And in the left corner we have a Giant 47 Pound Rooster… this looks like a serious contender. Wait, is this a cock fight or a wine tasting? Can you imagine a 47 pound rooster? I’d run. But since it’s just pinot noir we’re talking about, I’ll stay and enjoy.
As far as the wine goes, I found the Giant 47 Pound Rooster Pinot Noir to be a serious contender as a good, cheap pinot noir (I picked it up for about $10). It’s produced by HRM Rex-Goliath! Wines and comes from Central Coast, California. It’s subtle and well-balanced. It has a nice bit of raspberry and cherry flavor with slight pepper overtones. Nice acidity. Very drinkable. I gave it an 88.
What I didn’t like is the fact that there is no vintage on this bottle. The lack of a vintage makes my rating virtually worthless. I’m sure there’s going to be inconsistency from one year to the next and there’s no way to know what you’re getting. Perhaps there is so much bottle variation that vintages are irrelevant for this brand. Perhaps I just got lucky?
I have so many other wines to try that I may not buy this one again for a while, if ever. So, I may never know if this wine is consistently good. I’d say it’s worth the ten bucks to give it a shot. Let me know how your experience goes.
Wine: Giant 47 Pound Rooster
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88 (I think)
I’ve bought this wine over a period of 5 years or so and allways seems very drinkable to me. I like big wines and they are hard to find in this price range.
Was very, very skeptical about buying a Pinot Noir under $5.00 and being able to rate it seriously, or even like it for that matter. This was recommended by a Dominick’s store manager, who said he picked it off the shelf on a whim and liked it. I pressed further, why? what? Did it remind him of anything decent or good…He simply said “…I didn’t expect anything, but this wine was good. I like wine that has body and flavor. You know some Pinots have that ‘lightness’ to them.?. I said, kinda tasting ‘watered down’ or missing a finish? He smiled and said exactly…this wine has the body and the flavor. I shook my head and said it couldn’t be, but for 5 bucks I gave it a try.
Very very surprising. Couldn’t find a year, but the has to be ’09, like the notes above, I would say it was in the high 80’s, more like 89 though for a Pinot Noir under $15. Since this is only $5, I give it a 91 as a value Pinot under $10. All is relevant though, right? Happy sips! Jimmy Taylor Chicago
Thanks for sharing your experience with this wine.
I’ve found the Pinot Noir to be so so, but I drink an awful lot of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s really quite hard to beat at that price.. But I get the vintage thing, I’ve had a couple bottles of it that were almost undrinkable.
Thanks for your comments, MrFocus. Gotta love a tasty wine at a bargain price. But yeah, it can be hit and miss.