Pinot Noir: 'luv' wine

Lord Byron by Richard Westall
from englishhistory.net

That's the Valentinesque PR angle that came with the bottle of Byron Pinot tasted-noted below, with an obvious nod to a certain hedonistic early-19th century poet; but it's true there's something seductive about good Pinot Noir. "Oh Mr. Byron, don't be such a big girl's blouse." *

Byron Pinot Noir 2013 Santa Barbara County, California - Aged for eight months in French oak, although it doesn't taste of it (phew: I hate oaky Pinot Noir). Quite delicate floral cherry/berry nose with balsamic edges, subtle silky palate with very Pinot sweet/savoury fruit characters, supple and drinking well now with a touch of rounding weight (13.5% abv) and fresh bite too. £14.95 from Slurp (UK).

Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 New Zealand (13.5% abv) - Soft and sweet-fruited texture with ripe aromatic berries and savoury hints, a little fresh bite and weight on the otherwise silky finish. Quite good value Pinot: £8.48 Asda 'Extra Special' range.

Domaine Levert 2011 Mercurey, Burgundy (13% abv) - Pretty decent example of not-so-dear (although hardly a bargain) mature French Pinot, with attractive smoky 'cheesy' edges and sweet/savoury finish. Marks & Spencer £15.

Other sexy Pinots I've talked about recently (follow the links):

Secano Estate Pinot rosé Leyda Valley, Chile (Nov 2015).

De Bortoli Yarra Valley Pinots from Victoria, Aus (Oct 2015 - scroll down a bit) and Eileen Hardy, Dalrymple Vineyards and Tamar Ridge from Tasmania (June).

Paul Cluver Selection Pinot Noir and 'Ferricrete' from Elgin, South Africa (Sept & April 2015)

Fürst Pinot Noir Centgrafenberg Franken, Germany (Aug 2015)

Tindall Vineyard - Marlborough New Zealand (June 2015).

* Name that 80s/90s Brit comedy series?