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May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

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May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by David M. Bueker » Mon May 02, 2011 10:49 am

Have at it!
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Bill Hooper

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Müller-Catoir Pinot Noir

by Bill Hooper » Mon May 02, 2011 1:16 pm

2009 Müller-Catoir Haardt Spätburgunder Trocken –Pfalz, Germany 13,0% alc.

Müller-Catoir used to make Spätburgunder, gave it up for a couple of years, and are now back at it. They have done Spätburgunder Weißherbst from the young vines in the interim, but this is the first ‘Red’ released in a few years. Being so recently bottled, it is still more than a little closed right now, but I frankly couldn’t resist popping a bottle. What can I say? It’s good. The fruit sways dark to medium red –black cherry, blackberry, elderberry, there is savor and cedary cellar-stave along with a little parsnip and basil. And there is a bit of tannic strength laying in wait.

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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Carl Eppig » Mon May 02, 2011 8:02 pm

2009 Blackstone, Winemaker's Select, California, Pinot Noir; $7.99, Alc 13.5%. Nice swill for lefteover Virginia ham sandwiches on biscuits, and salad.
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Re: Loire Noir

by Bruce K » Tue May 03, 2011 10:27 am

Nana Vins et Cie (Chaussard) 2009 Vin de Table Pinot Noir "You Are So Beautiful." $16.50
I opened this with some trepidation after reading accounts that it was overwhelmingly bretty. Fortunately, that was not the case with this particular bottle, which had delightful aromas -- to my nose, at least -- mixing flowers, garden soil, strawberries and minerals. On the palate, there is light, pleasant strawberry fruit with lots of earth and minerals. This is recognizably Pinot Noir, though in a light, minerally Loire context that I personally love, with refreshing acidity and smooth texture. It makes an excellent match with various cheeses and hummos.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by michael dietrich » Tue May 03, 2011 8:58 pm

I sell wine for a living here in Oregon. The first Pinot I will write about though is from New Zealand. This has been my favorite 10 bottle of Pinot Noir since I first tasted it several years ago. We just got into the 2009 vintage and it is labeled as just South Island.This smells and tastes like Pinot Noir. This tastes as good as many $15-20 bottles I have tasted from numerous areas. I would describe the flavors as more red fruits with nicely balanced acidity as well. This is not terribly complex but at this price is great as an everyday drinker. I believe it is a west coast only available wine at least at this time.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Mark Lipton » Tue May 03, 2011 9:17 pm

2008 Ganevat "Cuvée Julien" Pinot Noir
nose: smoky, red fruit and minerals
palate: firmly acidic and tight, later opening to a plush, restrained Pinot Noir in a crisply acidic frame

Right now, this wine needs a hard decant to show its best, but as it opens it shows great beauty and an almost Burgundian depth, though also showing its roots in the Jura. Although this wine already rocks my world, it'll almost certainly improve for the next few years.

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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Richard Fadeley OLD » Tue May 03, 2011 10:24 pm

The '08 Veranda "Single Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Bio Bio Valley was a standout wine in our Chilean tasting. This is their basic bottling and @ 13.5% was very nice. About $18 which is not cheap, but I think you will find this to be similar to a decent Cote de Nuit village wine, making it a great QPR. I bought another and will try soon to confirm. I found this at Total Wine.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Kyle Hailey » Wed May 04, 2011 1:52 am

bought case of Talbott Kali Hart 2008 around $12
best Pinot for the price currently available that I know of
It's a bit hot as it's high on the alcohol at > 14% but otherwise quite enjoying it
Previous favorite bargain was the 2007 Bogle Pinot at around $11

Speaking of Pinots, I'm a bit puzzled by how acidic general Burgundy Pinot taste to me - it's like unsweetened coolaid. That may be a bit harsh, but so often I find it impossible to taste the "terroir" in Burgundy pinot. I've had a few that have been amazing but in general I find them unapproachable and I think it's mostly the way the wine is made. I've been to Burgundy a number of times and appreciate the best wines but find the extremely rare and painful to find given the general price point and odds of finding winner.
I find the same in Burgundy Chardonnay. Makes me thing of th folks a few years back in Burgundy who were making "wine" with out grapes - just alcohol, tartaric etc

Best
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Tim York » Wed May 04, 2011 5:44 am

Kyle Hailey wrote:
Speaking of Pinots, I'm a bit puzzled by how acidic general Burgundy Pinot taste to me - it's like unsweetened coolaid. That may be a bit harsh, but so often I find it impossible to taste the "terroir" in Burgundy pinot. I've had a few that have been amazing but in general I find them unapproachable and I think it's mostly the way the wine is made. I've been to Burgundy a number of times and appreciate the best wines but find the extremely rare and painful to find given the general price point and odds of finding winner.
I find the same in Burgundy Chardonnay. Makes me thing of th folks a few years back in Burgundy who were making "wine" with out grapes - just alcohol, tartaric etc

Best
Kyle Hailey


Lively/crisp acidity in the fruit is an outstanding feature in varying degrees in most vintages for Burgundies of both colours. So is strong minerality, particularly in the whites. As the wines mature, the acidity becomes less obvious in most cases but contributes to the ethereal balance which the best can achieve. Whether and/or at what ageing point you start liking the results is a matter of taste. I tend not to open 1er cru reds at less than 10 years of age and grand cru even older. Lesser Burgs from, say, the Côte Chalonnaise or Saint-Aubin are often delicious much younger. Reports are that the 2009s are exceptionally approachable young.

