All wine writers have a very solemn duty—when you find an affordable, quality, pinot noir from Burgundy, you must drop everything and report it to your readers. They are so rare you can spend months seeking one in the wild and come up with nothing.

Yesterday, while participating in a blind-tasting presentation at the Newport Beach Wine and Food festival organized by Wine Elite, I came upon such a rare bird. I became so preoccupied I almost forgot to do my job, which was to describe to the assembled multitudes why this was an old world, not a new world, Pinot Noir. I managed to pull my nose out of the glass long enough to mumble something about dirt and acid before continuing my reverie.

If you don’t own a bank and find yourself lamenting your inability to drink good Burgundian Pinot, seek this one out.

Abundant aromas of…