With last night's hastily assembled dinner of roast chicken with roasted root vegetables, Jean asked me for a "light, fruity" Pinot Noir and suggested the Chehalem 3 Vineyards PN that I'd recently purchased at the winery. However, on consulting my database I learned that we had the
*previous* year's version, so went down and retrieved:2004 Chehalem "3 Vineyards" Pinot Noir nose: smoke, barnyard, lush fruit palate: soft entry, rounded mouthfeel, deep Pinosity, good acidity
Just what the Doctor ordered! Very reminiscent of those Navarro Pinots (drunk at Chez Panisse) that first attracted us to the variety long, long ago, but deeper in character and fruit. This wine won't remind anyone of Burgundy, but neither will it be mistaken for Syrah. Very nice!
Mark Lipton