Wine Time

Biltmore Reserve Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2008

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Biltmore Winery is the most visited winery in the United States. The facility offers a wide range of French varietal wines including sparkling, chardonnay, cabernet franc and merlot.

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COST: $24-26

WHAT: Biltmore's reserve program is designed to bring in grapes from quality vineyards in premium wine regions. The wines then are crafted to reflect the region from which they came. Biltmore certainly has succeeded with this Reserve Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley produces some of the world's greatest Pinot Noirs, so it's no surprise that Biltmore can make outstanding wine with these grapes.

This is a soft, warm, round wine that just feels good to drink. It's an elegant wine with no hard edges, no off notes. It starts with a delicate nose of cherries and vanilla. The taste is cherries and strawberries, mixed with a bit of spices. It has a long, lingering finish. The wine is aged for 16 months in oak, but that only serves to give it a little backbone. There are no harsh tannins.

THE WINERY: Vines were planted in the mountains of Asheville, N.C., in 1971, and the winery opened in the Biltmore Estate in 1985. The winery is housed in the estate's former dairy barn, designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the architect of Biltmore House. Activities throughout the year include barrel tastings, cooking demonstrations, food and wine pairings and jazz and blues performances. The winery is definitely worth a visit. The winery's French winemaker produces about 15 varieties of wine each year, about 120,000 cases. The locally grown wines can be very good (especially their sparkling wines) and the reserve program is producing outstanding wines.

GOES WITH: This is a perfect sipping wine. I had it when my friend Bob stopped by for a visit. We agreed it was fine all by itself, but would probably go well with a light fish dish, or some pasta with a light marinara sauce. We had it with Cheddar, Havarti and Monterrey Jack cheeses, and that was a perfect accompaniment. But stay away from heavy foods with this wine.