TNs: Friday Evening Blind Pinots

WINE TALK
1

Blind “Pinots” on a Friday night

2006 Peay Viognier
Creamy tropical fruit with pineapple leanings. There’s a rich dry honeyed attack. Minimal oak. Ripe and voluptuous yet notably adroit. Fine midpalate grip and a decent finish. Clearly from a warm climate, it wears its 14% abv quite respectably. Blind guess of a low oak Cali Chard. The flowers and spice must’ve gotten lost somewhere before/after the crushpad.

2009 JP Brun Terres Dorees Cote de Brouilly
A riper showing than the last few encounters. There’s a bit of apparent sweetness that bordered but didn’t cross over to banana, or possibly bubble gum. Earth, a touch of sous bois and a faint hint of animaux. Overall this was showing somewhat new-worldy with a focus on darker briar berry fruits. Fairly Pinot-like. Enough cleansing acidity. Enjoyable if not quite as inspirational as I’d remembered. Planning on a 2nd day follow-up.

2007 Inman Olivet Grange Pinot Noir
There’s a consistency to Inman’s Olivet PNs. The gentle texture is prominent and always attracts me. That quality makes it all the more challenging to harness the oak and ripeness. The softness continues to entice, but my personal oakaphobia and acidophilia will likely limit future exposures. Is the answer to let these wines age? Planning to experiment with a remaining mini vertical of 05, 06 and 07.

2006 Rhys Alpine Hillside Pinot Noir
Stems. Pleasingly stemmy actually, with a hint of oak not too far beneath. Pretty obviously new world with noticeable wood and appreciable ripe darker pinot fruit. There was something slightly disjointed so decanting was called for. The aeration brought out dark cherries and helped integrate the aromas, still the attack and midpalate were reluctant to cooperate. Loamy topsoil and some mild woodsiness added interest. Decent finish tinged with a faint touch of Mocha. I expected more intensity. Let ‘em sleep and hope father time has better things in store.

2008 Jadot Clos des Ursules Beaune 1er Cru
Really liked this at La Paulee and still do. Bright and more red fruited than some previous vintages. The middle may not “erupt” but it certainly parades an alluringly toned physique. Lively and sappy with fine minerality. Very long finish. The structure started to close in slightly as the evening progressed. Initially accessible tannins slowly became more gritty. For a few hours, this was very much on its game and the #1 WOTN contender. Pinot for purists.

2006 Antica Terra Pinot Noir
Wood and darker Pinot fruit. Quite ripe, full and relatively round. My memories of SQN wines are all about volume and intensity. Not here. This was the Ugly Betty of the table. Californian, which must certainly be a byproduct of the vintage. Very little transparency. AT certainly has their avid fans and there’s nothing “flawed” about it (or any of the evening’s wines). Not what I look for from OR Pinot.

2004 Gerard Raphet Gevrey-Chambertin Combottes 1er Cru
Quick, run-away, Green-Meanies. Well, not so fast (or easy to tell when wrapped in foil). Showing a bit of bricking from the start, the nose offers up mushrooms and mild sous bois. Minerals and earthy notes accompany the lean red fruit. This is among the most feminine, bright, balanced and just plain captivating 04 Burgs I’ve had. A bit more advanced than expected so holding them seems unnecessary. Green on the finish?..wait…NOPE. Green-o-phobes might complain but the blind element removes that preconception. Nice to find exceptions to the 04 blight. As the Ursules slowly clammed up, this just kept going. WOTN.

RT

2

Slumming as usual, I see. [cheers.gif] The Hillside sounds a bit more disjointed than the bottle I had last fall. However, not surprising that it would exhibit mood swings at this stage of its adolescence. The Combottes sounds delightful.

3

Richard,

Curious as to your opinion on the viognier drinking window. Just received my '09s and your note seems to indicate sooner rather than later. I’ll have to try one soon now that it is warm.

Howard

4

Following up:

2009 Joseph Drouhin Morgon
A great big bowl of mixed fruit compote…raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, currants, etc. Certainly on the riper side for Bojo but enough delineation and acidity to satisfy. No noticeable oak. Faint traces of Gamay sauvage. Moderate length. Simple and pleasing. At this stage, what you see is what you get.

