| Pinot Noir Tasting Report |
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For this month’s tasting report, we tasted five different
Pinot Noirs from arguably the four greatest Pinot Noir
making regions in the world. Two wines from Burgundy-
France, one from New Zealand, one from Oregon and one
from California. With Burgundy heralded as the Holy
Grail of Pinot Noir, we wanted to see if our three wines
from the New World had the right stuff to go head to head
with our two Burgundy Pinot Noirs. As it turns out, it was
an upstart Oregon Pinot Noir from Rex Hill that led the
pack and took away top honors and receiving the first
official “A” level score in our brief history. Oregon shares
the same latitude on the globe as Burgundy, France. Hmm,
could there be a connection there?
As always, we taste these wines "Blind", meaning we hide
the identity of each wine we are tasting from the staff
members. This way we can be completely fair with our
judging. We score our wines on a 100 point scale and then
convert those numbers into a grading system, i.e. A, B+, C-
, etc...
I think it’s safe to say that our tasting panel prefers this
month’s collection of wines over the Pinot Grigio/Gris’s
that we tasted last month. No wine scored poorly this time
around. I personally believed that one of our Burgundy’s,
the “Hospices de Nuits 1999”, was a bit tired (meaning the
wine had past it’s prime or peak and was on the downward
cycle of it’s wine aging life). It had an orangish hue to its
color, which denotes age in a wine. Other than that, the
wines were all solid and quite different from one another.
And without further ado, here are the five wines that we
tasted.
Pinot Noirs from arguably the four greatest Pinot Noir
making regions in the world. Two wines from Burgundy-
France, one from New Zealand, one from Oregon and one
from California. With Burgundy heralded as the Holy
Grail of Pinot Noir, we wanted to see if our three wines
from the New World had the right stuff to go head to head
with our two Burgundy Pinot Noirs. As it turns out, it was
an upstart Oregon Pinot Noir from Rex Hill that led the
pack and took away top honors and receiving the first
official “A” level score in our brief history. Oregon shares
the same latitude on the globe as Burgundy, France. Hmm,
could there be a connection there?
As always, we taste these wines "Blind", meaning we hide
the identity of each wine we are tasting from the staff
members. This way we can be completely fair with our
judging. We score our wines on a 100 point scale and then
convert those numbers into a grading system, i.e. A, B+, C-
, etc...
I think it’s safe to say that our tasting panel prefers this
month’s collection of wines over the Pinot Grigio/Gris’s
that we tasted last month. No wine scored poorly this time
around. I personally believed that one of our Burgundy’s,
the “Hospices de Nuits 1999”, was a bit tired (meaning the
wine had past it’s prime or peak and was on the downward
cycle of it’s wine aging life). It had an orangish hue to its
color, which denotes age in a wine. Other than that, the
wines were all solid and quite different from one another.
And without further ado, here are the five wines that we
tasted.
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| Rex Hill Pinot Noir 2000 – Willamette Valley, Oregon |
| Score A- |
Nose – Very aromatic with big, over the top red fruits like
strawberry and raspberry.
Taste – With its deep reddish purple color, it is a bit unusual
looking for a pinot noir, but it teases you with its lush strawberry
and wild berry flavors. Loads of fruit and a touch sweet on the
finish.
Since this wine is a touch sweet and light on tannins, it would be
ideal with the lighter selections on our Pinot Noir Food List. A
great start to an evening on it’s own or try it with salmon, tuna,
chicken, pork, veal or pasta in light sauces and Swiss or Gouda
cheese.
strawberry and raspberry.
Taste – With its deep reddish purple color, it is a bit unusual
looking for a pinot noir, but it teases you with its lush strawberry
and wild berry flavors. Loads of fruit and a touch sweet on the
finish.
Since this wine is a touch sweet and light on tannins, it would be
ideal with the lighter selections on our Pinot Noir Food List. A
great start to an evening on it’s own or try it with salmon, tuna,
chicken, pork, veal or pasta in light sauces and Swiss or Gouda
cheese.
| From $18.00 to $20.00 |
| Domaine Alain Michelot 1998 Nuits-St.Georges – Aux Chaignots, Burgundy, France |
| Score B+ |
Nose – Complex aromas of earthy mushrooms, bramble and red
berries.
Taste – A real powerhouse with stunning flavors like red and
blackberries, old oak aromas with a solid tannin structure and
plenty of acidity to go around. Followed up with a long, lingering
finish to contemplate over.
