2003 Sharecropper’s Oregon Pinot Noir

David O’Reilly, partner and winemaker in Oregon’s respected Owen Roe Winery, didn’t have the money to buy the Pinot Noir grapes outright, so he proposed a novel solution, at least for the 21st century: sharecropping. He would make the wine and he and the grower would share the profits.

Hence the label Sharecropper’s Oregon Pinot Noir. The 2003 vintage is a real beauty, with a lush perfume, voluptuous body and silky texture. What’s not to like at this price? It has a wonderful cool-weather Pinot character, more Burgundian than typical New World exercises in the grape.

Did I mention that it’s also a terrific food wine? Lay in some bottles for the holidays.

-- S. Irene Virbila

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Quick swirl

Region: Napa Valley

Price: $20

Style: Lush and Burgundian

Food it goes with: Birds, beasts, just about anything.

Where you find it: Cardiff Seaside Market in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, (760) 753-5445; Malibu Village Wines in Malibu, (310) 456-2924; Meritage Wine Market in San Diego, (866) 679-9463; Vendome Liquors in Beverly Hills, (310) 276-9463, Studio City, (818) 766-5272 and Toluca Lake, (818) 766-9593; and the Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 or (800) 76WINEX.