Wine of the Week: Saintsbury Garnet, 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir

<p>Our champ this week is a food-friendly pinot with a modest price tag and great “gulp-ability.”</p><p>The Saintsbury Garnet, 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir is our wine of the week winner and at $20 a pop it has budget appeal for the cash-strapped this holiday season. In Wine Country, most quality pinot noirs begin in the $30 range, so the Garnet is a great value.</p><p>“The essence of Garnet is a vivid expression of Carneros pinot noir fruit, moderate tannins for easy access and gulp-ability .<TH>.<TH>., ” according to Richard Ward<NO1>(CQ)<NO>, co-vintner of Saintsbury. “It became clear to us that some pinot noir vineyards in some vintages would be more suited to a fruit-forward style meant for enjoyable, early consumption.”</p><p>The Garnet is a good holiday wine because it’s a smart food match.</p><p>“Because of its fruit character and the lower tannin levels in pinot noir, it pairs with a wider variety of foods than other reds, and Garnet in particular when served cool 45-50 degrees (45 minutes in the refrigerator) becomes a red that is refreshing,” Ward said. “(The Garnet) works well with grilled quail, duck or goose, turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, pork in almost any preparation, and even roast vegetables.”</p><p>What makes the Garnet a standout?</p><p>“We make pinot noir from many vineyards across Carneros and this variety gives us numerous wines to choose from to make a delicious Garnet blend,” Ward said. “We age for about seven months in French oak, just enough to allow the wine to mature and gain a bit of oak seasoning but not for that oak character to be obvious at all. Then we bottle it under twist-off caps for easy and ‘any time’ access.”</p><p>[Staff Writer Peg Melnik is at 521-5310 or peg.melnik@<QA0></p><p>pressdemocrat.com.</p>