Swirl and taste: Red or dark berries, cherries, plums, violets, warm spices (cloves, cinnamon), herbs, sometimes and orange peel with an underside of cedar, smoke, leather, mushrooms, and loam.

Pair with:
• Pungent poultry and duck
• Lamb
• Venison
• Hearty fish — salmon, tuna
• Ham, spicy pork
• Mushrooms
• Earthy legumes like lentils
• Warm spices — cinnamon, cloves, cumin, ginger
• Sweet-salty marinades
• Fruit-based sauces — with berries, dried cherries
• Spiced Asian and eastern Mediterranean dishes
• Many cheeses

Lamb and Pork •  Cuban Pork with Pineapple •  Rick's Pork and Vegetable Hot Pots •  Lamb and Mushroom Stew •  Lamb Stew with White Beans and Ginger

Chicken and Duck •  Pinot-Braised Duck with Spicy Greens •  Coq au Vin with Crimini Mushrooms •  Soy-Ginger Roast Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms

Seafood and Vegetarian •  Little Mushroom Tarts •  Pan-Roasted Fish on Mushroom-Leek Ragout •  Peppered Salmon •  Curried Salmon Cakes •  Tuna with Tomato-Caper Sauce

MORE TASTING NOTES

Some winemakers in the cooler parts of those states make a hybrid that's lean and earthy yet still has generous fruit. The leaner, cooler-weather versions tend to have lower alcohol levels; the riper, fruitier Pinots from warmer places can have alcohol levels that overwhelm this wine.

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