Wineguider wine reviews

Today as we approach Valentine’s Day, we check out a 2011 pinot noir from California that sells at Total Wine for $16.

Menage a Trois.   Ahhhh… such a provocative name.  And such a history of good value in red wine: a blend of 3 grapes, hence the “trois”, their first effort was a very affordable red that tickled the palate and did almost nothing wrong.  In more recent years, I have found it to be less special.

Now, it’s the pinot noir version.  They keep the “trois” theme by using grapes from three California areas:  Clarksburg, . . .  oh, who cares.  What you get is a minor improvement on the typical medium-bodied California goulash.  Aroma:  vanilla, middle-school jelly bar, and cinnamon.  Taste:  cherry, mild cinnamon spice, with some floral notes.

So, this isn’t a bad wine, but it should be $10 or $11.  In fact you can spend just $8.99 and get the 2011 Mark West, which tastes the same.

The Menage a Trois name makes it picture-perfect for Valentine’s Day, so I wouldn’t blame you if you bought a couple bottles to celebrate.  However at $16 this pinot is unfortunately:

Not recommended.