How pale this wine pours. Don’t be deceived! It’s an enormous Pinot Noir, almost too big for its own good, explosive in ripe cherries, raspberries, chocolate and especially new French oak that just floods the palate with vanilla-infused smoky char. It’s so big, it’s hard to figure out what to drink it with, except simple fare, like a grilled steak or even carpaccio of beef tenderloin.——S.H.(2/1/2007)—— 92