Notes with recent meals:
1999 Gary Farrell "Russian River Valley" Pinot Noir. color: pale garnet, quite light in color, with no sign of browning at the edges nose: smoke, minerals, cherry fruit and a slight hint of mushrooms (lovely!) palate: Bright fruit on entry, rich sense of velvety fruit in the midpalate with excellent structure and a beautiful finish. There is no lack of fruit, but it's kept in careful balance by the acidity.Notes: This is his lowest level bottling from an outstanding vintage. I last tasted it with Ian Hoare and Lord St. H. during the 2001 afw field trip to NZ. It has lost none of its polish since then while gaining a measure of complexity, and should probably continue to drink beautifully for another few years. To me, this is what New World Pinot Noir is all about. Served with a dinner of lightly smoked duck breast with sauteed asparagus and shi'itake mushrooms (the shi'itakes made a magical combination with the wine).
1999 Chateau St. Martin de la Garrigue Coteaux de Languedoc. nose: funky, cherry, pepper and gamey notes palate: medium body, fruity entry, pepper and funky meat, excellent balance and decent finish with some remaining tannins apparent.Notes: Purchased at a local retailer for half price (US $9.50 per bottle), it could pass for a top quality Cotes du Rhone or a medium weight CdP. No hurry to drink this one -- it should last for another
3-5 years with no problem (and probably improve a bit). This is the low entry bottling for Ch. St. Martin de la Garrigue, but makes me keen to lay my hands on some of their "Bronzinelle".Mark Lipton