So, beaming ourselves over to the Loire Valley today (I guess the other guy's name was Jean-LUC Picard, wasn't it), we have the Klingon out of water, a red (pinot noir) Sancerre. (End of the Star Wars puns.)
I bought this from the nice people at invino.com, and it ran me about $20. Only about 20 percent of the Loire grows pinot noirs; most estates produce whites, of course.
The bottle label is your typical French Just the facts, madame, not very big on description. The invino listing has a very good one though: "A bright, clear, ruby color, the nose is remarkably intense. There are intense spice and forest floor notes that burst out of your glass, enough to make you stop and smell again and again, to try and analyze what is in it. Spice, earth, damp forest and tangy black cherry notes rise out of your glass. In the mouth, the wine is pure fruit, all cherries, berries and an interesting note of fresh cranberry. "
When I first tasted this I got a note that I couldn't identify (and still can't) and that I found very interesting and out of the ordinary. I'm guessing it might be the cran-raspberry thing going on that invino talks about (the raspberry in another part of the listing). As they say, it "make[s] you stop and smell again ... to try and analyze what's in it." A lighter red in the decanter and in the glass, and even more fruity than most usually fruity pinots.
All in all, I liked this a lot and would get it again (now sold out at invino). I just drank it with cheddar, but I bet it goes great with grilled pork chops.