60
Top Pinot Noirs
Tasted
at the 2008 International Pinot Noir Celebration
(IPNC)
One
of the many highlight's of this year's IPNC were the two open
tasting sessions, which featured Pinot Noirs from around the world.
Each invited producer poured a single wine (with just a few
exceptions), which made the tastings manageable - with a bit of
application, you could reasonably hope to taste almost everything.
This
was an outdoor tasting, and while it wasn't crowded, there were
quite a few people tasting, so the conditions, while good, weren't
perfect for tasting. I enjoyed most of the wines: as you can see
from my ratings, they're bunched together a bit. This is because the
quality of the wines on tasting was consistently high.
I've
grouped the wines into (1) Oregon and (2) the rest of the world, in
my notes below. [As well as the wines in the tasting, I've included
a few wines from lunch in my notes, as well as a couple from one of
the seminars.]
Oregon
Adelsheim Vineyard Elizabeth Reserve 2006 Willamette
Valley, Oregon
Fresh, quite vivid cherryish fruit is sappy and spicy with nice
structure. Finishes bright. A satisfying savoury style. 90/100
Amalie Robert Pinot Noir ‘Dijon Clones’ 2005
Oregon
Sweet dark chocolate edge to the nicely aromatic dark cherry
fruits. Sweet dark cherry fruit on the palate. Warm and rich with
some spice on the finish. 90/100
Andrew Rich Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
A blend from six different vineyards and five different AVAs.
Savoury spicy nose with nice definition. The palate shows pure but
dense structured fruit. Quite serious with lovely definition, and
could develop nicely. 92/100
Argyll Reserve Pinot Noir 2004 Oregon
Quite elegant with smooth red fruits and a bit of spice. An
elegant, understated style. 92/100
Belle Vallée Grand Cuvée 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Sweet aromatic cherry berry fruit nose is well defined with
sweet oak notes. The palate is fresh and bright with nice red fruit
character. Currently oaky. 88/100
Bethel Heights Casteel Reserve 2006 Oregon
Sweet dark cherry fruit nose with lovely focused aromatic
purity. Palate is vivid with nice structure and focused dark fruits.
Some oak evident. Savoury and intense. 91/100
Bethel Heights Flat Block Reserve 2006 Oregon
Fresh aromatic sweet red cherry fruit nose. Very attractive:
light and pure. The palate is fresh and elegant with lovely smooth
focused red fruits. A really elegant expression of Pinot Noir.
93/100
Boedecker Cellars Stewart Pinot Noir 2005 Willamette
Valley, Oregon
Fresh, chocolatey, spicy dark cherry nose. The palate is focused
and elegant with a nice combination of ripe, smooth fruit and some
oak. A stylish effort. 91/100
Brick House Pinot Noir 2003 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Really aromatic herbal spicy nose with sweet damson fruit. The
palate is fresh and expressive with a nice herbal edge and some good
tannins, as well as sweet red fruits. 92/100
Broadley Vineyards Marcile Lorraine Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette
Valley, Oregon
Vibrant, forward aromatic nose of dark cherries and spice. Rich
but still fresh. The palate is sweetly fruited with nice density and
spicy oak supporting the fruit. Structured wine that needs time.
92/100
Brooks Janus Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Vivid and intense on the nose with sweet dark fruits. The palate
is rich with quite a bit of oak and sweet, ripe dark fruit. A rich
style, although it still has good focus and may age well. 89/100
Cardwell Hill Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Very attractive, pure elegant dark cherry fruit on the nose. The
palate is smooth and rich with nicely focused sweet fruit. Good
concentration. This is a rich wine that finishes spicy. 92/100
Chehalem Pinot Noir Reserve 2006 Oregon
Sweet, pure aromatics. The palate is super-elegant with sweet
red berry and cherry fruit. Expressive and complex with some spicy
structure. Lovely stuff with great purity. 94/100
Coehlo Winery of Amity Pinot Noir 2005 Oregon
Lighter coloured. The nose is sweet, open and elegant with red
fruits to the fore. Supple palate has a nice sappy edge to the red
berry and cherry fruit. An attractive lighter-styled Pinot. 90/100
Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Stylish and elegant with red fruits supported by spicy
structure. Quite dense with good length. 92/100
Elk Cove Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 Oregon
Smooth, sweet lush and pure on the nose with rich dark fruits.
The palate is focused and fresh with a hint of mint. Sweet and dark
with lovely density. 91/100
Lemelson Vineyards Stermer Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
Oregon
One of six vineyards that Lemelson farm organically. Deep
coloured. Sweet, forward attractive dark fruits nose with spicy
definition. The palate is sweet and dark with lovely forward fruit.
