This Sonoma County winery impressed me with a 2008 Pinot from the renowned Russian River Valley. It’s a tad big but quite tasty with bold black-cherry and plum aromas and flavors weaved with notes of leather and spice. The wine is nicely balanced, easy to drink alone but meant for the dinner table. It paired well with a seared Ahi steak I served over a fresh spinach-and-white bean salad. It would also complement beef, lamb, or roast pork tenderloin and roasted mushrooms. It’s a very good value at $20 retail, available at RodneyStrong.com or BevMo! in SLO.
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This article appears in Apr 1-8, 2010.