2009 JP Brun Terres Dorees Cote de Brouilly
After the Drouhin Morgon, this was surprisingly controlled…in a make the AFWElitist happy kind of way. The riper fruit traits had receded by Day 2, allowing considerable minerality and earth traits to emerge. Fine balance and length. Encouraging to see how much this raised its game.

2008 Jadot Clos des Ursules Beaune 1er Cru
Unlike the Brun, the Ursules tightened up even more on Day 2. The once abundant red fruit continued to fade as the structural components rested control. While the acidity never turned shrill and the tannins never grating, most of the fruit simply slipped out of town. Drink these soon or cellar through the shutdown.

2006 Rhys Alpine Hillside Pinot Noir
Initially, this seemed to retain its oaky character, but as the 2nd evening progressed, a groundswell of ripe fruit rose up. A bit more reddness with a slightly baked character. Traces of the stems remain adding interest and texture. Based on this improvement, patience appears to be the answer.

Howard, the Peay was doing well. Age their Chards if you like but I would encourage opening the Viognier in its youth. The Peay website talks about it being a fresher more energetic style.

RT

5

Great notes Richard thanks.

I’m remembering you wrote a recent, somewhat disappointed note on the 04 Inman. Any thoughts on the progression of the vineyard or the winemaking? I think 04 was only their 2nd year making wine right? I recently dipped into the 06 and 07 and found them more promising, and do have 05 in the cellar as well. But reading your (excellent) notes for the last couple years I clearly have a stronger tolerance for oak, though of course I also dislike what I consider oaky wines, and find lots of them. I do agree that it must be a challenge for Kathleen to make declared ‘feminine’ wines from the heart of the RRV.

At last years IPNC Salmon bake, we ended up sitting w/ Tom Mortimer from Le Cadeau and he generously opened a bottle of the 06 Alpine Hillside. The first small pours were decidely cali-like, dark, jagged, and a bit simple. Leaving the bottle open for 2-3 hours and a stint in the ice bucket (warm evening) I remember it opening up quite a bit and showing promise. I was only allocated 2 bottles which i’ve been sitting on. Don’t know maybe i’ll bring one along this summer for a revisit.

The 06 Antica Terra was a real bruiser to me as well, and even the 07 was bigger than I wanted and had noticable oak sticking out. That was back at the very end of 2009 however, I suppose it could be better integrated now.

6

Jim, 2003 was indeed the first Inman PN IIRC. I’ve had 04 through 07 OVG and a couple of others. I’m not sure what to think about Inman’s progress. The vines must be improving as they pass their 10th year. Hard for me to get past the ripeness and wood, which I’d expect not to be a problem for most CA Pinotphiles. No question that her RRV location is challenging for the style goals, although Copain and Porter Creek are within a few miles and both favor restraint and elegance.

RT

7

I’ve never had a Porter Creek, but my understanding is that Copain sells the ‘estate’ pinot to Kosta Browne.
Don’t think Wells has ever released a pinot from out side the Anderson Valley other than the Clos Pepe he made in 2007.
I own that one but have not tried it yet. Seems to be well reviewed though.

I guess the RRV reference point for me would be Swan, both Trenton Estate and Saralee’s.
But neither are young vineyards.

8

Great wines (see the Berry Crawford TNs from a recent vertical) but that style is definitely more forward, grippy and full, which is probably what RRV is more about. Swan’s Cuvee Trois would be something more akin to what Inman might be looking for. Excellent ligher weight, acid and oak control. Porter Creek’s wines also tend to be a bit more fruited than Inmans. Didn’t realize Copain sourced all his home turf crop to KB…probably picked later than anything in the Anderson Valley. [wink.gif]

RT

9

Nice lineup and notes Richard.
Nice to see a good '04 in there.
I’ve all but given up, but you caught a good one.
Thanks for the early look on Ursules. One I’ve started buying regularly now.

10

Surprised to see you mention Porter Creek. My experience is very limited – only one bottle of 2006 Porter Creek Fiona Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. However, it was a bit big for my preference. Were there specific bottlings that struck your fancy?