Finishes nicely spicy and dense with good structure. 91/100
Maysara
‘Delara’ Pinot Noir 2006 Oregon
Aromatic bright red fruits nose. Dense fruit-driven palate is
quite pure with ripeness and elegance. Nice weight here. 90/100
Panther Creek Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard 2006
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Full, bright, aromatic and fresh with a nice spiciness on the
nose. The palate is quite dense and spicy with a subtle tarry edge
to the fruit. Finishes spicy. 90/100
Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Croft Vineyard 2006 Oregon
Dense red fruit nose is quite spicy and earthy. The palate is
savoury but with nice elegance as well as a hint of earthiness.
Finishes spicy. Distinctive but satisfying. 91/100
Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Ama Vineyard 2006
Oregon
Spicy roast coffee nose. The palate is supple and ripe with some
elegance and sweet but nicely defined fruit. Delicious. 90/100
Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette
Valley, Oregon
Sweet, aromatic cherry and berry fruit nose. The palate is
supple and elegant with some subtle green freshness to the ripe pure
fruit. Stylish. 92/100
Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Sweet, pure, perfumed nose. The palate is concentrated and pure
with lovely presence. Intense, sweet and pure with nice subtly spicy
structure. Real length and presence here. 93/100
Domaine Serene Two Barrels Pinot Noir 2005 Oregon
Smooth, lush and pure with lovely elegant sweet red fruits
supported by oak. Lovely concentration and focus here: a really
stylish wine. 93/100
Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée
2005 Dundee Hills, Orgeon
Elegant, pure aromatic dark fruits on the nose with hints of
tobacco and earth. Alluring and elegant. The palate is pure with
dark cherry fruits. Elegant and profound. 94/100
Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée
2005 Dundee Hills, Oregon
Smooth and quite elegant with focused cherry fruit nose and some
oak. The palate is very expressive with good acid and lively red
fruits. Very stylish. 92/100
Solena Cellars Pinot Noir 2006 Oregon
Fresh, bright, focused berry fruit nose. The palate is sweet but
focused with nice supple elegant fruit and finishes with nice
spiciness. A lovely wine. 92/100
Stoller Pinot Noir 2005 Dundee Hills, Oregon
Aromatic, fresh, sappy dark cherry nose. Lovely sweet focused
cherry fruit on the palate, with a bright, fresh quality and a bit
of spicy structure. Elegant. 91/100
Westrey Pinot Noir Oracle Valley 2006 Dundee Hills,
Oregon
Really fresh, focused nose with red fruits and some herbiness.
The palate is fresh, bright and pure with lovely spicy focus. Good
structure here. Nicely savoury but still quite elegant. 92/100
Willamatte Valley Vineyards Tualatin Estate Pinot
Noir 2006 Oregon
Slightly candied, confected sweet red fruits nose. Quite pure.
The palate is supple, pure and quite elegant with sweet fruit and
some structure. Nice purity. 91/100
Witness Tree Vintage Select Pinot Noir 2006
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Beautiful aromatics here: sweet, slightly green, pure fruit. The
palate has lovely purity of fruit and some elegance. Lighter and
more expressive, but still ripe and sweet. 93/100
Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir 2006 Willamette Valley,
Oregon
Open, slightly oxidative nose. Sweet, open palate. 85/100
Yamhill Valley Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir 2006
Oregon
Sweet pure nose of red berry fruits. The palate is quite dense
with a savoury edge and nice tannic structure. Finishes a little
earthy. Nice savoury style. 90/100
The
rest of the world
Addamo
Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 2006 Santa Maria Valley, California
Vibrant, bright cherry fruit with a herby edge. Fresh, sappy
palate with sweet fruit and a subtle greenness. 89/100
Domaine
Ardhury Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2006 Burgundy
Focused, bright red berry fruit on the nose, with gentle
spiciness. The palate is slightly earthy and dusty with bright,
structured red fruits and lovely tannins. Great focus. 92/100
Au Bon Climat 30th Vintage Selection Pinot Noir 2005
Santa Maria Valley, California
Three barrels made from a north-facing vineyard at 1000 ft
elevation, with 777 clone. Lovely fresh, vivid aromatic nose with
beautifully expressive red berry fruit and a bit of spice. The
palate is vivid and expressive with nice cherry freshness and good
acidity. 92/100
Bay of Fires Pinot Noir 2006 Tasmania, Australia
Ripe, aromatic nose with spicy woody notes and fresh berry
fruit. The palate is dense and spicy with lovely presence and
freshness. Ripe but balanced. 91/100
Bindi Wines Original Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
Australia
Quite rich with a bright, almost gingery edge as well as bright
cherry and raspberry fruit. Good acidity and nice spiciness. A rich
style, but by Aussie standards this is quite delicate. 90/100
Blue Mountain Reserve Pinot Noir 2005 Okanagan
Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Temperatures here can hit 40 C in summer and -20 C in winter.
