Three Thieves Pinot Noir: Cute Jug… That’s About It

I would like to tell you that my quest for a good, cheap pinot noir is going great.  I’d like to tell you that I’ve found so many tasty yet inexpensive pinots that you have the world to choose from.  But if I told you these things, I’d be a liar. 

I knew it would be a tough challenge to find good, cheap pinot noir and that is proving to be the case.  I’ve found a couple decent bottles, but this is not one of them.

Tonight I check out Three Thieves Pinot Noir 2005 from Rebel Wine.  And it’s another mediocre pinot.  Oak, leather and black pepper are predominant on the nose with some black raspberry hiding in the brush. The leather is so strong is as if I’m holding a brand new wallet under my nose as I smell this wine.  The palate brings black raspberry and strawberry to the table, but in a very subtle way.  A touch of spice, but not enough.  Slightly bitter finish. Lacks varietal character.

I ordered a pizza and it made a decent pizza wine, but it’s nothing I’d get again.  I picked this bottle up for $9.99… which for all you non-math folks that’s equivalent to $7.50 for a normal 750ml bottle of wine.

It’s easy to spot Three Thieves wines on the shelf as they come in these cute little one-liter jugs.  I’ve read a couple good reviews of some of their other wines and I want to like them, but so far no luck.  I’ve tried the Three Thieves Unoaked Chardonnay for another tasting and wasn’t thrilled with that one either.

Wine: Three Thieves
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5% 
Rating: 82