{"id":1001,"date":"2012-07-18T22:09:39","date_gmt":"2012-07-18T22:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2012-07-18T22:09:39","modified_gmt":"2012-07-18T22:09:39","slug":"dons-premier-series-top-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/dons-premier-series-top-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;s Premier Series Top Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This month\u2019s first Premier Series Top Pick is a no brainer for my palate.\u00a0 Pietra Santa\u2019s 2009 Cienega Valley Pinot Noir gets the first nod.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Pietra Santa had built an enviable reputation over the years for fashioning classic Italian varietals, most notably Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio, but I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect from Pietra Santa\u2019s first estate bottled Pinot Noir.\u00a0 Well, now you know.\u00a0 I think winemaker Alessio Carli got it right.\u00a0 His first estate Pinot Noir is bright, juicy, and true to the terroir and climate of Cienega Valley.\u00a0 Pinot Noir is a tough grape to grow and a difficult wine to make, so Carli gets my first Top Pick and my second Top Pick, too.\u00a0 Yep, his excellent 2010 Amore Signature Collection Pinot Grigio is simply delicious.\u00a0 It\u2019s by far one of the top two or three California Pinot Grigios in the market.\u00a0 Nevertheless, this second Top Pick was a tough choice to make because I really like this month\u2019s Vergenoegd Runner Duck Red.\u00a0 It\u2019s an incredible value and a unique wine with a lot going on.\u00a0 I\u2019m also pleased with 1805\u2019s crowd pleasing Chardonnay.\u00a0 It\u2019s not always easy to reach a consensus on Chardonnay, but this one seemed to have something everyone enjoyed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A Votre Sant\u00e9!<\/p>\n<p>Don<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This month\u2019s first Premier Series Top Pick is a no brainer for my palate.\u00a0 Pietra Santa\u2019s 2009 Cienega Valley Pinot Noir gets the first nod.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Pietra Santa had built an enviable reputation over the years for fashioning classic Italian varietals, most notably Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio, but I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[5,9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Don&#039;s Premier Series Top Picks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay in your glass for summer time wine sipping. 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