You could hold onto this wine for a while (a couple-three years), but it's more than ready to put down tonight... I mean, to savor with a fine, eleventeen-course meal.

My favorite part of this wine is the mouth-feel. (Is there any way of saying that without it sounding dirty?) I just mean the way it feels in your mouth -- or my mouth, anyway. (Nope, that sounded even dirtier.) It's soft and full enough to coat the mouth (super-dirty!), while the alcohol is strong enough to magically cleanse the palate. That makes it great with food, as even creamy dishes won't leave socks on your teeth.

The finish isn't ridiculously long (one bad thing about high-alcohol), but it never takes a wrong turn. Velvety fruit and wood are the last things you taste -- always a good turn.

It's probably also inappropriate to admit that I paired this French-spirited pinot with pizza-munchies and tomato soup. But if I'm going to be honest, I might as well go all the way -- fast food pairings and all. The good news is that it worked, and I suspect it would work with most things you match it with (a few flavors of ice cream excepted).

Cheers, TSW

Pinot noir is known as the world's most elegant, classy, romantic and beautiful wine, so it's probably inappropriate to review one by writing, "Holy crap, this is a great wine!" But, that was pretty much what came out of my mouth after putting this wine in it.

This pinot has as much French in its style as it has in its name, but also carries enough attitude (or is that just alcohol?) to remind you that it's a California creation.

The color is a dusty ruby. It's not opaque, but it's plenty dark for a pinot. First off in the nose are sweet cherry and raspberry scents. The woodiness is a mixture of oak and a lot of spicy cedar. But watch out! There's also a ton of alcohol in the nose. In fact, if you're a smoker, you may want to abstain while enjoying this beauty. Open flame could be dangerous.

Wonderful fruit and spice come through on the palate. The tannins are there, but are really soft.