Forgot to ask, was the a Pagan ritual, the right of spring dinner....what a
sight you guys running around nude drinking pinot. :-)




"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> Tonight, I prepared a dinner in celebration of the arrival of Spring in
> these parts: roast duckling, asparagus and morels. With a meal that
> fairly cried out for Pinot Noir, I opened:
>
> 1999 Saintsbury "Brown Ranch" Pinot Noir (Carneros)
> nose: bright raspberry, pencil lead, later tea leaves and minerals
> palate: deep raspberry fruit, bright acidity, savory, tea leaves
>
> I served this blind to Jean who, to her credit, guessed an Oregon PN
> from 2000. This wine had many of the characteristics I associate with
> Grand Cru Burgundy from the Cotes de Nuits: bright raspberry fruit and
> savory secondary aromas. The acidity was high enough to lessen the
> association with California, even though the intensity of fruit would
> suggest a California origin. My earlier encounters with the Brown Ranch
> bottling from one of our favorite CA producers had all been in their
> early development, and the density and oakiness put me off. However,
> this bottle at age 9 has thoroughly convinced me of the quality of the
> Brown Ranch bottling, at least in a year like 1999. This will easily
> make my list of most memorable bottles of '08.
>
> Mark Lipton
> --
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