11

Greg, I’ve had their Estate and Fiona Hill from a couple of different years including the 06 Fiona. Maybe one or two others. Some were quite nice. None convincing enough to stock up but that’s just an overall style preference. I met winemaker/owner Alex Davis at IPNC two years ago. Very good guy with some firsthand Burg training (Roumier I believe). There was some half joking discussion about how KB sometimes sent people their way when customers were looking for more “restraint”.

RT

12

Thanks. Based on my one data point (admittedly, not a representative sample), I can see how a discussion about restraint would be more that somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

13

Richard,

Zero new oak on the Viognier. 3-6 yr old barrels only. NOT a “warm climate.” Florality eludes us more in some years than in others, due to the lack of sufficient warmth. Sometimes while we’re waiting for the terpenes to develop towards the end of September, the sugar shoots up. I’m speaking only of our Viognier here, behavior not experienced with our Pinot or Syrah.

Had former classmate Jean Louis Chave out here a few years back. When we explained that we picked our Pinot the last week in September/first week in October he exclaimed “but that’s when I pick my Syrah. When do you pick your Syrah?!” (ans.: the last week in October, some years dribbling on into November…)

Nick Peay, Peay Vineyards

14

But when do you pick your favorite grape, namely the Marsanne?

-Al

15

Thanks again for the great evening Rich. My impressions of the wines were similar, for the most part.

I really enjoyed the Viognier, but I tend to like a tad more ripeness than Rich. My TN: Faintly oxidized on night one, but amazingly less so night two. Nose is more Chardonnay than Viognier but still interesting - stony lemons, perhaps a touch of marmelade. Big burst of lemony fruit, pushing towards pineapple tropical flavors. Lip-smacking acidity and a very long finish. Ripe at 14.4%, but not hot…alc remains hidden beneath the fruit and acidity. This bottle drank very well, but if I had any more I’d drink them soon…I’d worry about loss of the lovely freshness. Note to self…must buy more Peay whites…

The JP Brun wasn’t ringing my bell among the admittedly fast company on the table. I thought the wine had some balance issues - lots of very ripe red fruit, perhaps a faint streak of minerally earth, light finish.

I think Rich got short-changed on the Inman, because it really opened up on the second night into more of what I would expect. The red fruit and rose petal characteristics typical to the bottling were strutting their stuff and the oak was smoothed over and glossy. My tolerance of oak is higher than card-carrying member of the Circle of Oak-a-Phobes Mr. Trimpi, [wink.gif] but I definitely found this better balanced after a night of breathing.

I’m happy to hear Rich’s report of improvement with the Rhys, because my impressions from night one were not favorable. I was hoping for more fruit to balance the stems and oak, but it was reticent throughout the session. My TN: Not a great showing at this stage. Conspicuously stemmy, and not showing much fruit. Decanting helped - fruit started to wake up, but at this stage of the game the oak is huge, leading to a very confused/confusing wine. Hopefully another 2 or 3 years will allow the massive structure to better-integrate. Hands off.

The Jadot was a crowd pleaser early-on. Agree with the shutting-down aspect as the night went on, but for a while it was open for business and simply gorgeous. I went out and bought 4 the next day. [highfive.gif]

I was in agreement with Rich on the Rahpet as well - this was my WOTN. There’s a mushy-strawberry, earth-streaked asepct to the fruit profile of this wine that is somewhat singular. There was pleasing acidty, some nice secondary earth and minerally qualitites, and a long, pleasing finish. The bricking should have been an indication that this was a “one-night wine,” and indeed this proved true on the second night. The fruit was gone, and the structure remained: oak, stems, etc. Tinge of green creeping in perhaps? Not nauseating, but still worrisome. I question whether this particular bottle was a bit advanced…I have one more and will move into the short-term queue because of this experience.

Rich also failed to mention my parlor trick of the evening - totally nailed the Raphet blind. [thankyou.gif] Even blind squirrels find nuts once in a while.

16

Greg, Believe it or not the referrals to Porter Creek weren’t tongue & cheek. The differences between KB and Porter Creek are likely more pronounced than you might expect.

Nick, Thanks for chiming in.

Scott, Kudos indeed on nailing the Raphet…fine taste memory. Ofcourse you had slightly more trouble with the Bojo [wink.gif]. I’m not sure most Pinotphiles appreciate how difficult it can be to spot a ripe Cru Beaujolais in a lineup of diverse Pinot styles. Glad the Inman came around.

RT