WTN: Lemelson Oregon Pinot Noir vs NZ's Mt Difficulty

Our wine tasting club was scheduled to have a tasting from a major NZ winery who then cancelled at short notice. In the past 30 years of the club this has happened so rarely that we don’t have a practised back up plan. However, one of the committee decided it’d be fun to present a New Zealand versus the Rest of The World.

There was a cricket theme, with all present able to award a ‘run’ for the home team or the visitors after each pair.

The varieties were Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah from the home team NZ against the same variety from another country. The visitors were a Chablis, a Argentine SB, an Oregon PN and an Australian Shiraz and as far as possible, prices were matched.

Lemelson ‘Theas Selection’ Pinot Noir 2005 from Oregon represented the USA, matched against a tough opponent, Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2006 from Central Otago.

All but one of the NZs were closed with a screwcap – and when you’re opening 40 bottles in an evening you really appreciate screwcaps. I was tasked with opening the cork closed bottles before we started and checking for TCA. My initial sniff of the Lemelson made me think I’d opened a Syrah by mistake….


Lemelson ‘Theas Selection’ Pinot Noir 2005 Oregon 13.5%abv
£19

Very dark colour, mint and dark chocolate, ripe & rich, more like a Syrah than PN (which is maybe why I like it), thick and rather syrupy.

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2006 Central Otago
£19.99

This is like a sparer, austere version of the Lemelson, but then there’s an acidic tannic finish and some hot alcohol burn on the finish

My run went to the US, and it scored 39 runs against 16. But this was the only win for the visitors. New Zealand won the match by a close margin

[Jenise]

Fun theme. So if somebody tips their glass, is that an 'over'?

But the Lemelson. I have a bottle in the cellar I eye with suspicion from time to time, because the two Lemelsons I've tasted have been real bruisers just like you describe. I'm holding mine thinking age will be kind to it.

I'm interested in your comment though that the syrah-ness is why you like it. Knowing your love of pinotage, that seems counter intuitive to me. You don't care for pinot noir as a rule?

Jenise: Have you ever been to Lemelson and met Eric? He's quite the character. The Thea's is the least serious and most fruit forward of the Lemelson's to me. A Jerome or Meyer is usually more complex.

I've come to the conclusion that the 2005 Oregon PN's, probably due to the cool fall, will need a little more time lying down than usual and probably decanting. I expect to be drinking my 06's before the 05's.

I'm interested in your comment though that the syrah-ness is why you like it. Knowing your love of pinotage, that seems counter intuitive to me. You don't care for pinot noir as a rule?

Pinot Noir is good in Champagne.

Our wine tasting club was scheduled to have a tasting from a major NZ winery who then cancelled at short notice. In the past 30 years of the club this has happened so rarely that we don’t have a practised back up plan. However, one of the committee decided it’d be fun to present a New Zealand versus the Rest of The World.

There was a cricket theme, with all present able to award a ‘run’ for the home team or the visitors after each pair.

Hmmm, I don't think cricket is a good theme for the Kiwis. They might have to follow on. Perhaps your way is the way they should play all their matches because it doesn't matter how close the margin is, as long as it is a win, which doesn't seem the be the way the current test is going. (Sorry if this is too much cricket lingo for non cricket players).