Winemaker brothers find success at home

Globe-trotting winemaker brothers Jacques and Francois Lurton are sons of the illustrious Andre Lurton of Bordeaux, France. The family is the largest land owner in the area.

However, the Lurton brothers were not content to rest on their laurels and follow in their father's footsteps, so they went into business for themselves and started making wine in various locales around the world.

After successful ventures in Argentina, Spain and South Africa, they returned home to France where they acquired several pieces of land, including the parcel that they grow grapes for Les Salices Pinot Noir.

While pinot noir is the grape varietal of Burgundy, this particular wine comes from the much larger appellation given to wines that fall outside of the more prestigious ones, which means the wine can be made much more cost efficiently.

This is a superb little pinot noir from an untraditional area of France, but it delivers full force and saves your wallet a mint in the process. It also is an excellent light drinking wine for this time of the year.

In the glass, Les Salices Pinot Noir is a medium ruby-red color with a firm semi-opaque core of crimson going out into a slightly tinged crimson rim definition with medium viscosity.

On the nose, there are crushed ripe red fruits with cherries, red flowers, red currants, red beet juice and hints of fruit-driven minerals. It also reveals rather subtle but noticeable cranberry juice, lingonberry jam, red plum skins, violets and red fruit compote.

On the palate, the wine is light-bodied, yet more extracted than Burgundy pinots tend to be with layers of crushed red cherries, red plums, mixed red berry compote and licorice root. It has a good concentration and focus with cranberry coulis, currant notes, minerals and hints of royal jelly. The midpalate is impressive for its balance and play between fruit, acidity and tannins that appear soft and liquid. The finish is great with yet more cranberry concentrate, hints of aniseed, cherry liqueur and minerals.

Les Salices Pinot Noir is an ideal wine for grilled salmon. It also is a wine that should have a bit of age-worthiness on it, lasting through 2009.

Wine: Les Salices Pinot Noir

Grape: Pinot noir

Region: Vin de Pays d'Oc, Southern France

Vintage: 2005

Price: $ 8.99 per bottle.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.