant was charged with crafting their own red blends out of Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It was challenging; yet Kale, who was the Director of Winemaking for Pahlmeyer, was there as a resource and guide. His knowledge was very apparent, and his willingness to share with us was a gift. Pahlmeyer was the next step in his journey and expression of the vine.