No idea if these are available in Denmark by my recommendations are:
California
Enfield- Antle Vineyard
Any of the Pinots from Scar of the Sea
Lioco Saveria
Littorai
Oregon
Fully endorse the Eyrie and Thomas recs, especially Eyrie
Big Table Farm
In my opinion, the Lioco Saveria, Littoriai and Eyrie will be the best ones for your tasting.
Joe,
When you figure out what [people will want in four years…get a 900 number!!
Back in the late '90s I represented Saintsbury and ABC in France. We held two tastings in Paris. The second one was blind and Burgundies were mixed in…all the experts got everything ‘wrong’…
So, Hans, if you can find Saintsbury, that is another good choice.
You’re in luck…maybe these people even carry Saintsbury’s Anderson Valley wines
Look for an Oregon Pinot from Resonance. This winery is owned by Jadot and the winemaker is, as I understand it, longtime legendary Jadot winemaker Jacques Lardiere
Thanks Mel! Which of Saintsbury’s vineyards should I be looking for in particular? I see they spand multiple AVA’s. Do they have multiple vineyards also in Anderson Valley? I am only on my cellphone right now and struggle with getting an overview.
Edit: they are found at a small importer, whose price list is from 2015. I have written them and asked what the current selection is. The old one includes these vineyards: Cerise, Stanley Ranch, Toyon Farm and Brown Ranch. Are any of them in Anderson Valley? Thanks!
I can get Au Bon Climat in Denmark. However, by the looks of it, they are based in Santa Barbara and I would thus expect them to show ‘warmer’ than I care for in this particular instance. Is that not the case?
Howard, I can get the 2013. And I am actually contemplating including a 2010 Chapelle-Chambertin from Jadot, so it might be interesting. However, I have very easy access to Elk Cove, so if I am going for some ‘bigger’ boys, this might be my choice. I find Roosevelt and La Boheme Vineyard reasonably elegant (by Elk Cove standards). Is Resonance more Burgundian? Thanks
Joe, thanks for the insight on Anderson Valley!
Marcus, I don’t find them in DK via wine-searcher. Do you remember, who you sold to? Thanks!
Cerise is in AV.
Thanks again Joe. If the list still stands, then I have the option of acquiring a 2009. How was that vintage? And do you (or Mel) believe it wouldn’t fall through? It is not terribly expensive, so I am a little hesitant at including it:o)
Edit: but I might buy it just for my own curiosity and drink it at some other time. I guess that’s what I will do. Thanks for the enabling!
By the way; this is great! Thank you all for the quality feedback!
It seems I can choose Thomas Pinot in both 2013 and 2014. Which should be my choice?
I can only get Eyrie in 2013. Not the Big Table Farm, but I can get the Reserve. That should do the trick hopefully:-)
Hans, sorry but Saintsbury is a pretty big producer making big wines. 2009 was a great vintage overall but allowed for late picking if that was the desired style. Quick research shows well over 14% listed on label, short ferment 10 days on skins, no stems. Allen Meadows notes make me recommend to you not to include at all, ripe, big, will not fit at all.
I’d go with '13 for both Thomas and Eyrie.
Joe,
I don’t think Saintsbury makes ‘big’ wine, but I have no memory of '09 Cerise. Just had their '11 Brown Ranch and it was lovely.
Hans,
Over the past ten years there have been many articles about how certain winemakers have dialed back their alcohol levels. At the end of these articles the writer invariably notes that Calera and ABC have kept to their guns about making lower alcohol wines all along…for 30+ years.
Calera? Really? I have a distinct recollection of a candied raspberry note I didn’t care all that much for. The alcohol might have been low though, I don’t remember. But you have made me curious about ABC. I will make sure to try it.
Is the Brown Ranch from Anderson Valley? Thanks!
Mel stated alchol on the 2009 Cerise label is 14.5, big IMO. Especially given hans flight and purpose of the thread. I cant find the pick date online but my guess is at least a couple weeks later than I just a couple miles away. Ownership has changed at so I cant get exact data thru contacts anymore at Cerise.
The 2011 vintage did not allow longer hang times and many made good wines inspite of themselves, especially if they picked pre rain. The 2014 Saintsbury Donnelley creek(less than a couple mikes away) also lists 14.5%, 5 day cold soak 6 day ferment, harvest Sept 18. I finished picking 8-29 in 2014, and started a few days before that. So yeah I say big when its 3 week later pick date than I and hans is talikg about sneaking one in a flight.
Im the first to pick still wine PN in AV 10 of 11 vintages, even with double pruining since '13. Last year a frosted block(Ferrington) and a missed by 2-3 brix low pick beat me by a couple days.
Hans brown ranch is in carneros, to the south
Can you get any Hirsch? Its great wine and one of the couple others than I growing PN in CA and making on site with wild yeast.
Maybe a couple vintages a decade make for big wines for Calera, which I noted above. Need to do research to avoid those, but it’s worth it.
A quick search shows Brown Ranch to be in Carneros.
I can t speak to every vintage of Cerise but as a general rule Saintsbury does not make big wines,nor did Ici La Bas, but every now and then the vintage dictates what happens…
When I sold Saintsbury in the UK, they won the International Wine Challenge trophy for pinot noir three years in a row…not with ‘big’ wines, I assure you.
I am by no means an expert on US Pinot Noir but have a definite interest. Over the last few years I have had a few Mount Edens and Neely/Varners. These wines seem a lot more interesting then the wines I had when visiting the RRV.
Also Evansham Woods Le Puit Sec is a very impressive wine from Oregon.
There seems to be a lot to love about California and Oregon Pinot Noir but they don
't seem to bring the disappointment an expensive Burgundy can bring.
For me, it’s Ayoub in Dundee OR. I am sold on his Pinots.
I am sure this is very helpful:
http://www.drvino.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Marcassin.pdf ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
The line-up looks great, Hans