I picked up a bottle of the Domaine Arlaud Bourgogne "Roncevie" at the Casa Sena wine shop in Santa Fe the other day. (Warm thanks to PJ there for the recommendation.) Tried it last night with dinner. Very fresh and pure-tasting Pinot Noir. Light to medium-bodied, but reasonably intense with what seems to me a very Burgundian makeup---fine but somewhat mouth-coating tannins, a slight bit of smokiness or caramel (from oak, probably) overlaying bright fruit, primarily strawberry or perhaps cherry-like flavors. Reasonably velvety and well-integrated, and getting a bit more intense over the course of the meal. Not extraordinarily complex, but delicious. As I recall this wasn't inexpensive (Burgundy, unfortunately, never is), but pretty impressive for the price. It has the rare and pleasing taste of a natural, minimally messed with, clean and alive wine. A find I'm very happy with. I might rate it 8.5 or 9 on a 10 point scale, but it's basically a perfect example of what it is---a delicious, not overweening red Bourgogne. It went very well with a dinner of Venetian style smothered cabbage (finely shredded and slow cooked with sauteed onion, garlic, and a little red wine vinegar) and a pasta sauced with collard and mustard greens, white beans, and tomatoes.

A look at the importer's (North Berkeley Wine's) website reveals some information about Domaine Arlaud, which is based in the great Côtes-de-Nuits wine town of Morey St.-Denis, and about the 2008 vintage of this wine. According to this, Roncevie is surrounded by vineyards designated Gevrey-Chambertin, which helps explain its quality.