Veni, Vedi, Vino, Pt. II - Five Rivers Pinot

When I went into Arlington Liquors to get some wine, I was kind of enjoying discovering the place for myself. However, when the guy behind the counter asked if I needed help finding anything, I asked if he had any good Pinot (Noir) recommendations. He happily told me he did and recommended this 2007 Five Rivers. The price was right (around $14), so sure, why not? I also grabbed an '05 Echelon for backup.

The Five Rivers web site has this to say about their pinots:

"The nose of this classic Pinot Noir is brimming with rhubarb, violets and cardamom, with hibiscus flowers and a note of vanilla from the easy oak treatment." Haha, it sounds like the Paul Giamatti character from Sideways wrote it. I am more like the Thomas Haden Church character: "It's good."

My first impression of this was "weak." The foam "cork" slid out of the bottle with almost no resistance. The color was pale and watery. I don't know from rhubarb or hibiscus, but it did have a nice nose, although it was also somewhat weak. The best part of this wine, I am happy to say, is the flavor. It has the characteristic Pinot Noir flavor, it just doesn't linger in the mouth or in the glass. This wasn't a bad wine and I won't have a problem finishing the bottle, but there are better bottles out there in the same price range.