IPNC: the non-Oregon Pinot Noirs

pinot noir

IPNC: the non-Oregon Pinot Noirs

pinot noir ipnc

One of the great things about the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) is the chance to taste a wide range of Pinot Noirs from around the world. I’ve already written up my notes on the Oregon wines; here are my notes on some of the other Pinots on show. I apologise for the fact that the scores seem to bunch so closely, but no one really gets invited to attend this event without making really good wine, and most of these were lovely wines that I’d be happy to sit down and spend an evening with.

France

Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres 2014 Burgundy, France
100% whole bunch, two barrels made. Savoury, focused and pure with a red fruit focus. Juicy and mineral with fine raspberry notes and some juicy red cherries, with good acidity. Linear with a slightly cedary, savoury twist on the finish. 93/100

Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Clos du Roy 2014 Burgundy, France
Smooth and supple with sleek black and red cherry fruit, showing nice finesse and freshness. Has raspberry brightness and a bit of grip. 93/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey Chambertin Clos Prieur 2014 Burgundy, France
Nice definition here with bright, focused black cherry and plum fruit. There’s lovely freshness with some tannin and good acidity. 93/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Domaine Jean Grivot Vosné Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 2014 Burgundy, France
Ripe, sleek berry and cherry fruits with some flesh, but also fine-grained spice and cedar savouriness. Bright finish. Good structure and nice finesse. 93/100

Simone Bize Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses 2008 Burgundy, France
Sweetly fruited with some fine herbal notes and a touch of undergrowth. Sweet cherry and plum fruit with a bit of grip and lovely fine-grained structure. Nice freshness and acidity. Drinking very well now. 93/100

Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitjans 2007 Burgundy, France (from magnum)
Attractive warm aromatics here with some leafy detail. Herbs, spices and a bit of earth with nice cherry and plum fruit. There’s an attractive elegance and some spicy bite. Expressive. 94/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Maison Amboise Beaune 1er Cru Les Tuvilains 2015 Burgundy, France
Lots of clay in the soil. Powerful and direct with sweet floral red and black cherry fruit. Really intense, vivid and primary with firm tannins and a hint of cedar. 93/100

Maison Fougeray de Beauclair Marsannay Saint Jacques 2015 Burgundy, France
From vines planted in 1970. Ripe, sweet and a bit spicy. Nice weight here with linear, spicy cherry and raspberry fruit. Has some freshness. 92/100

Domaine Valentin Zusslin Bollenberg Pinot Noir ‘Harmonie’ 2015 Alsace
This is biodynamic Pinot from limestone/clay soils. Lovely aromatics: sweet red cherries and plums with nice spiciness. Ripe but with lovely definition and fine spiciness. Lovely juicy finish. 94/100

New Zealand

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Prophet’s Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 Central Otago, New Zealand
There’s much less extraction this year, a new direction that Paul Pujol is taking. Beautifully aromatic, this is savoury and textural with spice and minerals, as well as nice red cherry fruit. Good acidity with some raspberry freshness. Nice concentration and grip, yet also silky and fine: this is superb. 95/100

Aurum Cuvée Madeleine Pinot Noir 2012 Central Otago, New Zealand
100% whole bunch. This is sweet, fine and supple with an expessive personality. Lovely floral, herb-tinged sweet cherries with fine spices and herbs. Juicy and fine grained with real finesse. 94/100

Aurum Pinot Noir 2015 Central Otago, New Zealand
There’s a red fruit brightness here. Fresh red cherry fruit with some raspberry. Lovely freshness and detail with a bit of grip on the finish. 93/100

Mount Edward Estate Pinot Noir 2014 Central Otago, New Zealand
Floral and fresh with lovely weight. Fresh black cherry fruit with a bit of structure. Smooth, supple and delicious, 93/100

 

Canada

La Frenz Pinot Noir Reserve 2015 Naramata Bench, Okanagan, Canada
Direct and fresh with nice sweet cherry and plum fruit. Has a nice savouriness. Supple and smoothly textured with a bit of spice on the finish. 90/100

 

California

Byron Kosuge The Habitat Pinot Noir 2014 Sonoma Coast, California
Lovely spicy framing to the well balanced sweet black cherry and plum fruit. Fresh and supple with nice balance, good acidity and appealing tannic structure. 94/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir 2014 Carneros, Sonoma, California
Quite silky and ripe with smooth, fine-grained black fruits. There are hints of ginger and spice, too. Nice weight. 92/100

DuMol Connor Joy Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Sonoma Coast, California
Lush, floral, aromatic cherry fruit nose. Smooth and finely spiced with sweet fruit. Generous but balanced with rich sweet fruit the key here. 92/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Cobb Coastlands Vineyard 2014 Sonoma Coast, California
Fresh, sweet raspberry and cherry fruit nose. Highly perfumed with a compote-like character. Fresh, structured palate with real elegance but also compact, dense raspberry and cherry fruit. Lovely stuff. 95/100

Clos de la Tech Pinot Noir 2012 Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Sweetly aromatic. Ripe, structured and dense with some real grip and hints of pepper. Has richness but also structure. 92/100

Pellegrini Olivet Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Russian River Valley, California
Sweetly aromatic with a touch of greenness and sleek black cherry and plum fruit. The palate is sweet and lush with a bit of damson on the finish. A ripe style. 91/100

Goldeneye Confluence Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Anderson Valley, California
Sweet with a good concentration of lush black cherry and plum fruit. Quite richly textured with lovely depth of fruit. Warmly spiced with fine-grained structure. 92/100

Two Sisters Lindsay’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Santa Rita Hills, California
Sweet, fresh and a bit peppery with attractive cherry and plum fruit and a bit of grip. Sweet but fresh. 92/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Saintsbury Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir 2015 Carneros, Napa, California
This is a cooler site with influences from the San Pablo Bay. Such a pretty, aromatic, sweet cherry fruit nose: really floral. Pure, textural and fine on the palate with real prettiness. Fine red cherries and a lovely delicacy. 95/100

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Domaine de la Côte La Côte 2013 Santa Rita Hills, California (magnum)
Lovely enticing aromatics and sweet, textured fruit with great acid drive. This is dense, compact, and elegant with black and red cherry fruit and a lovely sappy edge. Manages the green so well. Lovely. 94/100

Domaine de la Côte Blooms Field 2012 Santa Rita Hills, California (magnum)
Spicy and lively with some green and herby notes. Very expressive with sweet, supple, spicy cherry and berry fruits. There’s some green stemminess, and the wine is very fresh and expressive, with some richness, too. Very fine. 94/100

See also: notes on 33 Oregon Pinot Noirs

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

1 Comment on IPNC: the non-Oregon Pinot NoirsTagged , , , ,
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

One thought on “IPNC: the non-Oregon Pinot Noirs

Leave a Reply

Back To Top