Nomadic Wines

Pinot Days Tasting - The Best of Anderson Valley

Jon and I picked up tickets last minute for one of the Pinot Days focus tastings - this one was titled, "The Best of Anderson Valley". I am not sure if it was really the best of Anderson Valley but it was definitely an educational tasting. Here are the wines in alphabetical order:

2005 Arista Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir

2004 Bink Wines Weir Vineyard Pinot Noir

2005 Breggo Cellars Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir

2004 Claudia Springs Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir

2005 Dain Savage Juliet Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir

2004 Elke “Donnelly Creek” Pinot Noir

2004 Esterlina Vineyards Pinot Noir

2004 Goldeneye Pinot Noir

2004 Handley Cellars Reserve Pinot Noir

2003 Harmonique “The Noble One” Pinot Noir

2004 Husch Estate Pinot Noir

2005 Navarro Methode a l’ancienne Pinot Noir

2004 Philo Ridge Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

2004 Raye’s Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

2005 Standish Wine Company Mayflower Pinot Noir

This was a really interesting tasting. It didn’t have the big names (other than Goldeneye) and I think I had only tried 2-3 of the wines in the past. It wasn’t about the name recognition or labels because everyone was laid back. In most of the flights, each of the wines had its supporters and it seemed like everyone got a fair shake. The acoustics in the room were poor so I didn’t get much out of the winemakers presenting their wines. Also, they debated the “deep end” versus “shallow end”… but it seemed like many of the winemakers did not believe this was the defining characteristic in the Anderson Valley. Some of the winemakers, including Bob Klindt at my table, thought that clone selection was much more important.

Sitting with a winemaker was a nice touch. Bob provided us with good color commentary and he was very honest with assessments. Most impressively, he was able to pick out both of his wines (blind).

I was impressed with the organization – everything ran on schedule, the wines were poured promptly, good stems for such a large tasting, and the cheese was tasty. There was a Camembert from Rouge et Noir that I especially liked. I was less impressed by the moderator – I appreciated his attempts at comedy, but I don’t think they added much value. On the other hand, his palette was somewhat suspect. I was often confused by his comments on specific wines, finding totally opposite impressions of things like acidity and tannins.

Anyway, I think the Claudia Springs was my favorite of the tasting… or at least the best value. All of the wines in Flight 4 were pretty good, and I thought Flight 3 offered up some great values.


Flight 1 – this flight had much more variation, both in the aromas and the quality
Wine 1 – a little jammy, candied, dried cherry, and roses; the aroma reminds me of pressed grape bins… it also reminded me a little of a blue raspberry icee. This was my 3rd favorite in this flight. Reveal: 2004 Bink Wines Weir Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retail: ~$40.

Wine 2 – darker flavors, this had the sexiest nose of the flight. However, the mid-palate just didn’t follow through – not enough concentration. The moderator said he liked the acidity, but that was what I thought this wine was lacking. To each his own. 4th favorite in this flight. Reveal: 2004 Elke “Donnelly Creek” Pinot Noir. Retails for $30, 200 cases produced.

Wine 3 – richer, dark, gripping, tannins, oak… big, but not jammy
Reveal: 2003 Harmonique “The Noble One” Pinot Noir. Retails for $48, 350 cases produced. Made from 30% Pommard clone, 20% 113, 20% 115, and I forgot what Bob said composed the rest.

Wine 4 – lightest, mushroomy, funky; this wine had deeper acidity and struck me as Burgundian
Reveal: 2004 Philo Ridge Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Retails for $40.


Flight 2
I thought this was the lowest quality flight overall. The big name wine (Goldeneye) did not impress me at all – it seemed muted and shut down… was it recently bottled?
Wine 1 – earthy cherry, some tar, spiciest, strong acidity
Reveal: 2004 Handley Cellars Reserve Pinot Noir. Retails for $52, 350 cases produced. I believe the winemaker said that they only make a reserve in some years, and that this cuvee is made from all Martini clone grapes. It is also an older vineyard.

Wine 2 – this was not a big complex wine, but it had bright cherry and focused fruit/acidity. It was also lighter in color.
Reveal: 2004 Raye’s Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $24, 450 cases produced. This is a blend of 4 clones and the winemaker said it is definitely “deep-end”. This was clearly the group’s favorite.

Wine 3 – my first impression was that this wine was muted and shut down. I wondered inwardly with my pen (instead of actually asking the folks around me)) if the wine had been recently bottled? At this point, the mid-palate seemed watery though the finish was fine.
Reveal: 2004 Goldeneye Pinot Noir. Retails for $54, 6000 cases produced.

Wine 4 – This wine had a bright strawberry nose and very ripe smells. It was so sweet and ripe that I was wondering about VA or reduction. I detected some sulfur and the acidity was not well-integrated (tasted like cranberry’s acidity).
Reveal: 2004 Esterlina Vineyards Pinot Noir. Retails for $40, 800 cases produced.


Flight 3 – this was a really nice flight and I was impressed after hearing the prices – lots of good values! These are wines I would buy if I saw them at retail or was visiting the Anderson Valley.
Wine 1 – deeper character but with good acidity; I liked the dark berry flavors, nice acidity, and mushroomy characteristic.
Reveal: 2004 Claudia Springs Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $28, 300 cases produced. This was a slight group favorite and definitely my favorite.

Wine 2 – like wine #1, this was also deeper, but it had a little less acidity.
Reveal: 2005 Breggo Cellars Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $50, 200 cases produced. This vineyard is far from the ocean and typically ripens early.

Wine 3 – in this flight, this was the lightest Pinot, but the tannins were still palpable. I found that it had good acidity, and yes, it was herbal and minty. My 3rd favorite of the flight – still enjoyed it quite a bit.
Reveal: 2004 Husch Estate Pinot Noir. Retails for $21. The winemaker commented that the more herbal notes came from their use of about 25% whole cluster in 2004.

Wine 4 – deep and earthy, though it had the least acidity. This was my least favorite of the flight, but I think this was just a personal preference.
Reveal: 2005 Navarro Methode a l’ancienne Pinot Noir. Retails for $27, about 5000 cases produced. This wine doesn’t actually get released until October 2007.


Flight 4 – this may have been my favorite flight – all of the wines were structured and had a lot of fruit in their bones. It wasn’t clear whether they would each age, but they were candidates. They each had fruit upfront, but also had a sense of terroir.
Wine 1 – definitely a fruit-forward Pinot - it was flabby initially, but I wrote (after about 10 minutes) that this seems to be coming together, very juicy with very pure cherry fruit. At the end, this turned out to be my 2nd favorite in the flight and it seemed to be getting better in the glass.
Reveal: 2005 Dain Savage Juliet Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $42, just 50 cases produced. Dain used Pommard and Dijon clones in this blend.

Wine 2 – I found a light floral nose, with slightly brighter and redder fruit. It also got better in the glass. Initially, I found this wine to be similar to the first wine in the flight, but it got brighter with time.
Reveal: 2005 Arista Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $54 (Ferrington fruit must be expensive), 100 cases produced. This wine was bottled, unfined and unfiltered.

Wine 3 – I think my nose must have been getting tired/stuffed up because I write that this also had a muted nose. It was somewhat earthy/floral and it had the most acidity in this flight. This was my favorite in the flight.
Reveal: 2005 Standish Wine Company Mayflower Pinot Noir. Retails for $40, 350 cases produced.

Labels: Anderson Valley, blind, Pinot Days, Pinot Noir

posted by nomadfromcincy @ 10:47 PM