Visiting boarder Greg Malcolm expressed a wish to check in on some 05 Pinots, excuse enough to gather a table full of interested participants. Slow roasted pork, apple cider reduction, pommes de terre boulangere, and some generous wine contributions from Greg and BB hiatused Scott Christie. On to the Pinots:
Starter
NV John Thomas Acme Wineworks Pinot Noir Rose - Oregon
Last years model. Almost no nose. Soft cherry pit elements start the attack which builds fast. Good midpalate intensity courtesy of the pleasing acidity. Persistent yet gentle Pinot fruit flavor. Fairly short finish. Playful. Quite a nice summer sipping Rose for < $14.
Flight 1
2005 Belle Pente Estate Reserve Pinot Noir - Oregon
A major wave of black cherry fruit presents itself slightly candied. There’s earth, sous bois, good acidity but a slightly heavy shot of oak for my preference. Full mouthfeel and nice length. I’m hoping 2 - 4 years will find this peaking with the structure swallowing up any currently protruding wood.
2005 Domaine les Varoilles Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru - Burgundy
Wines like this are an excellent reason to taste blind. Not a single taster suspected it as being anything other than Cali or OR. A touch of kirsch with appreciable dark berry character, rich with mild meaty undertones. Juicy but somehow not overtly fruity with middle of the pack acidity. Minerality = MIA. Not round, but not far from it. Easy tannins. Some tasters loved its new world persona.
2005 Domaine Jean Tardy Vosne Romanee Les Chaumes 1er Cru - Burgundy
Compared to the Gevrey, this screamed Burgundy. Minerals galore with black tea notes. Some mild floral elements. Very bright, prompting one taster to suggest it was “shrill”. Not to me, absolutely “a point”. The acid propels the wonderfully sappy red cherry fruit. Best intensity and length of the evening. Gentle tannins. Air and time just kept upping its game. Not yet within eyesight of its prime drinking window but still, WOTN. Don’t know very much about Tardy, but this has my attention.
Flight 2
2005 Alesia Falstaff Road Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - California
A touch of VA that quickly disappears. Vanilla. A decent attack of creamy darker cherry fruit. More vanilla on the finish. The wine was unflawed with no brett. Oak alarms blaring. My least favorite of the evening in what was an overall strong grouping. I’ve learned to expect a lot more based on experiences with other Alesia and Rhys bottlings.
2005 Loring Durrell Vyd Pinot Noir - California
Being the only screw cap, it was decanted in to a wrapped and formerly cork sealed bottle. Its anonymity was preserved…until poured. There’s a tell-tale mild horsehair funk on the nose. Having tasted this about a year ago and knowing it was in the lineup (single blind), it was fairly easy to peg. Good fruit intensity with more acidity and finesse than I’d experienced in Loring wines from previous vintages. A touch of earthy interest. Moderate length with an easy finish. Nice wine. It earned a runner-up vote for WOTN.
2005 Cameron Clos Electrique Pinot Noir - Oregon
I keep hearing about how horribly Bretty these can be. Yet another one without a detectable shred. Considering the shear number of Cameron’s I’ve consumed, there’s no easy explanation for not spotting it. Such is the fun of blind tastings. It was clearly new world and fairly Oregon-like. A short double decant eliminated any of the expected Cameron funk. Bramble fruit with a touch of char. Some spice and earth enhances the red and black cherry elements. Decent brightness. Unexpectedly alert and lengthy. Rubbing tannins. My runner-up PN.
Flight 3
2005 Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir - California
High toned nose with some spice and wood. Nice rich dark berry attack. Rich. A bit round. Also a bit simple. Enough acid. Very fruit driven. Easy to guess as California. Solid, but offering less excitement than I’d hoped for my first encounter.
2005 Windy Oaks Diane’s Block Pinot Noir - California
I’d been looking forward to trying a Windy Oaks PN since a recommendation 3 years ago. Ripe and high toned. Cola notes with fairly round fleshy fruit, strawberries and cherries. There’s adequate acidity and some warmth without distracting heat. Very much a Pinot for California-philes.
2005 Jadot Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru - Burgundy
Musty earth and sous bois with some firm acidity. Pleasant fruit attack but 1-d compared to the subtleties of the Tardy. Decent acid and a sappy middle. Pleasing finish. Not showing as well as a few years ago and not quite shut down. Not a particularly hard blind guess as a Burg. Hopefully it will gain complexity but patience seems appropriate.
2005 Arterberry-Maresh Maresh Vyd Pinot Noir - Oregon
Soft. Feminine if not quite elegant, A touch of oak with some earthy character. Red fruited with respectable acidity and fine persistence. I like the direction. You can imagine a truly lovely pinot as this style gets dialed in.
RT
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