South African Pinot

I just cracked open a bottle of a fantastic Pinot Noir from South Africa. Tracy gave it to me for Christmas, and the bottle was so beautiful and heavy I stored it away like a big old rock, thinking I'd keep it for quite a long time. But then, a few days ago, I received a piece of particularly good news and wanted to celebrate. So I dug out the bottle and drew the cork.

2008 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Hemel-En-Aarde Valley ($42)

The color is classic Pinot, brilliant and clear with lots of room for the light to get in. The aroma is rich, with tons of loam and even some sweet stuff, like red ripe cherries. Very earthy and vegetal and woody. One thing I love about this wine is the way it stabilizes on the tongue, and moves very little. There are no swells of flavor that come and go. Rather, the wine enters the mouth fully formed and just pauses there, more composed than you are, until you decide to swallow it at last. Afterward, for a few moments, there's an echo that reverberates in the palate and eventually singes off. This is simply fantastic, special wine. I can't say I've really had better Pinot Noir than this in my life . . .

Côtes du Rhône x 3

I love Côtes du Rhône. Here are three affordable bottles. Why affordable? There are different classifications of Côtes du Rhône, including Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Côtes du Rhône Villages with an actual village name included (e.g., Sablet), and then the  Côtes du Rhône Cru wines, like Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas and Hermitage. Tonight we're drinking humble old  Côtes du Rhône.

2007 Pont du Rhone Clerget Terroirs ($12)

This is plonk, pure and simple. It's thin, as a wine based on Grenache shouldn't be. It's a little bitter and sour and reeks of cheap oak. Flavors hardly come through, except expired cherry cough syrup. I wonder if this bottle roasted in the hold of a supertanker or spent too much time in a semi, boiling in its own sauce on the way from Mount Vernon to Smith Street, Brooklyn.

2009 Domaine Barry   Côtes du Rhône ($12)


Soft and light, balanced with fruit and acid. Flavors of blackberry, mostly, and a peppery sparkle. Long smooth finish, very nice wine. I notice the nose is packed and dynamic in a way the wine itself isn't in the mouth.



2007 Yves Cheron Côtes du Rhône "Les Dentelles" ($12)
The best of the lot, no question. Fuller in body, suppler of taste, plush and clean. Ripe, organic. Very even in the mouth, stopping where it began. Lots of dark fruits, berries and plums.