Cheap Wine Reviews

Twin Fin Pinot Noir 2004

Twin Fin Pinot Noir
Okay I’ll admit it: One of those eye-catching wine stands in the store attracted me to this wine. Upon entering the all-too-familliar wine and liquor aisle at my local store, I was greeted today with a big surfboard shaped display of Twin Fin. This wine is being pushed as a fun, California summer wine. Check out the Twin Fin Wine Website to see what I mean.

It was a beautiful night tonight, almost California summer night beautiful, so I picked up a bottle at $10.99. Considering my last few reviews were of wines that cost less than 5 dollars, this is quite a jump. Hey! Fish don’t fry in my kitchen, and beans certainly don’t burn on the grill.

Twin Fin Pinot Noir

I really like the bottle. A retro orange and yellow thing going on. It really stands out on the rack. And like the previously reviewed St. Julian Simply Red, it also has a screw cap. Bonus!

All this hype! How does it taste?
9/10. I’m giving this wine the rating of “Excellent”.

As the glass approached my nose, I was greeted with distinct Pinot Noir, cherry, and just a dash of oak. Hardly any oak, really. The alcohol was a little strong, but the wine had beautiful form. Sweet on the front of the tongue, but very rich and fruity on the back, this wine was everything I could ever want out of a red wine on a summer night. Wonderful stuff. After I had a few sips, I read the back of the bottle:

It’s kinda like us – all flavor and no worries. A wine that prefers sunny days over dark cellars

Well, Sam and Hugh, the winemakers, certainly look like they’re having fun:
Winemakers of Twin Fin Wines

I drank this tonight on my front porch with a homemade pizza for dinner. Life is good. This wine is excellent. And if THIS wasn’t enough to convince you to try this wine, go rent the movie Sideways. You’ll be picking out Pinot Noirs everywhere you go.

Rating: 9/10
Price: $10.99, on sale for $8.49
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Winery Info:
Twin Fin Wines, Graton California
Twin Fin Wine Logo

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24 responses to “Twin Fin Pinot Noir 2004”

  1. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    Today I drank the remaining portion of this wine, and I’d like to point out that I could really smell and taste the “hints of strawberry” as described on the bottle. What a great wine!

  2. echarlto Avatar
    echarlto

    Very nice. Picked up two bottles for $7.99 each. Beautiful ruby color and excellent flavor. I picked up more cherry than anything else in the fruit. The nose was a little off. Had a bit of fishiness in there, IMO.

    But, a great cheap wine. I’m going to buy up what I can find. Thanks!

  3. linuxdave Avatar
    linuxdave

    Thanks for the feedback. My local store is actually running out of it and I hope they get another shipment. It is nice to have a summer wine in the bitter cold of winter sometimes.

  4. David Avatar
    David

    I’ve had a few of their wines. All are good. The Cab Sauv and Shiraz are even better than the Pinot Noir. Cool package and fun, lives up to the hype.

  5. KT Avatar
    KT

    A family member brought this wine over to drink with our italian dinner and was shocked when she said it was only $10. The alcohol was a little strong but overall this was an excellent wine and I have been searching for it so I can buy a few more bottles to enjoy!

  6. Anne Avatar
    Anne

    My friend gave me some bottles for x-mas. So I have tried the Twin Fin Pinot Noir, Melot and Chardonnay. I am really impressed. All rated above average on my immature wine pallet. At $10 a bottle I would recommend everyone have one of each flavor to please any guest that stops by.

    My friend also told me about a sweepstakes on twinfingetaway.com

    The bad thing about this wine is I can’t find it at any liquor store- I have to search for it and it is really annoying.

  7. Madeline Avatar
    Madeline

    They featured this wine recently in Rachael Ray’s new magazine. Thanks for the review – now I know I can trust them!

  8. qwesi.com » Blog Archive » word of the day: Tampion

    […] My goal was to find something cheap and exotic. I hit the nail on the head with the cheap part (hopefully the cheapest, at $6.49), but Lindemans is far from exotic. I did have a small adventure getting the artificial cork out of this wine. I actually managed to get wine on my ceiling! After the cork fiasco, I poured a glass, swirled the ruby-red wine and sipped the first well-deserved sip. I have no complaints, but it is hard to give it a better rating that the rating I gave Twin Fin. I drank this tonight on my front porch with a homemade pizza for dinner. Life is good. This wine is excellent. I have no complaints, but it is hard to give it a better rating that the rating I gave Twin Fin. I enjoyed this wine with some of Mom’s pasta with turkey meat sauce, but this wine could be paired with just about anything in my opinion. In other news, Winston Chruchill tops time travel list! […]

  9. Travis Porter Avatar
    Travis Porter

    I tried this wine for the first time tonight. I wanted to try Pinot Noir because of all the hype I hear about it. You can mock, but I like strong wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and (go ahead and mock) Merlot. I like the screw cap, less “artistic” and more functional. The taste has a hint of sweet, followed by a medium body. Aroma was fair to pleasant and the finish is wonderful, IMHO. Don’t let the label fool you, nor the price. This is a great tasting wine that doesn’t break the wallet.
    9/10

