August Cellars was named after one of its founding family members, August Schaad. It is a fair minded, morally good and thankfully tasty little winery in Oregon. We were introduced to them some years ago and to be honest, August Cellars Pinot Noir hasn't left the shelves of Central Bottle or the list of The Blue Room since then.
Like a Blue Chip Stock we will continue to keep August Cellars Pinot Noir around because it is a proven performer and offers so many awesome things for an awesome price (aka value, duh). The winery says it best when they say:
Our philosophy is to be minimally interventionists. We think Pinot Noir should taste like the grapes and express the micro-climates of the vineyards. We replace only about 25% of our barrels every year. We make red wines that are age-able. Thus what we have in current release tends to be 3-5 years behind what our neighbors are selling. Wine is food. It should be had at meal times and with friends and family. Thus we believe that wine needs to be affordable."
Yeah, yeah.. but how's it taste for this little price? Great. It has a characteristic domestic pinot nose in that it expresses some campfire, smoky elements with fresh cherries. It tastes just mid-weight (a plus!) and has great bright, juicy acidity that makes you salivate and want to take another drink. It's well balanced, yummy and it has some age on it too. All of this for such a great price? You betcha.
August Cellars Pinot Noir $19 a bottle