Personally I have found a lot of the New World PN and Chard, which come my way, sweetly bland, New Zealand partially excepted. I'll see what I can find this month.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by David M. Bueker » Wed May 04, 2011 9:24 am

Welcome Kyle!

The issue of Burgundy pricing and consistency has been and remnains vexing at best. That said it still stands as the benchmark, though new world verisons often provide better value (though in a totally different style).

Of course the better new world Pinot Noirs are starting to show some serious price creep, at least into the 1er Cru price range.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Howie Hart » Wed May 04, 2011 10:23 am

2006 Bernard Machado Pinot Noir – This bottle was gifted to me by the owner of the winery when I visited McMinnville, OR last year. Deep ruby, cherry, with a touch of smokey bacon on the nose and a full, long finish. I opened it at the Bob Ross Jeebus and liked it a lot, but it was one of probably many excellent wines that may have got lost in the crowd.
Chico - Hey! This Bottle is empty!
Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by David M. Bueker » Wed May 04, 2011 12:42 pm

I had a small pour of the Machado. I thought it was nice, if a bit riper than I prefer.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Hoke » Wed May 04, 2011 12:51 pm

michael dietrich wrote:I sell wine for a living here in Oregon. The first Pinot I will write about though is from New Zealand. This has been my favorite 10 bottle of Pinot Noir since I first tasted it several years ago. We just got into the 2009 vintage and it is labeled as just South Island.This smells and tastes like Pinot Noir. This tastes as good as many $15-20 bottles I have tasted from numerous areas. I would describe the flavors as more red fruits with nicely balanced acidity as well. This is not terribly complex but at this price is great as an everyday drinker. I believe it is a west coast only available wine at least at this time.


Name? (Assuming South Island is the denomination.)
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by David M. Bueker » Thu May 05, 2011 8:08 am

2009 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley)

Opened a bottle of the Anthill regional last night to go along with some grilled chicken. I was immediately struck by the fact that the wine was not ultra clear/bright, but rather a more muted, even slightly cloudy shade of deep red (not blue, black or purple). If I was not already aware of the characteristics of other Anthill Farms wines I might have worried, but this less than clear aspect has come up before. The wine is all about ripe cherries, strawberries, spice and dirt, lots of dirt. I was surprised when I noticed a bit of heat on first sip (the wine is only in the 13% alc range), but after 10 minutes in the glass that completely went away. THe end result was a very food-friendly and also quite tasty on its own Pinot Noir. Perhaps not much of a QPR pick at $34, but I like this as much if not more than numerous village Burgs that go for the same or even more money.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by michael dietrich » Thu May 05, 2011 11:22 am

I can't believe I left out the name. It is Greenstone Point 2009. I belive that besides Marlborough they also source some fruit from Waipara. It sells for $10.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Andrew Bair » Thu May 05, 2011 8:29 pm

2008 Rex Hill Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
From 375 ml bottle. Smoky, dried herbal, and violet nose. Full-bodied, ripe, with moderate tannin and acidity; shows cherry and dark berry flavors mixed with toasty/spicy oak; some charred notes. There is definitely potential in the fruit, but I would prefer if there were less oak.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by John Treder » Thu May 05, 2011 11:46 pm

Davis Bynum, Bynum & Moshin Vineyards PN 2003 (Russian River Valley)

Davis Bynum makes his own wine, there's no doubt about that. I paid 50 bucks for this at the tasting room in November 2006, and I knew at the time that it would need time, and time would tell, one way or the other.
Very good PN! Has the Bynum taste, is mature and has lost the early tannins. A wonderful steak wine, better with food than without. On the positive side of my binary feelings about Bynum.
I had it the first night, when I wrote the note, with grilled bone-in rib steak, baked potato and salad. Two nights later (brats and kraut aren't wine food) I had another chunk of the bottle with a cheeseburger, fully decorated with my usual wine-unfriendly array of condiments - tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, all very gooey and requiring a large bun. If anything, it was better - plenty of oomph to stand up to the burger. Tonight, after I went out to dinner last night, I finished it off with stove-top barbequed chicken, rice and green salad. It was Ok, very palatable, but after 5 days, it had sunk to the ordinary. Actually, I think that's a recommendation!
Net, I'd think it a Great Deal if I had paid, say, $35 for it. As it is, a good value and very good wine. Very Russian River, yet not over-anything and a long, smooth finish with just a hint of your morning toast in it.
This kind of success explains why I kept buying a bottle or two every two or three years, just in hope.

14.5% alcohol 58% Lindley's Knoll (Bynum) 42% Moshin vineyards 296 cases
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri May 06, 2011 10:53 pm

WTN: `07 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection, Marl NZ.

