Yesterday my wife informed me that she wanted to make Pasta alla carbonara for dinner that night.  I immediately started thinking wine pairing, and we decided on a 2007 Pessagno Lucia Highlands Vineyard Pinot Noir that I had in the "cellar."  I had been looking for a food excuse to drink this wine, so the carbonara presented a reasonable opportunity.

First of all, the pasta was incredible.  My mouth is still watering at the thought of the delicious pancetta.  The Pinot paired extremely well with this dish, which made both the wine and the food that much better. 

The Pessagno Pinot has 14.6% alcohol and only set me back $24, which is pretty reasonable for a quality Pinot Noir.

This wine has a really pretty nose.  I get blueberry, strawberry, and some really great floral/perfumy scents. I am also getting a little caraway and some black olives, along with something that makes me think of a Mongolian stir-fry, like some meat in soy sauce.  The palate is really smooth and has flavors of cherry, vanilla, and strawberry.  It is really nice and creamy on the palate.

I enjoyed this wine a lot.  It seems just a tad on the hot side, but is really tamed by the food.  This is a very complex wine and a great value Pinot.  I definitely give this one a recommendation.

Final Grade (1-5)

This Pinot Noir wine allowed me to check off another variety for my Wine Century Challenge.  I now have reviewed 16 of 100 varieties, and have only 84 to go!