I found this to be a very traditional example of Red Burgundy.
The key here is the combination of the earthy flavors and the big
red fruits. Keep in mind it still has plenty of tannins so this would
be ideal for our heavier foods on our list like; beef dishes,
chicken, game or pasta in heavy sauces, and hard cheeses like
Parmigiano or Romano.
berries.
Taste – A real powerhouse with stunning flavors like red and
blackberries, old oak aromas with a solid tannin structure and
plenty of acidity to go around. Followed up with a long, lingering
finish to contemplate over.
I found this to be a very traditional example of Red Burgundy.
The key here is the combination of the earthy flavors and the big
red fruits. Keep in mind it still has plenty of tannins so this would
be ideal for our heavier foods on our list like; beef dishes,
chicken, game or pasta in heavy sauces, and hard cheeses like
Parmigiano or Romano.
| Around $46.00 |
Label Explanation:
Domaine Alain Michelot is the name of the Winery/ Producer of the wine.
1998 was the vintage date or year the wine was made.
Nuits-St. Georges is the village in Burgundy where this wine was made.
Aux Chaignots probably is the specific vineyard this wine was made from or the winemakers name for it.
Burgundy is the region in France this wine comes from.
Domaine Alain Michelot is the name of the Winery/ Producer of the wine.
1998 was the vintage date or year the wine was made.
Nuits-St. Georges is the village in Burgundy where this wine was made.
Aux Chaignots probably is the specific vineyard this wine was made from or the winemakers name for it.
Burgundy is the region in France this wine comes from.
| Bear Boat Pinot Noir 2001 - Russian River Valley, California |
| Score B+ |
Nose – Plush strawberry and earthy vegetation with black
pepper accents.
Taste – Nice, bright and lively acidity with loads of strawberry
and tart cherry flavors followed by a light to medium length
finish.
A perfect complement to a tuna or salmon dish as well as a
lively brisket. Or you could share it with that special someone
without any food at all. Due to its light body and upfront fruity
taste, I would stick to the lighter style foods on our Pinot
Noir/Food Pairing page.
pepper accents.
Taste – Nice, bright and lively acidity with loads of strawberry
and tart cherry flavors followed by a light to medium length
finish.
A perfect complement to a tuna or salmon dish as well as a
lively brisket. Or you could share it with that special someone
without any food at all. Due to its light body and upfront fruity
taste, I would stick to the lighter style foods on our Pinot
Noir/Food Pairing page.
| Between $16.00 and $20.00 |
| Hospices de Nuits 1999 Nuits-St. Georges - Burgundy, France |
| Score B |
Nose – Rustic aromas with burnt toast and dark fruits.
Taste – Sharp and tart blackberries with a firm tannic
structure on a very dry frame and finish. Somewhere in the
middle of it all is a hint of smoke.
This wine was not subtle and should be served with hard
cheeses and dark meats with heavy sauces or stews.
Taste – Sharp and tart blackberries with a firm tannic
structure on a very dry frame and finish. Somewhere in the
middle of it all is a hint of smoke.
This wine was not subtle and should be served with hard
cheeses and dark meats with heavy sauces or stews.
Label Explanation:
Hospices de Nuits is the name of the Winery/Producer.
1999 is the vintage or year the wine was made.
Nuits-St. Georges is the village in Burgundy where this wine
was made.
Burgundy is the region in France where this wine comes from.
Hospices de Nuits is the name of the Winery/Producer.
1999 is the vintage or year the wine was made.
Nuits-St. Georges is the village in Burgundy where this wine
was made.
Burgundy is the region in France where this wine comes from.
| Around $40.00 |
| Brancott's 2002 Pinot Noir - Marlborough, New Zealand |
| Score B- |
Nose – Bright cherry aromas, green vegetation and an
undercurrent of eucalyptus.
Taste – Strong acidity and a thin body that dissolves into sour
cherry flavors with a hint of smoke. Turns neutral on the
finish.
Try it with chicken and vegetable dishes or with any kind of
game meat and anything prepared in a light herb sauce.
undercurrent of eucalyptus.
Taste – Strong acidity and a thin body that dissolves into sour
cherry flavors with a hint of smoke. Turns neutral on the
finish.
Try it with chicken and vegetable dishes or with any kind of
game meat and anything prepared in a light herb sauce.
| Between $10.00 and $12.00 |
