Wine of the week: 2011 Red Rock Winery Reserve Pinot Noir

It was a dark and stormy night and a light-bodied red wine was called for, despite the season, so for Sunday supper we chilled a 2011 Red Rock Winery Reserve Pinot Noir (picked up for about $10 at the supermarket) to a degree or two below room temp and sipped it with crisp bacon, eggs over easy and hash browns done with shallots in bacon fat. It all made us feel quite cozy as the thunder rumbled and the lightning flashed.

The grapes for this fruit-forward and nicely balanced pinot were sourced from several California regions. On the nose, it offers classic raspberry aromas, a little strawberry and a whisper of cherry cola. On the tongue, raspberry and blackberry marry elegantly, accented with a touch of cherry cola and a hint of dark chocolate. The wine finishes medium long and silky.

If a bacon-and-eggs supper is not your idea of a good time, try pairing this thoroughly agreeable and easy-drinking pinot with blue cheese burgers, pepperoni pizza or Buffalo wings.

By Colette and John Bancroft. She is the Times' book editor, and he is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine and travel.