First report from a Charlotte weekend--two Pinot Noirs

I'm spending three nights in Charlotte--not for the Charlotte Speedway race but to visit some favorite restaurants and pick up some pre-ordered wines. Last night I dined at Bonterra which is a restaurant occupying a converted Methodist church. I had an appetizer portion of one of their specialties--fried lobster tail with wildflower honey and soy reduction with a sweet and sour aoili, duck breasts with herbed cous cous and grilled zucchini as an entree, and a cheese plate of Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog goat cheese with vegetable ash and Tomme de Savoie as dessert. Bonterra has a rather extensive wine list but predominantly new world wines. I decided to try a glass each of two different Pinot Noirs.

2007 Saintsbury Brown Ranch Pinot Noir, Carneros, CA
This is the top-of-the-line from Saintsbury and I had not tasted one since a Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend some years ago with Dick Ward on hand from Saintsbury. In a semi-blind tasting I had mistaken the Brown Ranch to be a Burgundian wine (we had wines from Saintsbury and wines from Burgundy.) Dark ruby color; semi-transparent. Perfumed nose. Flowery, red and black cherries on the nose. Savory and spicy hints--perhaps cinnamon. Medium to long finish. Balanced acidity. I really enjoyed this and may seek to buy a couple bottles. I don't think I would mistake this vintage for a Burgundian wine but it is a good American examplar of Pinot Noir.

2008 Elk Cove, Willamette Valley, OR
I remembered liking an Elk Cove Pinot that someone brought to Mo'Cool so ordered this. Darker and denser in appearance than the Saintsbury. Mild tasting--a bit bland in comparison to the aromatic Saintsbury Brown Ranch. Some attractiveness on its own but suffers from tasting it after the Brown Ranch.

Both wines did well with the duck breast and okay with the cheeses.

Thanks for the TN, JC. I love Saintsbury PNs. Wine searcher tells me that the Shab Row Bistro in Frederick, MD has this for $61 a bottle. Seems high to me but I'll see what I can do. (BTW, JC - Shab Row's kitchen is now helmed by a former cook at Volt.)

It is pricy but not more than I would expect for the Brown Ranch. Ken Wright's Oregon Pinots are now over $60 a bottle in North Carolina but he has recently put out a cuvee blend from several vineyards in the $30's and I bought one to try. It still galls me to pay over $50 for a domestic Pinot Noir.