Belle Pente Pinot Noir 2007 Yamhill-Carlton District. It's my new last name.

So you'll remember how my charming, wonderful sister who is a student at Harvard (that never gets old) was so marvellous and kind a few weeks ago and brought me back FIVE wines from Cambridge. FIVE WINES! AND I got to talk to Eileen the Cardullo's wine steward on the phone so she could pick my brain about my likes and dislikes. So lucky am I! The wine came with strict instructions not to be opened without first consulting Eileen about each bottle's history, terroir etc. Well sorry Lorri and Eileen, but I went ahead and opened a bottle without permission. I figured I have enough drinking experience to wing it.

I brought the Pinot Noir from Oregon to the cottage with me yesterday. More specifically Belle Pente 2007 Yamhill-Carlton District Pinot Noir. Otherwise know as THE BEST WINE I'VE EVER TASTED. No foolin'. For reals. After all those Pinot Noirs I've sifted through, looking for one that didn't disappoint, here was perfection. Its as though Dionysus himself patted me on the backside and whispered in my ear "It's your lucky day." Putti sang heavenly music and shot magic arrows at my heart when I popped the cork from the bottle. It was so glorious, I wanted to dab it behind my ears like expensive perfume. I immediately called Lorri and ranted on my cellphone for 30 minutes about the virtues of this wine. I don't just have love for this wine, I have LUST for this wine. And how cruel that my new liquid love came all the way from Cambridge, and now where the hell am I going to find it here in Ontario? Moan! I find the Alan Rickman/Christian Rinaldo hybrid of wine and I only have access to one bottle! Denied! Unfair! Justice!

People wherever you may be, take my advice. If you love Pinot Noir and want to float on a purple cloud of ecstasy, find a way to buy this wine. Get on a plane, a train, jet skis or omnibus. Have your kind American friends smuggle bottles through an underground railroad. Hide some in your beehive hairdo whilst crossing the border. Just GO and get this wine. It's so, so, so totally worth it.

'Til next time,

B.

Late-Night Ketchup

Too long since the last post, I know. Is it because I haven't been drinking wine? No! Is it because I don't love you anymore? No! My lack of posting is entirely due to my crazy work schedule of late, which leaves me as lively as a dishrag at the end of the day. Fortunately for you, I have insomnia, so what better time to play catchup and fill you in on the wines I've been tasting.

Let's get the baddies out of the way first. I've been craving a well-made Pinot Noir lately, and have had spotty luck. If you're breezing by the Vintages section at your LCBO and come across Rodney Strong's Estate Vineyards 2008 or Mike Weir Wine's VQA Niagara Peninsula 2008 Pinot Noir, let that breeze blow you right on by. The Rodney Strong was a but thin and unbalanced to my palate, and the Mike Weir was downright bitter.

Not to be discouraged I turned to Burgundy to find a better example of that fickle grape, and came out of the store with Le Bourgogne Chanson Pinot Noir. Much better than the previous two examples, this is a nice, light-bodied Pinot Noir, with pleasing minerality and just enough acidity to make it nice and thirst quenching. Cherry and smoke were the predominant flavours that wandered up my nose.

I had dinner last night with one of my true loves, Juanita. Juanita is one of my nearest and dearest, who works a mere few doors down from me but I never see enough of. Well we remedied that by having dinner at the Explorer's Cafe last night, and what a glorious night for a sensory driven woman in her mid to late 30's! I had the pleasure of picking the wine for us (Juanita discovered she likes Viogier!). I opened up my palate with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, but the real star of the evening was the Etim Negre 2007 (Spain). Holy Hannah, what a marvellous wine! A Grenache/Syrah blend, this wine was so beautifully balanced and very round and full in the mouth. Has the unique distinction of being the only higher alcohol wine (14%) I've ever tried without tasting 'hot'. A bit woody, it had notes of blueberry and I think plum. Definately one to put in the wine rack! It was absolutely marvellous with Sardines a la Plancha and Georgian Bay Whitefish with Portabello mushrooms. We luxiouriated over our dinner for 3 hours, catching up on each other's news and talking about everything buy the blue sky. Juanita, you're a great date!

The Sandman is catching up with me, but I do have more to say, so I'll update again after I catch a few Zzzzs. I still have to tell you about the Cambridge 5! Stay tuned..