Arrow Creek Pinot Noir

The name gives the grape, Pinot Noir, but not the ground it grew on. Corks + Cheers, which publishes a California wine portfolio, lists Arrow Creek's Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir among those wines, and the brand's own page names Juan Cerna as the winemaker behind the lineup. The price, though, was plain: in August 2026 this bottle landed among the least expensive reds we track.

Our grape research describes Pinot Noir as a thin-skinned red, and the category guides it draws on usually pick out red cherry, berry and plum, with a paler color and gentler tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon. Those same guides note that site and ripeness can shift it from bright and delicate to darker and fuller. The crowd here is small: 2 shoppers have rated it, averaging 3 out of five, below the 4.71 midpoint of the wines that carry shopper ratings.

That leaves the price as the one number that stands out. In our August 2026 checks it was priced at $10.88. Our 15 September 2026 check found it at none of the ten stores we track.

Cerna is a Salinas Valley native with a degree in molecular and cellular biology from UC Santa Cruz, the brand's own page says, and his winemaking career began in 1997 at Canandaigua Wine Company before stops at Monterey Wine Co., Bronco Wine Co. in Napa, ASV and Oak Ridge Winery; Arrow Creek credits him with directing its organic wine production. The brand's product page for this specific bottle describes aromas of 'black cherry and cola... balanced by a bright acidity and smooth finish,' the producer's words, naming black cherry, cola and red berries among the flavors, with a body the page describes as ranging from light to full and a sweetness spanning dry to sweet. It suggests pairing the wine with grilled salmon or a mushroom dish, and names aged Gruyère as the page's own cheese pairing pick. No alcohol percentage or vineyard detail is published.

Our call: worth a look if a named winemaker's real background is enough to back an inexpensive Pinot Noir; Arrow Creek names Juan Cerna and traces his path through Canandaigua, Monterey Wine Co., Bronco and Oak Ridge, and in August 2026 the bottle sat among the least expensive reds we track. Pass if the shopper record is what you weigh most: the 2 ratings on file average below the median of the wines that carry shopper ratings, and where the grapes were grown stays unconfirmed.

The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.