Whenever I go away on vacation, I try to take along a few new wines in the hope of tasting something exciting and, to be honest, to at least partially offset the high cost of wine at hotels. I simply wrap the bottles in sections of newspaper for cushioning and stuff them in my carry-on bag. I haven’t had a casualty yet.
The practice paid off last week with the discovery of an outstanding California pinot noir from my little stash, which I call “road wines.” The setting was Canouan Island in the southeastern Caribbean, one of the lesser-known islands in the chain (and the country) known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We were staying at the recently opened Raffles Resort, which should put Canouan on the map with its sweeping views of ocean, other volcanic islands and a challenging golf course carved into the side of a mountain.
Just before going to dinner one night, I opened a bottle of Rusack Vineyards' recently released 2003 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir and was immediately impressed. But I had also created a dilemma.
We had made a reservation at the resort's elegantly modern Italian restaurant (one of four), but by now I didn't want to walk away from my pinot noir. A quick call to the restaurant manager resolved the problem. I explained the situation and asked if he might help me build a dinner around the wine. Fortunately, he readily agreed. A few minutes later, feeling just slightly awkward, I strolled into the restaurant with the re-corked wine in hand, something I wouldn't think of doing in New York.
After some discussion with the manager, we decided that sliced duck in its own juices with mashed potatoes and a touch of cinnamon would be the best bet, since duck, while certainly gamy enough for red wine, won’t be overpowered by pinot noir, and vice versa. If the duck breast was a bit chewy, the tastes matched very well with the wine, which, at $27, is better than many California pinots I have tasted at that price (and higher).
This is one of those wines that completely seduce you as you breathe it in, jumping out with deep, ripe red berry fruit and hints of cedar and spice. It is unabashedly fruit forward, in typical American style, and the fruit is gorgeous — raspberry jam and secondary tastes of cranberry and blueberry. There are notes of cinnamon, mocha and a little black pepper on the finish. All of this is punctuated by a bright acidity that gives the wine a nice lift and keeps it from feeling heavy.
Rusack is a small, family-owned winery in Santa Barbara County that, based on my tasting of this pinot (and a syrah not long ago), will quickly make a name for itself. To order it, go to . (You’ll have to move quickly, since only 384 cases were produced.)
As for our dinner in the Caribbean, at the end there was an inch or so of wine left in the bottle. But this time there was no dilemma. I simply re-corked it and brought it back to our room for the perfect nightcap on a warm evening by the ocean. (You can learn more about Canouan Island at .)
Edward Deitch's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write to him at EdwardDeitch