Durham North Carolina Visit
We recently got back from renting a place for two weeks in Durham, North Carolina. It was a nice change of scene and pace. We had last been there in 2017, and it was interesting to experience what changed and what hadn’t.
Naturally we kept an eye out for new wines. A local wine store introduced us to Martin Woods winery in Oregon, highly recommending their Pinot Noir. The first we tried was their 2023 Hyland Vineyard from McMinnville. It was a delicious Pinot, light colored in the glass with a delicate nose. Cherry and strawberry fruit, very smooth on the palate, some tea, some cranberry comes out after some time on the glass, and a clean finish.
With that kind of introduction, we went back for their 2022 Bednarik Vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine was also light-bodied, leading with tart cherry and cassis. The texture smoothed out after a few minutes in the glass; there was some cola and some black pepper on the finish. Another excellent Pinot Noir, and both are fairly priced given they are highly rated single-vineyard wines.
We moved to California with a bottle of 2022 Walter Hansel Russian River North Slope Pinot Noir. It had a beautiful nose, with black cherry, spice and leather all nicely balanced. A lot going on but not heavy at all. After a few minutes in the glass, some baking spice and smoky brush start to come through. An excellent California Pinot Noir.
Moving off Pinot Noir, we enjoyed a high-quality Gamay, which is not a grape we often drink. It was the 2025 Domaine Marcel Lapierre Morgon. Morgon is one of the highest-rated crus (like appellations) in the Beaujolais region of France, producing full-bodied wines compared to lighter styles like Beaujolais Nouveau. There was a restrained juiciness to the wine, with cranberry and cherry fruit, and some black tea notes. A nicely different experience, rather expensive and could be hard to find.
Gabriele found a new sparkling favorite in the Chateau de la Durandiere Saumur Brut Rose. It is 100 percent Cabernet Franc, a grape she usually doesn’t enjoy. But here it is very tasty, with strawberry leading the way, with just the right amount of bubbles, not sharp or tart, and with a fresh, clean finish.
We also had some nice meals while in town. One was Nana’s, where we had been back in 2017. I read that the restaurant closed during the pandemic but reopened. It was a nice meal but not as special as we remembered. Our best experience was a place called Little Bull in downtown Durham. The menu is a haute cuisine expression of what the chef Oscar Diaz calls pocho food, the Mexican street food he grew up eating.
It was fantastic, with the octopus, carne asada and the BLT salad – a kind of caprese – being standouts. It was a gorgeous night, and scoring a table on the rooftop deck made it even better. Highly recommend you check it out – or any of these wines – next time you’re in town.
