Blind Pinot Noir Tasting and Lunch

San Francisco
Tasted Saturday, May 11, 2024 by drwine2001 with 87 views

Introduction

Invitees were told only that the 3 main flights would focus on Pinot, without any other parameters specified. Everyone was encouraged to hazard a guess about New versus Old World origin of each wine, suffice it to say that with rare exceptions, amongst this group of experienced tasters, there was little consensus! I was not blinded, so I recused myself from this humbling exercise.

All of the Pinots were opened but not decanted at the same time in the morning, meaning that the first flight of reds had had about 4 hours of air before they were tasted, while the final flight of six received closer to 6 hours.

Flight 1 - To Start (1 Note)

  • 2014 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Yellow with some green remaining. Fresh citrus and saline notes. Medium weight, excellent glycerine feel. Excellent citrus/acidity/iodine balance, moderately long finish. Probably as good as it's going to get, which is truly excellent Premier Cru level. Refreshing wine with which to start a red wine tasting.

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Flight 2 - Clonal Exploration Courtesy of Patricia Green Cellars (6 Notes)

Flight 3 - Mostly 2022 Walter Scott Single Vineyards (6 Notes)

  • 2020 Domaine Hudelot-Baillet Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

    Most saturated color in the flight, in fact, almost purple. Ripe black and blue fruit aromas with moderate oak. Deep, round, and rich with tremendous volume, lower acidity, and long, substantial tannins to resolve. Big New World style, but wow is this delicious and a lip smacking mouthful.

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  • 2022 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Sojeau Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Medium ruby. Fragrant and stemmy. Medium body, excellent soil base. Tart, chocolatey dark fruit, very good acidity, citric, earthy, roundly tannic. Already delicious, complex, and long, although another 3 to 5 years will be beneficial. Being honest with myself, I would have called this Burgundy blind.

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  • 2022 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Koosah Farm

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Medium ruby. Great fruit and spice aromas. Elegant feel, less wood than the Sojeau. Medium to lighter weight, naturally sweet, rich with ground coffee, excellent citric acidity, tannic finish. Not as fruity in the mouth as the nose suggests, and this finishes dry and penetrating. Outstanding, great potential.

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  • 2022 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Lighter ruby. More menthol and wintergreen here. Medium weight. Flavors dominated by green tones and soil with round fruit very much in the background. Tight, stemmy, tannic, and oaky-totally bound up now and harder to read.

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  • 2022 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Mount Pisgah

    Medium ruby. Mint and blueberry. Medium weight, fluid, pleasing ripe black fruit feel, and a sprinkling of soil. Elegant, some whole cluster signature, dry, serious, more sculpted back end. Really excellent, very complex, and for the future.

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  • 2022 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Witness Tree Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Full ruby. Creosote and fennel. Medium weight. Mostly bitter chocolate (the oak?) with deep, dark, saline fruit underneath. Backward and very tannic. I wouldn’t dare touch this for another 5 to 10 years.

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Flight 4 - Some New World Pairs (6 Notes)

  • 2022 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    Light ruby. Fragrant green tones and mixed berry. Medium+ weight. Lovely density of ripe berry, citrus, and soil with excellent acidity and fine tannins. Supple, balanced, excellent penetration, and yet still holding something in reserve. I liked this.

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  • 2021 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    Ruby. Harsher stem dominant aromas with rose florality and berry as well. Medium body. Stems and tannins dominate, but there is a lot of pretty, dark cherry trying to edge its way in. Moderately tannic, chocolatey finish. Sharper with less pleasing harmony and balance than the younger Cornish Point, and I wonder if it will catch up with more aging.

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  • 2019 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir

    New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

    Light ruby. High toned menthol and stem aromas. Some oak on the nose. Medium weight. Ground coffee, oaky base. Rich dark fruit, citrus, very good acidity, and substantial tannic grip. Quite backward now. Excellent prospects, but patience required.

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  • 2018 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir

    New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

    Light ruby. Beautiful fruit/green aromatic mix. Less stemmy than the 2019. Medium weight, nice sense of richness. Pungent fruit uplifted by green tones. More accessible and flowing than the 2019, but still quite tannic with a good dose of finishing soil. Excellent.

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  • 2016 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Ruby. Forward berry and oak. Faint green notes. Medium to lighter weight. Complex and supple with excellent interplay of stems and dull red fruit. A touch of cola. Overall, lovely, elegant presentation with a finish that is still serious and dry, suggesting further bottle age will herald more resolution and development.

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  • 2015 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Deep ruby. More deeply fruited and concentrated than the 2016, and it shares that cola note. Perfectly ripe red and black fruit, a strong sense of terroir, and tannins that are nicely folded into the mix. Terrific, excellent earth, and it seems much closer to peak than its younger compatriot.

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Flight 5 - Generous Additions (2 Notes)

  • 2018 00 Wines Pinot Noir Hyland

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Ruby. Explosive black and blue fruit on the nose. Wonderful texture, light chocolatey wood foundation. Gorgeously pure, forward mixed fruit with a light thread of soil in the background. Very forthcoming now, but there is some back end tannin which would allow holding this longer. Hard to argue against drinking it now for the succulent fruit. I had never tried a 00 wine and was delighted by this one.

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  • 2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    Light ruby. Mellow, complex nose. Medium- weight. Supple, fluid, wonderful fruit/soil balance, bright orange peel acidity, and moderate remaining tannins. Also delicious-I love the verve and harmony. Should continue at this outstanding level for another decade.

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Flight 6 - Dessert (1 Note)

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