Future Pinot tasting
In thinking about the last post about the Pinot dinner, I think it would be interesting to do another similar tasting with higher-end wines. I am thinking that the $50-75 price range would present some really interesting wines. I'd like to try some wines like Loring and Siduri from California, Domaine Drouhin and Domaine Serene from Oregon, etc.
It would even be interesting to dive deep into California to see the differences between appellations like Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Mendocino, Anderson Valley, Santa Barbara, Santa Lucia Highlands, Carneros, Santa Cruz. I think you'd need a series of tastings to really understand the nuances... but it would be an incredible tasting.
Pinot Noir from around the world
I decided to organize this tasting with my Weekday Wine Tasting group. Everyone is an amateur, but eager to learn. I chose the theme of Pinot Noir from various geographic regions for a few reasons:
1) it is a popular wine these days
2) I think terroir does make a difference and Pinot Noir is one of the best examples
When I went out to buy the wines, I realized almost immediately that Pinot Noir is not an inexpensive wine. It was difficult to find wines for less than $20. I expected this for Burgundy but not the rest of the examples. In the end, I realized that because Pinot Noir is a temperamental grape that is hard to grow, the price reflects this challenge.
My goal was to find two wines from each region – Oregon, Burgundy, California, Italy, and New Zealand. My plan was to try one wine from each region and then open the second bottles blind. The objective was to see if the tasters recognized the terroir in the second wine. While I was shopping, I also picked up a Blanc de Noirs champagne and a South African Pinot… the perils of shopping for wine. I won’t mention the other various wines I picked up.
Overall, it was a success. The Burgundian terroir was very clear as was the California jamminess. We could debate whether that California profile is based on winemaking practices or terroir, but it is typical in either case. The Italian Pinot Nero were not very popular – maybe we could find reasonably priced good examples in Italy but it was hard enough to find any Italian PN, period.
Beyond the California and Burgundy, it was hard to differentiate. The Italians were just blah, the second Oregonian wine lacked the earthiness I associate with that region. I think it was easier to differentiate that one when tasted next to the Cali PN. Based on these two examples, the New Zealand PNs haven’t really established a singular style, although I have heard that Central Otago is the place to find the best NZ PNs. If I had a good source, I’d like to taste across the country because I think New Zealand is the land of Pinot opportunity. While doing some research, I found a couple of good websites:
Geoff Kelly’s ReviewsNZ Wine of the WeekA New Zealand Pinot-festAnyway, the results:
The Italian wines were clearly losers. The California Pinots were simple but also the least expensive wines. The two Burgundies represented two different levels – it re-enforced my belief that you get what you pay for in Burgundy. I would buy the Vincent Girardin again. That seemed to be the crowd favorite – this surprised me because non-winos tend to not like the barnyard features… nice surprise. The other two favorites were clearly the Ata Rangi and Hamilton Russell. I think I got a deal on the Ata Rangi – I might go pick up more of that stuff.
Kathryn and I made pizzas to go with the food. I also went to
Formaggio Kitchen to buy cheeses.
Pizzas:
Wild mushroom
Barbeque chicken
Margarita pizza (basil, tomato, mozzarella)
Pork tenderloin with caramelized onions
Bresaola, arugula, shaved Parm, olive oil and lemon
Cheese – I am fortunate (I think) to live a block from a really terrific cheese shop. Once I chose the wines, I stopped by to buy some cheeses that would match up. They recommended:
Toma di Pecora Frabosan
Clacbitou
Twig Farm Goat Wheel
Brie de Meaux
Langres
Blanc de Noirs Champagne :
NV
Gosset Brut Excellence – very nice sparkler – great effervescence and subtlety, it is a concentrated bubbly but not really fruity; I got more minerals out of this. It was interesting to show the group a quality champagne compared to an inexpensive Cava I served them last time.
Oregon (Willamette Valley) Pinots:
2002
Belle Pente Yamhill County – nose filled with strawberry, mouth has feel of light tannins and light red fruit. Generally deemed a “smooth” wine by the tasters, but a strong favorite.
2002
Willamette Valley Vineyards – clean, soft feel in the mouth; the nose is very cherry. Overall, another well-balance wine that didn’t excite people.
Burgundy (Santenay) Pinots:
2002
Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravieres – great barnyard nose with lots of black cherry ; the tannins are integrated into the wine very effectively. This is a rich wine with lots of backbone behind it.
2004
Domaine Mestre Santenay 1er Cru La Comme – a little bit of cherry on the nose, but nothing in the mouth. Earthy feel, but not in a good way. My least favorite wine of the night.
California (Monterey) Pinots:
2004
Castle Rock – very representative of this appellation – straightforward, jammy, tasty. Blast of currant, baked strawberries. Rich, sweet, and full-bodied – this isn’t a complex wine but it is very good for what it is. Group thought it tasted like the Belle Pente but with riper, jammier fruit.
2002
Paraiso – very similar to the Castle Rock – jammy, lots of fruit. Strawberries prevalent. The finish is clear and simple.
Italy (Alto Adige – Sudtirol) Pinots:
2004
J. Hofstatter Mezcan – perfumed, floral nose. Little to no fruit on the mid-palate. This wine was disliked by most people. I’d be interested in trying their higher-end wines.
2001
St. Michael–Eppan Riserva – very red color but the nose is weak; some wild fruit in there, but it isn’t exciting.
New Zealand Pinots:
2002
Ata Rangi (Martinborough) – this really shows why people should be excited about Pinots from New Zealand. Hits you with a big blast of fruit and clear balance in the mid-palate. The fruit profile reminded me of a mixed berry pie. The finish has some spice to it. Not every loved it – it was a little sweeter than the other favorites.
2004
Kim Crawford (Marlborough) – distinctive wild strawberry was clear with a little more red fruit. More elegant than the California PNs, but none of the barnyard from Burgundy. The complexity is there, but it is soft and I don’t think it would improve with age.
South Africa Pinot:
2004
Hamilton Russell (Walker Bay) – similar to the Ata Rangi – lots of fruit with some nice complexity and integrated tannins… definitely younger tasting than the Ata Rangi. The sweet red fruit also showed a little tartness. Also has some of the earthy, forest floor flavors that you can find in Burgundy