Was offered a glass whilst visiting my fave winestore downtown and was given the remaining half-bottle to take home!! Chilling down a little, I thought this PN had some merits but "rather an easy-drinking style overall" from across the table, my resident in-house PO!

Has some depth of color, cherry and raspberry on the nose. Medium-bodied, some herbal tones on the finish. Off-dry, soft tannins, berry fruits, not too serious a wine but not sure what to compare it with as I am not a big PN drinker!
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Michael Grossman » Fri May 06, 2011 11:15 pm

Cobblestone Pinot Noir, Te Muna, Martinborough, NZ. Inaugural release 2009 now available. $25 and worth every penny. This is as close to an old world Premier Cru Pinot Noir as I have tasted from the New World. New World fruit. Old World style. It's first and only release to date was entered in the prestigious growers competition, Romeo Bragato competition in Bleneim NZ. First it was awarded a gold medal. Then in an incredible Cinderella story it was awarded Chamption Pinot Noir of NZ AND Champion Wine of NZ. An unprecedented achievement. This is an extraordinary PN.

Disclosure: The general manager of Cobblestone is a personal friend. What that means is, if I didn't like his wine he would know it in no uncertain terms and very quickly. :wink:
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by MichaelB » Sat May 07, 2011 12:48 am

Not much on the nose but this is a wine that permits a view of the stem while sipping—not opaque. A little micro-frizzante on opening, but that passed. I expected cherry, but this was wild cherry with some cranberry and something I can only describe as watermelon. Fresh rain?

Acidic, a great match with lamb chops, roasted corn (maize) and asparagus. We've had bad experiences with this exquisite vegetable and red pinot (pass the Gewuerztraminer, dude), but this wine was perfect. Alcohol was 13.5 but not noticeable. It was $30 Garagiste a few years back and I'd buy it again.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by MichaelB » Sat May 07, 2011 12:52 am

Sorry, I left off the subject line-Walnut Block Pinot Noir Marlborough 2006.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Tim York » Sat May 07, 2011 12:22 pm

Most people know that Pinot Noir enters into Champagne (there are even some 100% Blanc de Noirs cuvées). However, it is less well known that the region also produces still reds from PN under the appellation Coteaux Champenois. The best of these can be wonderfully elegant in a lighter style than Burgundy, though in recent years some have been putting on more weight. Lack of awareness of these wines is a little strange given that they have been prized by European gourmets, including French kings, since the 17th century; Bouzy rouge was particularly famous but nowadays others including from Aÿ and Ambonnay are at least their equal. The great Robert Parker is in a state of denial and says in one of his books that the Champagne region only produces sparkling wine!!!?? :evil:

Coteaux Champenois - Ambonnay Rouge - Cuvée des Grands Côtés 1996 – Grand Cru - Egly-Ouriet – Alc. 12%, a still wine made from Pinot Noir old vines and bottled unfiltered. This was a wonderfully elegant and harmonious expression of Pinot Noir and the Champagne terroir. It showed remarkable purity yet complexity of pinot fruit with, in particular, delicious notes of sour cherry, medium/light body, lively acidity, linear shape with great length, gentle structural support for the finish. At the same level as the 1995, with slightly more rigour and class but less sexy charm; 17.5/20++.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by David M. Bueker » Sun May 08, 2011 11:09 am

2006 Alesia Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Ruby red, dusty, red fruit and spice - very well integrated on the palate, easy to drink, and a perfect match with my grilled pepper tuna. 14.1% alcohol, but I didn't notice it one bit.
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Re: May Wine Focus - Beyond Burgundy: World Pinot Noir

by Salil » Sun May 08, 2011 12:19 pm

Tim York wrote:Most people know that Pinot Noir enters into Champagne (there are even some 100% Blanc de Noirs cuvées). However, it is less well known that the region also produces still reds from PN under the appellation Coteaux Champenois. The best of these can be wonderfully elegant in a lighter style than Burgundy, though in recent years some have been putting on more weight. Lack of awareness of these wines is a little strange given that they have been prized by European gourmets, including French kings, since the 17th century; Bouzy rouge was particularly famous but nowadays others including from Aÿ and Ambonnay are at least their equal. The great Robert Parker is in a state of denial and says in one of his books that the Champagne region only produces sparkling wine!!!?? :evil:

Coteaux Champenois - Ambonnay Rouge - Cuvée des Grands Côtés 1996 – Grand Cru - Egly-Ouriet – Alc. 12%, a still wine made from Pinot Noir old vines and bottled unfiltered. This was a wonderfully elegant and harmonious expression of Pinot Noir and the Champagne terroir. It showed remarkable purity yet complexity of pinot fruit with, in particular, delicious notes of sour cherry, medium/light body, lively acidity, linear shape with great length, gentle structural support for the finish. At the same level as the 1995, with slightly more rigour and class but less sexy charm; 17.5/20++.

Lack of awareness isn't the issue - I have had a couple of great bottles of Coteaux Champenois, but they're priced alongside a lot of higher end 1er Cru Burgs. If I can buy Jadot Estournelle St. Jacques or Mugnier Clos de la Marechale for less than the Coteaux Champenois available in these markets, then it's a no brainer.
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