WTN: Pinot Noir Around the World

Like many people, I love good Pinot Noir. So, I jump at the chance to taste it, which is why I signed up for this Pinot Noir Around the World tasting at our local wine shop. It featured 6 wines from various growing regions in the world, ranging in price from $22 to $42. In the end, I thought only two of these wines were worth buying.

2005 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, CA ($23)
Apparently, this is the entry-level Pinot from this winery, and it came across quite favorably. It started with that lovely Pinot aroma, and then delivered a smooth and lush tasting experience on the palate; fruit forward, but not obnoxiously so. The acid was in balance, and it had a very nice lingering finish. All in all, it was a very good wine for the price. 13% ABV

2003 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand ($33)
This wine delivered less aroma and less fruit than the CA wine above, but it did have an interesting bit of spice to make the taste rather interesting. Unfortunately, this is a Jekyll & Hyde wine … it has a very soft mouth feel, which sets you up for the high alcohol burn. 14.5% ABV

2005 Soter North Valley Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley OR ($39)
This wine has a beautiful aroma to go along with its bright fruit flavors, and it has some noticeable tannin on the finish. Unfortunately, it also delivers a definite sensation of tartness on the finish; it should not be there, particularly at this price point. 13.6% ABV

2003 Castel Sallegg Pinot Nero Riserva, Alto Adige, Italy ($22)
The aroma of this wine sets you up for a fall, because it smells captivating. Unfortunately, the wine is harshly acidic, and was only tamed by eating some cheese immediately before tasting.

2002 Bodega Salentein Pinot Noir Reserve, Mendoza, Argentina ($32)
The aroma is a mixture of darker fruit, vanilla and oak spice with a bit of earth. The fruit flavors are intensely overdone, and the alcohol level is too high. This might be a result of their high altitude vineyard (over 4250 feet). 14.5% ABV

2004 Dom. Rodolphe Demougeot, Savigny-Les-Beaune, 1er Cr, ‘Les Peuillets’ ($42)
This wine has wonderful aromas of fruits, earth and minerals. The structure is lovely, with slightly elevated acid to make this very food friendly. This was clearly the standout wine of the evening, and it sold out quickly. 13% ABV

From my perspective, the Au Bon Climat and the Demougeot Beaune were the wines to buy. The ABC delivered a very nice wine at a fair price. The Beaune had true terroir character and no obvious flaws, and it was deserving of its higher price. The others were all flawed in one way or another and/or overpriced for the quality they delivered.

-- Clark

2003 Castel Sallegg Pinot Nero Riserva, Alto Adige, Italy ($22)
The aroma of this wine sets you up for a fall, because it smells captivating. Unfortunately, the wine is harshly acidic, and was only tamed by eating some cheese immediately before tasting.

Harshly acidic is something I don't see often in notes on European 2003s. It sounds as if they tried to acidify and got it horribly wrong?

2003 Castel Sallegg Pinot Nero Riserva, Alto Adige, Italy ($22)
The aroma of this wine sets you up for a fall, because it smells captivating. Unfortunately, the wine is harshly acidic, and was only tamed by eating some cheese immediately before tasting.

Harshly acidic is something I don't see often in notes on European 2003s. It sounds as if they tried to acidify and got it horribly wrong?

I was also wondering what the body was like on the wine?

Was it thin and acidic, or clunky with disjointed acid?

Thank you Clark for those wonderful notes.

I have been looking at Pinots from different countries and have been wondering about them. These WTNs helped me out a lot.

I was also wondering what the body was like on the wine?

Was it thin and acidic, or clunky with disjointed acid?

The Castel Sallegg Pinot Nero was a lighter bodied wine. -- Clark

Clark-- for a more "old world" version of Pinot from Mendoza, I suggest you stay on the look out for the new PN that Rolland will release later this year. Ive yet to taste it myself, but my Clos de los Siete rep and I discussed the wine last week and from what he tells me it seems that it will be like no other Pinot from these latitudes. The wine is called MariFlor.

Thanks for the tip, Alejandro. I will look for the opportunity to taste that wine when it makes it up to these northern latitudes.

-- Clark

My pleasure.... as far as I know, all exports will go to the USA, France and the UK. Hence, your source for Clos de los Siete should be able to procure you some bottles.