Edna Valley Pinot Noir

A Californian Pinot from Majestic

If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dream

- Astral weeks, Van Morrison (Astral Weeks, 1967)

On first listening, I could make no sense of Astral Weeks; Van Morrison's semi-improvised unstructured masterpiece blends jazz, soul and Celtic folk-rock with stream of consciousness lyrics.

My cool muso uni friend had told me the album was "quite good" in his understated way, so I persevered and on the second listening it all fell into place and I was hooked.

This Edna Valley Pinot is my Astral Weeks moment again - it's not a Pinot that in any sense you would recognise if Burgundy, New Zealand or Mornington Peninsula are your reference points.

It smells like a Pinot but from there the similarities end. It's as if Big Bang Theory's Sheldon had gone down the gym and worked out in a muscle vest until he made Arnold Schwarzenegger look like a wimp.

Edna Valley Pinot Noir 2015, Central Coast (Majestic, £15.99) classic Pinot farmyard and black cherries; the fruit is very forward, very ripe and very generously seasoned with oaky cola spice. Perfumey-floral, extracted and alcoholic with fine tannins and just enough freshness to keep it all in check.

With the prominent fruit of a sipper and the body of a food wine, match this with spiced duck or buffalo wings.