It’s more-or-less a desert with just 300 mm rain annually, so
irrigation is necessary. This comes from a 31 ha vineyard. Fresh,
focused dark cherry nose with some wood. The palate is quite dense
and savoury with good acidity and a hint of earthiness. A
fruit-driven style with real promise. 90/100
Maison
Champy Beaune 1er Cru Champs Pimont 2005 Burgundy, France
Spicy dark nose with a hint of greenness. The palate is vivid
and dense with good structure. An earthy, spicy edge here. Youthful,
with potential. 88/100
Domaine
Chevalier Ladoix 1er Cru Les Corvées 2005 Burgundy, France
Focused, spicy, red fruits nose with quite a bit of toasty oak.
The palate is fresh with earthy, spicy density. 88/100
Château
de Chorey Beaune Les Teurons 1er Cru 2005 Burgundy, France
Sweet, sappy, spicy nose is quite unusual. The palate is a
little earthy with nice spicy focus. Finishes spicy and earthy.
Brettanomyces here? Not easy to rate this.
Cobb
Pinot Noir 2006 Sonoma County, California
Sweet, open elegant nose with some herby notes under the sweet
red fruits. The palate is fresh and light with a bit of sappiness
and a nice spicy finish. 87/100
Etude
Temblor Pinot Noir 2005 Carneros, Napa
Fresh bright focused red berry fruits. Quite sweet with some oak
and good structure, as well as nice acidity. A stylish, rather
structured Pinot Noir that may age nicely. 92/100
Felton
Road Pinot Noir 2007 Central Otago, New Zealand
Sweet, forward dark cherry fruit nose. The palate has lovely
vibrant fresh dark fruit and good acidity and focus. Lovely fruit
quality here: bold and vibrant. 93/100
Felton
Road Block 3 Pinot Noir 2006 Central Otago
Elegant, pure cherry fruit nose. Nice concentration on the
palate, which is savoury with spicy structure and nice length (30%
whole cluster used here). Stylish with potential for further
development. 92/100
Littorai
Mays Canyon Pinot Noir 2006 Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Sweet aromatic nose. The palate is focused and fresh with nice
definition to the expressive cherryish fruit. There is lovely
structure and good acidity too – a well balanced, complex Pinot
Noir. 93/100
Littorai
Haven Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 Sonoma Coast
Very fresh cherry and herb nose with some attractive green notes
plus hints of tar. The palate is warm with rounded, spicy character
and a lovely expressive personality. Needs some time to integrate
properly. 92/100
Fred
Loimer Pinot Noir Dechant 2006 Austria
Very fresh and bright with supple, bright cherry fruit. A
lighter style that’s quite fresh and attractive. 89/100
Jean
Marc Millot Côtes de Nuits Aux Falques 2006 Burgundy
Sweet, slightly caramelly red fruits nose. The palate is fruity
and bright with nice concentration. 87/100
Domaine
Albert Morot Beaune Bressaudes 1er Cru 2006 Burgundy
Bright, fresh, focused red fruits nose. The palate is fresh with
defined bright fruit, good acid and a bit of structure. A savoury
style. 91/100
Philippe Pacalet
Philippe
Pacalet Pommard 1er Cru 2006 Burgundy
Beautifully aromatic and fresh with open cherry fruit nose.
Great aromatic purity. The palate is pure and bright with lovely
elegance and a hint of earthy complexity on the finish. Lovely wine.
It’s made without any sulfur dioxide, except for a bit before
bottling, and is 100% whole cluster. 93/100
Pegasus
Bay Pinot Noir 2006 Waipara, New Zealand
Dense, fresh and spicy with nice expressive cherry fruit.
Savoury and focused with a bit of earthiness and good acidity.
Delicious. 92/100
Siduri Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 Santa Lucia
Highlands, California
Nicely focused sweet cherryish fruit with lovely complexity.
Delicious and forward. The palats is expressive with some earthy
structure under the sweet complex fruit. 93/100
Siduri Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 Sonoma
Coast, California
Aromatic sweet pure nose. The palate is dense with sweet fruit
but lovely balance and elegance. There’s subtle sappiness and a
spicy finish. Lovelt. 93/100
Siduri Clos Pepe Vinyard Pinot Noir 2006 Santa Rita
Hills, California
Focused aromatics of sweet pure red fruits. The palate is supple
and pure with nice focus and some spicy structure. Lovely focus to
this wine. 92/100
Robert
Sinskey Vineyards Pinot Noir 2005 Carneros, Napa
Quite rich and dense. Focused and rich with bold fruit and a
spicy finish. A dense, full style of Pinot Noir that’s intense and
spicy. 91/100
Robert
Sinskey Vineyards Three Amigos Pinot Noir 2005 Carneros, Napa
Aromatic and quite rich with spiciness on the nose. The palate
is expressive with a herby edge and lots of savoury spiciness.
Slightly medicinal edge and some hints of mint – a distinctive
wine. 91/100
Whetstone
Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Bella Vigna Vineyard 2006 Sonoma County,
California
Sweet, ripe, pure and aromatic. The palate has lovely purity
with fresh, sweet fruit. Really delicious with sweet fruit and a
plummy bite. 91/100
See also:
Wines tasted 07/08
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