Alta Vista Vineyards, Carneros, CA; 14.6% ABV
$8 at the Berkeley, CA store on 8 July
The only reservation I had about trying this wine was the 14.6% alcohol. Zin or Syrah, maybe, but Pinot? Before I could try it, seedboy confirmed my fears by writing:
This is a very ripe pinot noir that I find syrupy and rather unappealing. There is no obvious oak, which is a plus of sorts, but the grapes were just picked too late and it is pretty flat and lacks any energy.
My experience last night supports his statement. The fruit is very ripe and syrupy, without that much acid, and pretty full-bodied. While this is not my kind of Pinot, either, in an effort to be kind to the wine, let me note a couple things. First, many people like this character in a Zin or a Syrah, maybe even in a Cabernet. Second, the flavors of the wine — medium to dark red cherry tending toward darker cranberry, earthy spice, ripe orange peel — are actually pretty nice Pinot flavors. So there probably are people out there who would quite like this wine and, to them, I say have at it. Thanks to seedboy’s warning, I drank this with spicy Indian take-out, and it went reasonably well. I found it improved as it cooled outside in the foggy Berkeley evening. However, it won’t be a repeat buy for me.
The back of the bottle lists Michael Medeiros as “winemaker, proprietor,” but the producer’s web site (back label: “grown, produced and bottled by Mulas Family Vineyards”) lists the winemaker as veteran Steve MacRostie.
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Today a 2005 syrah from the same folks appeared. On first opening it smells funky but that blows off, leaving a wine that seems more alcoholic than the 14.5% claimed on the label. I’ll try it out again tomorrow but right now, it is a return.
Thanks. I got a bottle, but was going to let the sediment settle a bit before opening.
At the end of the bottle I noticed more acidity, not sure if it had precipitated out or what. Berkeley had a pinot gris from this label, I’m going to stay away from it. BTW, if you need a pinot cooking wine this would be good because the fruit flavors are good, and the lack of acidity is less an issue, but at $7.99 a bottle not sure it makes sense. There is also a Sonoma Oaks pinot for 9.99, there has been a chard from that label for a while.