The first bottle in a new Pinot Noir series, the Schug 2011 we opened Friday for a “sneak peek” and then polished off the rest this Saturday evening.  It’s a lovely Pinot, a light red delight that contrasted in fascinating ways to the heavier Bordeauxs and Cabs that we have favored more recently.

Friday the Schug accompanied tuna and salmon sushi, and Saturday it was matched up with pepperoni pizza.  It complemented both favorably; this Pinot filled in tastes missing in the raw food yesterday and blunted some of the Italian red vibe of our pie today.  The Schug definitely has red fruit berries as dominant flavors, but with a hint of subtle spices too.  Though it’s the holiday season and our home smells of all kinds of warm, inviting scents, I cannot place what’s in the 2011 varietal.

The next one will be a treat and encourage you to find one for yourself.