Not that it stops me.
Last night we wanted a medium weight red to go with a main course of stuffed, deboned chicken. I chose the 1997 Joseph Swan "Wolfespierre Vinyeard" Pinot Noir. Never know what I'm going to find when I open one of these. Dark and dense color. On the nose, iodine and the Wolfespierre's unique mintiness. On the palate, both of those, slight jammy black raspberry fruit, and parsnips--pleasantly sweet and earthy. A bit of fizz on the tongue is probably related to the very wet cork. So, not the best bottle but we loved it anyway, and we found ourselves wondering how we would react to this wine if it wasn't a wine we had known and loved since infancy. It's so unusual, that warm vintage and that idiosyncratic old vineyard combining to make something that's not your usual California pinot, particularly this far out and while still having the bold fruit and the acidity to perchance cruise here for a few years. I look forward to the ride.