Table of Contents
The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir is an $8.99 Aldi exclusive. If the name sounds familiar, Aldi has/had a different Monterey Pinot Noir with the brand name of William Wright.
The Story
The William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir was produced for Aldi by Scheid Family Vineyards, a large family-owned winery based in the Monterey AVA. They held the trademark on the William Wright brand name.
The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir 2022 is produced for Aldi by Plata Wine Partners, who control over 60 vineyards and 18,000+ acres of vines. In this case, Aldi owns the trademark for William Walker.
Since the two wines are in the same price range, I doubt if Aldi will continue to sell both. Perhaps the contract with Scheid ran out.
The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir 2022, which will be released at the end of 2024, shows a decent amount of aging for an $8.99 wine.
They do not show production details, so everything we learn about this wine will be from the tasting portion. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.2%.
The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir 2022 Tasting Notes
The color is a see-through garnet red. The nose is cherry, smoke, herbs, mushroom, spice, and dried strawberry. The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir 2022 is a juicy Pinot Noir with a nice selection of those funky, cool flavors and textures that California Pinot Noir provide.
This Pinot Noir tastes like black cherry, black pepper, a shot of spice, plum, a little herbs, pomegranate, orange zest, and tart cherry.
The tannins are soft, and the acidity does its job well.
The Summary
- The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir 2022 is a lot of Pinot for nine bucks.
- It’s label is unassuming, but what is inside the bottle delivers.
- An excellent value-priced store-brand wine.
