The Pinot Project 2022 delivers classic California Pinot Noir character for under $12, proving that quality wine doesn’t require a premium price tag. Michael Skelnick’s ambitious project creates accessible, authentic Pinot Noir by sourcing from quality vineyards across California’s diverse growing regions.
• Available for approximately $11.89 at retailers
• Part of a Pinot-focused collection including Pinot Grigio from Italy and Washington, plus a Rosé of Pinot Noir
• Sources grapes from Mendocino, Susan Valley, San Benito, and other California coastal regions
• Minimal oak influence with just enough French and American oak for subtle vanilla notes
• Classic translucent cherry color with aromas of sweet cherries, mushrooms, and herbs
• Moderate 13.5% alcohol content (lower than many modern California Pinots)
• Well-structured with balanced acidity that gives the wine proper length
• Previous vintage (2021) received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast
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Introducing The Pinot Project 2022
Speaker 1
0:02
Hey , welcome to Domain Dave CheapWineFindercom . Again . Like always , we write up three value price wine reviews a week on the CheapWineFindercom website and then we plug the microphone in and we talk about it , and today we've got a wine that's called the Pinot Project 2022 . I found it for $11.89 . Of all things , it's a wine you can usually find under $15 and between $10 . It's called the Pinot Project because Michael Skelnick is a big-time importer and this is his project . He wanted to do a classic , affordable California Pinot Noir , but they do have this , and they also have a Pinot Grigio from Italy , a Pinot Grigio from Washington and a Rosé of Pinot Noir too , so it's all Pinots
The Pinot Project's Wine Portfolio
Speaker 1
0:55
. There's four different wines , all Pinots , and that's what the project's about .
Speaker 1
0:59
Now , one of the things about this a lot of times you see , oh , it's from , know it's , it's from santa lucia highlands or it's from carneros . They have these value price ones and they're from very high-end , fancy uh areas , and here this is more mendocino , uh , the susan valley , uh , san benito . I mean , they're good places for grapes
Vineyard Sources and Production Techniques
Speaker 1
1:22
, there's nothing wrong with it . But instead of going for , like , name recognition , they just went for good vineyards that had Pinot Noir and from places , because they have , you know , up and down the coast , from central coast to north coast , and I'm not quite sure where the Susan Valley is . It's between Sacramento and San Francisco , somewhere in there where that falls in . All these different places have different climates and different soils , but it's all Pinot Noir and they all had long growing regions . That's the one thing they did do and there's nothing fancy here . A lot of times it's a full cluster fermentation where they leave the seeds and the stems on , and that's how they do it in France with the heavy duty ones , because that way , by removing them , everything you remove removes flavor . So they leave everything in . No , they pulled that out . This is pretty much a non-oaked you know un-oaked Pinot Noir but they did add a little bit in of French oak barrel and a little bit of American oak , so there's just enough to get a little bit Picked up , a little vanilla here and there . So this is just a solid California Pinot Noir is not trying to be overly fancy , but they're trying to do a really good wine . This big-time importer puts his name on the line all the time . So this is the 2022 vintage , but the 2021 got 91 points .
Speaker 1
2:55
Wine enthusiasts .
Tasting Notes and Classic Character
Speaker 1
3:00
Pinot Noir is vintage dependent . You're going to get one year better than the next , but this is perfectly good . It's very see-through . It's got a nice cherry color . You can read your emails through it . Classic nose . It's got those sweet cherries and then the funky mushrooms and herbs and all that kind of stuff .
Speaker 1
3:23
I'm going to take a sip . This is a solid , affordable , classic California Pinot Noir , not like one of the new ones . Where it's this is 13.5 in the alcohol , which is low compared to what's going on nowadays . But the new ones , the new style , is like 14.9 in the alcohol and they added Petit Syrah and Zinfandelmer Lode to it , you know , and it's more of a red blend than it is a Pinot Noir . Nope , this is classic California Pin pinot noir at an affordable price .
Speaker 1
3:58
Um , well made , solid acidity . I went to a burgundy tasting one time and I figured out , if you tell the winemakers there from france , oh the uh , the acidity is beautiful . It gives them , gives the wine length , and they're all happy . That's one thing they want in inot Noir they want to control the acidity , to give the wine length and structure . That's what they got here . So there you go . It's inexpensive , I think under $12 .
Speaker 1
4:30
Pinot Noir it's not fancy , it's not from the coolest AVA's in California , but they're good grapes and that's all you're really looking for , you . I mean , all the rest is kind of like window dressing , that's they're trying to sell you on something . All they need to do is make a good wine from good grapes at a good price and think we'd all be happy . So that's it for me . Domain Dave cheap wine fighter . Calm and this one . This is the pinot project 2022 . I've actually got a uh , a saint patrick's day wine , uh , coming up . I I never actually I've seen wines with green labels . This one actually has a connection to ireland in a very weird way , and that'll be in a couple
Final Thoughts and Future Episodes
Speaker 1
5:14
of days . So if you look forward to that one , so that's's it for me . Domain Dave cheapwinefightercom .
Speaker 1
5:20
The Pinot Project 2022 . It's a good , solid , everyday drinkable classic Pinot Noir and that's good enough for me . So , adios , keep it cheap and stay warm or cold , whatever it is . It's getting crazy . I think we'll be in the 60s here in Chicago , which is the first time in four or five months . So , adios , bye-bye , talk to you later .
