By Robert Paul –
With many of the meals of Indian summer you want a wine that’s bright red-fruit forward to hold its own with, say, rabbit, potato-crusted salmon, turkey, chicken stew or the roasted vegetables of an autumn harvest table. A French pinot noir that I find compliments the September foods of Indian Summer is the Joseph Drouhin LaForêt Bourgogne Pinot Noir (2011).
The winery was founded in 1880 in Beaune (Burgundy region) by Joseph Drouhin and today his grandchildren run the family-owned company from their ancestor’s house. The grapes for this pinot noir come from the Côte Chalonnaise and from the north of the Côte de Nuits. The pinot noir is aged in stainless 
vats for about eight months, but to bring out its best flavor profile you could cellar it from one to three years. Or drink it right now as I did when the fruit is fully forward. The wine has a modest 12 ½% alcohol.
This pinot noir declares itself with a clear bright ruby color and a silky aspect on the tongue. There are almost no tannins present in the taste but you will get the flavors of raspberries, red currants and just a hint of spice. The price of a bottle retails for about $20, although you may very well be able to do better.
Joseph Drouhin’s pinot noir will perk up a simple family meal but you could also confidently serve it at a dinner party on a weekend night and it certainly could be enjoyed as an aperitif or as an accompaniment for a cheese course. As most of you already know, few wines work as well for a mixed seafood, fowl, and red meat meal as does a pinot. And although it is a wonderful wine for the transitional times of the year, it truly is a wine for all seasons.
F&M