Pinot Noirs

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Pinot Noirs

• October 2006

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Why Pinot noir?

• Minx of a vine Jancis Robinson
• Most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a
  perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a
  punch, that like falling in love, they make the
  blood run hot and the soul wax embarassingly
  poetic Joel Fleischman
• Sex in a glass Madeline Triffon

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Difficult/finicky/tough

• Difficult to grow and deal with winery
• Grape is genetically unstable (200-1000 clones,
  Cabernet Sauvignon only 12)
• Sensitive to frost, humidity. Requires cool
  climates.
• Sensitive to soil composition
• Diseases, birds, thin skin dries out sooner
• Ferments violently, boiling up
• Acetification, loses aroma after bottling.
  Doesnt ages as well as other reds

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What to expect?

• Light to medium body
• Aroma of black cherry, raspberry, currant
• Color much lighter than other reds
• Thin skins of grapes lead to lighter color, body
  and tannins
• Soft, velvety texture
• Reflects Gout de Terroir (flavor of soil) more
  than others, vineyard site selection critical
• Broad range of bouquets, flavors, texture,
  impression can be confusing

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Typical Pinot Noir smell and flavor descriptors
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The grape

• Variety of Vitis vinifera
• Ancient Romans knew about it (1st century AD)!
• Mixed with chardonnay, petit meunier to make
  champagne
• Name pinot suggestive of pine-cone shaped
  clusters
• Mainly grown in
• Burgundy, France
• Oregon, USA
• California, USA
• Champagne, France
• New Zealand

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• Burgundy, France is the most legendary pinot
  noir growing region.
• Particularly, Côte d'Or (Slope of Gold) has
  consistently produced celebrated wines. Vineyards
  slope gently towards east, long sun exposure w/o
  afternoon heat. Soil contains chalk, good
  drainage.
• Original home of pinot noir. Tends not to travel
  well. French Burgundies most expensive and
  limited in production.
• Balance, elegance, fruitiness, oak influence

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2003 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir

• This is a classic expression of Burgundian Pinot
  Noir, with a refined, aromatic nose of ripe red
  berries and toasty, earthy nuances leading into
  an elegant palate of delicately structured
  tannins and a clean finish.
• Côte d'Or and Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
• 16.99

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Home away from home, pinot noir has adapted
well in Williamette Valley in Oregon. Oregon
pinot noirs less flamboyant, less obvious than
California pinot noirs, closest to true
Burgundies.
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2004 Firesteed Pinot Noir

• Elegant, with aromas of sliced strawberries and
  fresh raspberries. Surprisingly rich, with
  flavors of baker's chocolate and freshly roasted
  coffee beans.  Generous mouthfeel with a soft
  finish.
• Oregon
• 14.99

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• In California main regions are
• Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara county)
• Russian River Valley (Sonoma county)
• Carneros (in Sonoma and Napa counties)
• Anderson Valley (Mendocino county)
• Pinnacles (Monterey county)
• Santa Lucia highlands (Monterey county)
• California pinots tend to be aromatic, dense,
  fruity, delectable with strong notes of cherry
  and mild tannins

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2005 Laetitia Pinot Noir

• An elegant mix of black cherry and plum fruit,
  layered with intense floral notes and subtle
  nuances. Balanced and complex, the layers reveal
  flavors of blackberry, cranberry, wild mushroom
  and dusty earth. Plush and velvet textured, this
  stylish Pinot ends with a long memorable finish
• Arroyo Grande Valley, Southern San Luis Obispo
  County, California
• 17.99

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History
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2005 Smoking Loon Pinot Noir

• Brilliant garnet color with seductive rose petal
  green tea aroma. The palate is ripe with heavily
  extracted cherry and strawberry flavors with a
  slight astringency akin to pomegranate seeds.
• Mendocino and Monterey counties, California
• 7.99

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Food pairings
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2005 Beringer Founders Pinot Noir

• Big in varietal expression but with finesse on
  the structure. Layers of fruit flavor with
  subtlety, but with a rich, fleshy backbone of
  black cherry and a seamless, silky finish.
• Napa Valley, California
• 8.99

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Sideways Pinot Noir (and Merlot)

• Jack If they want to drink Merlot, we're
  drinking Merlot. Miles Raymond No, if anyone
  orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any
  fucking Merlot!

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Sideways Pinot Noir

• Miles Raymond it's a hard grape to grow, as you
  know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned,
  temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's
  not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow
  anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected.
  No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You
  know? And in fact it can only grow in these
  really specific, little, tucked away corners of
  the world. And, and only the most patient and
  nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only
  somebody who really takes the time to understand
  Pinot's potential can then coax it into its
  fullest expression
• Post-Sideways, sales went up by 15 (Wine
  Enthusiast), even 45 (AC Nielsen)
• Random movie trivia Miles prizes the 1961 Cheval
  Blanc, made from 66 cabernet franc, 33 merlot
  and 1 malbec, grapes he claims to dislike

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Pop quiz, grand prize!
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2002 Maison Chanson Pinot Noir

• Bright ruby colour with purple nuances. Intense
  aromas of red fruit (starwberry), plums and
  chocolate on a hint of vanilla. Generous,
  complex, this wine develops an outstanding
  aromatic combination of fruit. It is wealthy and
  full flavoured with a beautiful amplitude at the
  finish.
• Côte dBeaune, Burgundy
• 18.00

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2004 Bridgeview Pinot Noir

• This wine has fresh, ripe fruit flavors, showing
  black cherry and raspberry on the palate. A
  nicely structured, rich body with a lasting
  finish.
• Oregon
• 17.95

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2002 Toad Hollow Pinot Noir

• This wine has fresh, ripe fruit flavors, showing
  black cherry and raspberry on the palate. A
  nicely structured, rich body with a lasting
  finishSweet oak was at threshold, seeming
  lightly-toasted and of very high quality. Lean
  and understated in the palate, this is what Id
  call a feminine expression of pinot noir
• Sonoma county, CA
• 16.99

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2003 Toad Hollow Merlot Reserve

• This is a gentle but sinuous noble red wine that
  welcomes most company with a warm generosity of
  taste as well as the versatility of filling many
  sensory needs on many levels This is a wine that
  will cellar and age beautifully for ten to
  fifteen years, but also sports the spontaneity of
  a young thoroughbred raring to run now or to
  carry easily into the next decade.
• Sonoma county, California
• 18.99

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Pinot noir is the new merlot?
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Wines we will taste

• 2003 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir
• 2004 FireSteed Pinot Noir
• 2005 Laetitia Pinot Noir
• 2005 Smoking Loon Pinot Noir
• 2005 Beringer Pinot Noir
• 2002 Maison Chanson Pinot Noir
• 2004 Bridgeview Pinot Noir
• 2002 Toad Hollow Pinot Noir
• 2003 Toad Hollow Merlot Reserve