03 Chasseur, Russian River Valley Sylvia's Pinot Noir

Look. You can't leave the candies in your pocket all day, even if you need them during the chem exam after lunch. They melt; they resolidify; the plastic clings to the outside. They never taste the same. That's where the slightly-sweet Chasseur Sylvia's is determined to go. It moved me in its opening moments--made me think that there are more Californian pinots out there that don't have a strange powdered sugar taste to them. But then, it melts. And now, I feel like Oprah recommending "A Million Little Pieces." It's a beautiful read, even after you realize what's really going on, but I can't get quite the same feeling from the second and third glass of Sylvia's as I did from the first. The nuanced cherry amoebas into something a bit too easy and fictional. The lightly smoky yeast nose is captivating, but ultimately has nothing to do with the sappy, liqueur-like taste of strawberry, watermelon, raspberry, and Eve--the putative innocence of all our coming sins.