Wanda Haynes-Certified Sommelier
Fall is a terrific time of year to introduce Pinot Noir into the wine list
Because its light enough to pair with fish, and heavy enough to pair with steak sandwiches.
Very elegant and a great wine for new wine enthusiasts, and here are a couple of my personal favorites.
Bethel Heights Pinot Noir “Casteel”
Terry Casteel, Ted Casteel, Marilyn Webb, and Pat Dudley first saw the abandoned Bethel Heights Walnut Grove in 1977. Featuring gentle south-facing slopes, pure spring water running through a shady ravine and diversity of wildlife. They left their jobs, packed up their growing families, staked out their vineyard, and never looked back.
Bethel Heights has a marvelous portfolio of wine, and my favorite is the “Casteel Pinot Noir”. I’ve owned three bottles of the 2019 vintage including a half bottle of Casteel. Purchased from at wine.com and worth every dime.
This wine is so delicious it left me spellbound and I can’t imagine a world without this fine wine. It has an early fall presence with dried cranberry, and earthy fall leaves on the nose. Elegant and smooth with bright acidity, rich flavors of chewy cherries right from the tree, golden raspberries, trumpet mushrooms, forest floor, subtle spice, and vanilla from oak aging. A beautiful medium-body Pinot Noir from Eola-Amity Hills in Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Pairs lovely with salmon croquettes, hearty veggie stews, pork loin, and lightly breaded chicken fingers.
Heritage 91 Pinot Noir McCollum Family Vineyards
The “Heritage 91 Pinot Noir wine is from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. A wine produced in partnership with Adelsheim Vineyard.
This wine drifts out of the glass, offering aromas of red rose petal, cinnamon, boysenberry, and a bold note of freshly turned earth.
This light-bodied lively acidity Pinot Noir offers tasting notes that include black cherry, plum, and a dusting of Dutch cocoa. A long-polished finish of blueberry and crushed fall leaves. A modern approach to Pinot Noir that I am glad I discovered.
An African American Professional basketball player CJ McCollum started his wine brand in 2020 with wife Elise.
McCollum Heritage 91 is all about legacy bringing CJ’s passions to life while honoring his roots in the process. It just so happened that heritage is also the name of the street he grew up on in Canton, Ohio. Combined with his birth year and family name the brand was established.
Pair this sleek Pinot Noir with a stylish fall charcuterie board and a circle of friends. Salmon pasta salad, roasted hazel nuts, and drunken goat cheese. They have a great portfolio of wines.
