Tonight, with a dinner of smoked duck, roasted potatoes and sauteed kale, we opened:
1999 Siduri "Garys' Vineyard" Pinot Noir color: dark center, browning at the edge nose: pencil lead, licorice, dark berry fruit palate: rounded, medium-full body, dark berries, low acidity
Going back to the PN with duck pairing paradigm, I decided to open a bigger-scaled Pinot to offset the wood smoke flavors of the duck. In this respect, the wine worked well but the lack of acidity or tannin resulted in the fattiness of the duck being a bit more pronounced. Not a bad wine, but I can't help wondering if I wouldn't have guessed Zin or Syrah had I tasted it blind.
Mark Lipton