I'm a big fan of fruitiness in wines. That is one of the things I liked about the Hidden Bench Pinot Noir.

In the 80's that preference earned me a lot of scorn from cellar masters everywhere, as at that time the classical French uber dry "this doesn't taste like it came from grapes" taste was de rigueur.

I like fruity wines as well, as long as they are not over the top jam bombs that have been over extracted / over oaked.

It sounds like you would like Turley zins / petite syrahs. Turley is the only wine that has a lot of fruit notes and high alcohol that can pull it off, IMHO. The wine maker for Turley has his own label, which is primarily pinot - Faila. The Faila Keefer Ranch Pinot is one of my favorites. I suspect that you would also like it.

Patz and Hall is another fruity Pinot. If you are into 'clubs', the P/H club is one of the best I'm in as they don't screw you with shipping. They make a pretty good chard too..

Living on my own, I don't drink enough wine to make a club worth while. Also, living an hour away from a major wine producing area, its just waaay to easy to hop in the car and go taste testing for new wines (and more fun!!).

Funny thing, i've had very few successes at enjoying French wines. I've found somewhat the same for Italian wine. There is something about the 'old world' style that just doesn't appeal to me.
I much prefer more fruit forward, more textured wines which is more common from N. America, Australia and N. Zealand as well as some S. American countries.
I've had some decent success with Spanish wines but they typically use different grapes that are far less common than those found on French soils.

Ya screw them and the snotty opinions Fred.
I'm not a fan of dry and tannic wines that suck the moisture off my tongue.
I agree with MD as well. Try some USA petite syrahs and zinfandels for big bouncy fruits.
The Cdn pinot noirs are younger fruit forward styles most often, but to get something a bit more refined and a broader range of styles, you have to look at a larger market (the Cdn pinot market is very small).

I thought you didn't like whites?
They all tasted the same no?
A change in opinion? Through extensive tasting trials?

Definately. I no longer descriminate against any wine.

Not even a $8 bubbly rose?

And while we're on the topic, up tonight is a 2009 Trivento Malbec from Argentina with some t-bone steaks, baby spinach salad and chicken broth polenta with cranberries.

You have such a way with words.

The Canadian Pinot market may be small, but its right next door, so I'll keep exploring there. At 4 to 5 wineries per visit, it will take me some time to work through all the Niagara vineyards.