  10. Ken Weller Avatar
    Ken Weller

    Love the stuff!! Thanks for pointing this out ! As far as

  11. Ken Weller Avatar
    Ken Weller

    Love the stuff!! Thanks for pointing this out ! As far as sub $15 pinot noir goes, this is great! At the end of a long summer day give me some of this twin fin pinot with salmon or pan fried catfish and I’m content. Great summertime red. I found it in Massachusetts for $6.99, which is unbelievable for decent pinot noir. I think that decanting for a few hours helps develop the character. I read a review somewhere of the ’02 vintage where the wine was criticized for having a sharp edge. I’m not sure I find this here, but I think a good breath really smooths it out and blooms the aromatics. The aromatics, btw, I think are a strong suit- the stuff smells great with cherry and stawberry. Fruit forward, approachable quaff- not so much “forest floor” or other earthy Burgundy traits. Chill to 55F or so for best results. Enjoy!!

  12. Wayne Avatar
    Wayne

    Hugh is actually my cousin, I live in Australia. It’s great to see him doing so well over there.

  13. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    My girlfriend brought a few bottles of Twin Fin to our annual girl’s weekend at the cottage and all I can say is “yummy”. This wine went well with the pork tenderloin we served that evening but it was also great to drink it on it’s own……..

    I am now suggesting this inexpensive wine to my friends and family. Enjoy the end of summer!

    Laura

  14. gary Avatar
    gary

    Hi there, I just heard about your wine but more importantly is the fact that you chose to put a 65 Valiant on your bottlle rather then go with something like a convertable Mustang. Sorry Ponies, I just think they made a better choice and went with something unique. Tomorrow I go down and get some bottles and if Twinfin has the same taste as thier bottles do, i’m sure I will be a new fan and customer. Thanks Twinfin, Gary from San Diego

  15. gary Avatar
    gary

    Love it!!!!

  16. John from Colorado Avatar
    John from Colorado

    This is the kind of wine which most people want. If most wine was like this, there would be a lot more wine drinkers in America. It lacks pretense, but it tastes great and is ideal with burgers, steaks and picnic style meals. I like the bottle and the twist off caps. I know, a lot of the wine snobs will sniff and turn their noses up at it, but Twinfin is terrific and goes with a lot of food which is at its fresh peak in the early fall.

  17. Rachael Ray

    rachael ray

    Interesting post. I came across this blog by accident, but it was a good accident. I have now bookmarked your blog for future use. Best wishes. Rachael Ray.

  18. Ina Avatar
    Ina

    Wow 2004 Twin Fin Chardonnay, excellent table wine, beautiful color sweet flavor. Goes very well with fresh made Butternut Squash and Smoked Mozzarella and Goat Cheese Ravioli for the holidays.

  19. Richard Avatar
    Richard

    Surfed on into this blog and it’s good to find the people are so enthusiastic about the Twin Fin wines. I thought it might be my inexperienced pallet that made me enjoy such a cheap and accessible wine…but it seems I’m not the only one who loves it (to prove just how immature my wine selection process is I picked this brand out because their name is very close to being the same name as one of my favourite musicians “Tim Finn”! yeah..I know…lol)

    I am in no way a wine expert and have only just started regularly drinking wine at home instead of doing the beer / bar thing. I’ve tried numerous wines in the past few months but I always come back to the Twin Fin. You can pick up a bottle for $6 here in upstate NY and for that money it is surprisingly drinkable. My personal favorites are the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chardonnay 2004, but I’ve tried all their varieties and haven’t had a bad one. It is fun….doesn’t feel at all stuffy or stuck up, feels like a “social” wine that should be enjoyed by all.

    I think that any of the Twin Fin wines would go with any occasion and I plan on introducing my family and friends to it over the festive period.

  20. Cat Avatar
    Cat

    Excellent wine! I tried the Cab and found it to be smooth and approachable. Not a tannin in sight, this wine is user friendly. It’s not sophisticated, but neither am I.

  21. Lauren from Seattle Avatar
    Lauren from Seattle

    Beautiful red, LOVE it.

  22. Bill Long Avatar
    Bill Long

    I’m fond of sparkling wines, red or white. Why isn’t there a category for sparkling wines on this website? What’s the best Brut champagne for under $25.00?
    Bill Long, Crofton, Maryland
    (“Dining without wine is like sex without a kiss”)

  23. WendyD Avatar
    WendyD

    I loved this wine! I wanted to reccomend another wine in the same price range. Wrongo Dongo – it is a Jumilla wine – Highly reccomend it for those who do not like a dryer wine.

  24. PAP Avatar
    PAP

    Just tried Twin Fin for the first time (since it was on sale for only $5.99). Although this post is for a Pinot Noir review, I purchased their Merlot (2007) line and was very impressed on the quality. I must say I think I found a new favorite…. Hope my 2009 Merlot turns out like this!!!

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