Wine is stuck with its fair share of stereotypes. Thanks to the almost comedic persistence of their origins, it’s not often that one of these stereotypes gets dismantled. Sometimes the perfect storm hits and, poof, a stereotype disappears. According to the supplier of the Pinot Project, whose mission is to find “fabulous quality Pinot Noir at an affordable price”, this is one of those perfect storms. The sluggish economy has tightened purse-strings, consumers are on the hunt for value, and bottlers of luxury Pinot Noir are getting stuck with lots of expensive inventory. In swoops the savvy, well connected wine geek. He snaps up that inventory at a heck of a price and resells it under another label at a fraction of the cost of the original juice. Everybody wins – the luxury bottler doesn’t have to sit on that inventory, the wine geek makes a buck, and the consumer gets a killer bottle of Pinot Noir at a super-attractive price. This is one of those wines.

The inaugural vintage (2009) of the Pinot Project’s California Pinot Noir is delicious. It’s a smokey, medium bodied number with a juicy, sleek texture and aromatics of black cherry, ripe plum, clove and cedar. This is not extracted, jammy wine. It’s not a massive oak monster. But it is a tasty, balanced and giving wine. It’s a wine that would make me happy at $20.

This first vintage is off to a good start. A few more wines like this and we’ll be able to put a stereotype to bed. Namely the one that concerns the non-existance of good Pinot Noir for under $30/bottle. This one clocks in at less than $15, and it a fine, food friendly wine. It’s going be a spot on pairing with some oven roasted chicken, potatoes, and brussel sprouts sauteed with lardons and shallot.

Pinot Project, Pinot Noir, California, 2009 $13.50/bottle