Wente Vineyards 2002 Pinot Noir Reliz Creek Reserve

This winery is about a mile from our house and has a great restaurant. The wines are not all that impressive, but drinkable. The same is true for this Pinot Noir. Like the flowers it is very flavor forward, lots of berry and cherry flavors. However the finish is way to tannic for my taste, and seems out of balance with the flavor. This wine might soften up in a year or two, but given its release date, I don’t think so. What makes this one attractive is the price, one fourth the cost of the Flowers. Not as good, but very drinkable. If you have never tried Pinot and want a good starter wine, this would be my vote.