Shall we give it a try?

Californian Pinot is capable of integrated Burgundy style ecstasy, but also of unbalanced, over-sweet sludge. So we’re on the scale is this?
Vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose, accompanied by baked strawberries, leather, grilled meat and smoke. On the palate, the tannins drag so gently on the tongue. Raw silk, not satin. There’s enough acidity to keep the baking spice in check, and despite what the nose tells you, this wine isn’t at all sweet on the palate. It’s creditable and worth a try.

While I was at it, I tried a splash of this one, too. More black fruit than red, as is my experience with Central Otago, but very silky. Possibly would want a little more body to this wine, given the price, but it would pair very nicely with roasted salmon.

A bit of right bank Bordeaux now: Chateau Grand Faurie La Rose. 2018 still has plenty of black fruit and lively acidity, although you can sense the tobacco and cedar notes starting to develop. The dusty tannins gently grip the tongue.
This is where a wine is at its most exciting, for me. I can taste where it is now, but I can also start to get a sense of where it’s going. How gracefully it ages, how much fruit it retains, we’ll have to see. The fruit will fade, and the woody notes will evolve.

Back after a little break, and a bargain wine from Lidl this time, a Plan de Dieu. Some strawberry notes from the Grenache, but the primary fruit is black - cherries and plums, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. There’s a smidge of garrigue herbs, and a healthy dose of pepper, which suggests that there’s a larger proportion of Syrah in the blend than is common from the southern Rhône. I have a few more of these, so it’ll be interesting to see if the bitterness eases off in a few months.