No pro ratings that I could find; Winetex score 89+; $24

This was a recent arrival that was recommended in-store. It turned out to be very nice CA pinot. On the nose it had spice and a bit of pepper along with cherry. In the middle it had red and black cherry and continued with spice and pepper. It was very well-made pinot, balanced and smooth with a bit of weight. Probably not enough acidity to be a keeper but 6 months in the bottle wouldn’t hurt. This is a Turkey Day contender.

I had this at a wine store tasting a month ago so I didn't take notes. Overall I concur with your notes with the exception of the pepper which I don't particularly remember. Nice wine but at $25 I passed. BTW, the distributor who was pouring the wine served the pinot chilled in a bucket. He said that is the way the winery prefers it to be drunk. Did you drink yours chilled or hear anything of this sort for this wine?

Chilled? very interesting. We always drink Pinot on the cool side (start at 55-60 degrees from the cellar and let them warm to room temp) but never chilled. Some are definitely better in the 60s than the 70s, especially the CA and OR pinots.