2003 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Oregon

The 2003 Belle Pente Pinot Noir is very pretty indeed. Lightly perfumed, it’s silk in the mouth, with sweet, bright fruit and a touch of something intriguingly bitter running through it. The oak is restrained, the balance fine-tuned -- a beautiful expression of Oregon Pinot Noir. This is a wine that can go with just about everything from a fish soup to a Moroccan tagine.

Quick swirl

Region: Willamette Valley

Price: About $19

Style: Smooth and silky

Food it goes with: Fish soup, roast chicken, grilled lamb chops or a tagine.

Where you find it: Liquid Partyworks in Chatsworth, (818) 709-5019; Mission Wines in South Pasadena, (626) 403-9463; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 76WINEX; Wine House in Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731.

-- S. Irene Virbila