You’ve heard me hold forth on the theory that some really good wines are available at really good prices. More specifically, I often expound on the relative ease of finding decent wines that are also inexpensive. For the most part, all it takes to find good wines on the cheap is a mild sense of adventure and a very basic understanding of your own tastes coupled with a willingness to fail from time to time. Of course, for most people, it’s a learning procedure that becomes easier and less failure-prone with experience.

But what about really good wine? Really good expensive wine? Whether it be a special occasion or even just a basic get-together with good friends, there should always be a place at your table for an exceptional wine with a correspondingly high price tag ­ even if it only actually happens rarely. If you’re like me, the demands of family life prevent you from purchasing top-shelf wine for daily drinking. Still, I am certain that there will come occasions where I’ll want a special wine in honor of some special event.

To put it succinctly ­— decent-but-cheap wines aside for the moment — there are also some spectacular wines out there that are worth every penny of their lofty price tags. Such wines may provide an alluring complexity paired with a richly mellow smoothness that reminds us that all winemakers are not created equal. Which brings us to today’s wine, the Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard, from Oregon’s nearby Willamette Valley. This superb Pinot is a limited production wine with a price somewhat higher than lesser wines.

The Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard pours forth an inky purple, more suggestive of a Cabernet Sauvignon than a classic Pinot Noir. Nonetheless, this black depths of this glass only hint of the layered complexity to come. This sultry seductress proffers a forward floral nose consisting of shade flowers, apples and licorice. More subtly, ribbons of pepper, caramel and even a shred of jalapeno give way to tobacco and chocolate as the wine gently blooms with airing.

On the tongue, the Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard presents a full-bodied yet highly nuanced version of the nose, offering multi-layered fruit — brooding fruit, the winemakers say — and complex notes of barrel spice, anise and tobacco. The expansive mid-palate reveals blackberry, dark cherry and some raspberry which lead to the wine’s crescendo, just before the finish. Marked tannic structure elevates the acidity of the Freedom Hill Pinot and introduces a spicy finish that lingers but is never insistent. Tinged with lemongrass and thistle, the finish is long and languid yet eminently polite.
Pair the Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard with lamb or duck. More daring souls may find this wine accompanies Greek food or even Creole with aplomb. A bit warmer than I’d normally recommend, the exceptional smoothness of this wine calls for a pouring temperature of 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard is a remarkable wine that retails for $60 per 750ml bottle. Only 400 cases were produced so availability is limited. Your best bet would be to contact www.langewinery.com to order or to find an appropriate merchant near you. Don’t let the price scare you off — this wine is worth every cent. If you have an upcoming special event or want to give a really great gift, the Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard might just be perfect.

It is easy to forget that there are truly great wines available when one’s attention is focused on finding a merely decent wine for a merely decent price. The Lange Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard is a poignant reminder that life is simply too short to drink only cheap wines.

Matt Meador is a big guy who likes big fun and big wines.