This is a really fine wine, much finer than the SuperBowl it accompanied. There is a lot of dark cherry and red berry fruit here, with hints of spice and something dusky, almost smoky. It showed a nice balance between fruit and acidity, and clearly isn't done showing off its best. The more Pinots I try, the more consistently my tastebuds seem to react to Dundee Hills vineyards. Not all, and not exclusively by far, but I sure have a soft spot for them, and this is one of the finest I've sampled.

Jay Somers, the winemaker, also makes wine for Holloran Winery, including another excellent wine from the other part of Le Pavillon. I've also had a fine bottle of J. Christopher from Charlie's Vineyard. I'll keep an eye on his work - consistently good so far.