No need to break the bank for these pinot noir finds

Pinot noir is off the charts in terms of sales in this country, and I wish I could devote an entire column to singing the praises of the many fine, inexpensive choices that are out there.

But I'm having some trouble with this. Pinot noir — unlike cabernet, merlot or syrah — is rarely offered at a budget price. When it is, it is usually tannic and vegetal or simply thin and dull. Oregon, which is certainly one of the world's best places to grow pinot, has established prices for the top-tier wines that generally begin in the $30 to $40 range and head skyward. Many of California's best pinots are comparably priced. Of course, the wineries will argue that prices reflect their costs, that the wines are very limited and demand is great, and yada yada yada. But there is also some very clever marketing being practiced. Pinot noir, following the Burgundian model, is usually not blended from different grapes. Nor are most of the high-priced pinots blended from different vineyards. As in Burgundy, the show-stoppers are single vineyard, 100 percent pinot noir wines.

Sometimes it makes sense to make them this way. Sometimes a single-vineyard pinot will have a distinctive palette of flavors that is complete and compelling. In a typical lineup of six or eight single-vineyard offerings from a single winery, one or two will stand out. The rest, in my opinion, should simply be blended together and sold as a regular and a reserve. The majority of American single-vineyard pinots do not justify their high prices. Blended pinots, often from the very same wineries, are cheaper and just as good, sometimes better, than the single-vineyard wines.

I'm not holding my breath waiting for things to change, however. Making good blended wines is more work for the winery, for less money. Single-vineyard, limited-production wines (most are made in quantities of just a few hundred cases) have "collectible" written all over them.

If you want good pinot, you have to pay the price. By good pinot I mean a wine that displays elegance and balance; a wine that is supple, not hard; fragrant but not stemmy. It may be herbal or spicy but never bitter or sweaty.

New releases from Oregon

In the past, I've recommended inexpensive Oregon pinots from Argyle, Erath, Firesteed, Jezebel, King Estate and a few others. Those are still good brands if you want to spend less than $20. In a recent tasting of some 75 new Oregon releases, many priced in the stratosphere, a few bottles in the midrange ($20 to $30) stood out. For these extra dollars you'll get a lot more of the nuance and sweet fruit flavor that mark the best bottles and a lot less of the stem and bitter herb that confine the rest to Plonk-ville.

Here are some to look for (in order of preference):

Soléna 2003 Grande Cuvée Pinot Noir ($25). A very classy, barrel-fermented, aromatic wine, tasting of berries and tart red fruits, with floral nuances and a hint of earthy herb.

Elk Cove 2004 Pinot Noir ($24). Smells like fresh-cut roses and violets, and tastes of cherries and chocolate. It's a broad, smooth wine that is drinking well right now.

Torii Mor 2004 Pinot Noir ($25). A lighter, less concentrated version of the reserve. Streaks of cola, root beer, green tea, grilled meat and molasses make for a very interesting wine.

WillaKenzie 2004 Pinot Noir ($21). Good fruit, showing soft cranberry/cherry flavors and a lightly chocolatey finish.

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2003/2004 Estate Pinot Noir ($28). Both vintages are tough, hard and tannic, but show good concentration. This needs to be decanted!

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2003/2004 Pinot Noir ($18). A better value and almost as good a wine, both vintages feature spicy cranberry/raspberry fruit, light hints of herb, beet root and moist earth. The 2003 is the winner by a nose.

Mendocino surprises

Mendocino County is usually not the first place you think of when hunting for great California pinots. But maybe it should be. Acreage planted to pinot has almost tripled since 1990, and quite a few Napa and Sonoma wineries (Copain, Cakebread, La Crema, Adrian Fog, Roessler and Williams Selyem) have added Mendocino/Anderson Valley bottlings to their pinot lineups.

A tasting of eight different Mendo pinots, selected by the Winegrowers Alliance to showcase the diversity and quality of the region, accomplished just that. Priced from $10 up to the mid-$50s, the wines steadily climbed the quality ladder, delivering spicy, nuanced, well-crafted flavors at every step. In the moderate price range I particularly enjoyed the Husch ($20) for its spicy, tart, cranberry/apple flavors.

The Claudia Springs 2003 "Klindt Vineyard" pinot, though not currently available in Washington, should be. This excellent producer first impressed me a decade ago for their sensational zins; now that the estate vineyard has kicked in, their pinot is proving to be equally appealing.

Other fine bottles included a smooth, blueberry and caramel flavored La Crema ($30); a polished, elegant Navarro "Deep End Blend" ($44); a terrifically silky, seductively oaky Goldeneye ($59); and a stunning Harmonique "Delicacé" ($53), which offered the sort of richly detailed, ripe fruits and sweet tannins that most Oregon producers can only dream about.

Portland indie wine fest: One strategy for tasting a lot of good pinot on a budget is to go to a consumer tasting. Coming up May 6-7 in Portland is the second annual Indie Wine Festival. This Pearl District food and wine showcase features 42 of the state's best boutique (under 2000 cases) wineries. It's the only event of the year where you will find these producers pouring their wines together.

Saturday and Sunday will each feature 21 different wineries, so it's possible to taste almost everything being offered. Daily admission is $60; $100 for both. Participating wineries will also have bottles and cases of wine for sale. Festival tickets may be purchased at www.indiewinefestival.com. As of this writing, tickets were still available, but space is limited and the event is expected to sell out, so act quickly. For more information call 503-595-0891.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Northwest Wines." His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.