We’re back again with another weekly wine tasting, this time focusing on one of the worlds most famous, highly sought after and fickle grapes; Pinot Noir. What a wine made from Pinot Noir is meant to taste like is a highly debatable topic, although it is fair to say that the bench-mark region is certainly Burgundy in France, specifically the Cote d’Or (If you don’t believe me, watch out for the word “Burgundian” – it’s rife in the wine world). However, within that individual region is a variety of different meso-climates, soil structures, slope aspects, clonal variation, vine age and of course, the vinification process of the winemaker themselves which can lead to a wine being shunned, or a wine selling for the same amount as a new car. Madness, really but incredibly alluring, and of the wines I have tasted so far, no grape has ever captivated me in the same way that Pinot Noir has. It has this incredible ability to convey a sense of place, or what the France would call “Terroir”. It can be ethereal, pale and quietly charming, it can be hedonistic, powerful and intoxicating and it can even be quite firm, tough and inaccessible in youth, slowly shedding its defenses over the years and decades to reveal something quite sensational at its core.
Historically Pinot Noir is one of the oldest known grape varieties, already in cultivation by the time that the Romans arrived in Burgundy around 2000 years ago. It’s known as being a highly unstable grape genetically and as a result, not only are there a wealth of clones to choose from (A clone being a grape descended from the same original mother-vine with differing attributes as a result of clonal selection) but it’s believed that it is responsible for 16 other grape varieties that we know and enjoy today, including Chardonnay, Gamay and Aligote. The clones are particularly important in the final outcome of the wine, with a selection of different clones believed to be a key factor in the success of the top Pinots’ of the world. Some offer lightly coloured, delicated perfumed wines whilst others are powerful, producing darker coloured wines with heavier tannins and riper fruit flavours.
Of course, whilst Burgundy may be the bench-mark region for Pinot Noir, it is also cultivated across the world and our tasting will look at similarly priced wines from 6 different countries including: Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The common theory is that Pinot Noir prefers cooler climates in general, although top quality examples from the Margaret River and California are challenging this concept. Where-ever you decide to grow it, you need to be on your game as Pinot Noir is one of the worlds most challenging grape varieties to grow. It’s an early-ripening variety, sensitive to rot, fungi and minor changes in weather patterns. A slow ripening process in a cool climate works well due to the berries sensitivity to heat, yet at the exact same time it needs a good dose of warmth and sunlight close to harvest in order to fully ripen and leave no ‘green’ flavours in the wine. This infuriating grape therefore needs a careful, skilled hand to coax it to fruition properly and as a result, it has attracted some of the worlds best, bravest and maddest winemakers who are up for the challenge.
Over the course of the tasting we’re going to taste 6 wines made exclusively from Pinot Noir. We’re going to present them as pairs, comparing regions from the Old World vs the New World side-by-side in an attempt to try and identify some sort of stylistic patterns between them. However, most importantly we’re going to get a wonderful group of people together in a room, open up some truly excellent Pinot Noir, eat, drink and make merry! The wines we’ll be tasting are listed below:
Franz Haas Pinot Nero 2013 – Pinot Noir is largely limited to the north of Italy due to the weather conditions; it’s getting quite warm in the south for this delicate grape. A lot of it goes into sparkling wine but the best still wines are being made on the west-facing slopes of Alto-Adige where a long, slow ripening process is facilitated by the protection of the Alps to the North. Franz Haas is a top quality producer in the area, famous for his high altitude plantings and willingness to not make wine if the grapes are not of the right quality. This delicate, racy Pinot is a great way to get us started!
Fist of Fancy 2013 – South Africa is usually a bit hotter than Pinot Noir would traditionally like, but some very good examples are being made across the country, particularly Walker Bay. Swartland, however, is famous for attracting adventurous wine-makers and producing good quality Pinot Noir in an area better known for Rhone varietals is certainly adventurous! Fist of Fancy is a lovely little Pinot Noir with lots of zip and light, fruity flavours.
Enderle & Moll Liaison 2012 – Back to the old world again and this time, to Germany! When most people think of German wines, anything red is usually near the bottom of the list but Germany is actually the worlds 3rd largest producer of Pinot Noir, and in fact it may have originated right on the border of what we know as France and Germany today! The most successful examples come from Baden to the south of the country, which is exactly where we headed for this weeks German Spätburgunder (Germanys name for Pinot Noir). To sum up this tiny estate: “The estate known as Enderle and Moll is really just two guys, a tiny cellar, a basket press, a few hectares of old vines and a hell of a lot of buzz.” Exciting stuff!
Waipara Spings Premo Pinot Noir 2012 – Now across to the other side of the world, to a country that has been defining their very own style of bold, bright and fruit forward Pinot Noir over the last 3 decades; New Zealand. Waipara is a sub-district in the southern island of the country, close to Christchurch, offering a cool, dry climate with long ripening seasons. New Zealand Pinot Noirs have become distinguished by their riper flavours, higher alcohol levels and easy drinking style; Waipara Premo Pinot Noir follows this with a nice lick of oak after 15 months ageing prior to bottling.
Joseph Drouhin Santenay 2013 – Drouhin is a famous producer and negociant in Burgundy, and this wine of his is an excellent value, easy drinking style of Pinot Noir from the village of Santenay, in the Cotes de Beaune. A higher presence of clay in the soil makes for a slightly more powerful, rustic style of Pinot Noir than in other areas in Burgundy, but Drouhin balances this with fresh acidity and wonderful flavours of fresh strawberries and raspberries. A bench-mark wine from a bench-mark region.
Marimar Estate La Masia 2012 – We can’t escape the Spanish influence even as far afield as California! The famous Torres family have had an influence in Sonoma County since 1986, specifically in the Russian River Valley, a cooler area in the region. California has been growing Pinot Noir for a long time but after the popular film “Sideways’ in 2004, the grape gained real commercial appeal. There is a lot of basic, sweet and quite boring Pinot coming from California in order to satisfy this demand but Marimar Estate are producing a well balanced, tasty style without losing any of the Californian influences; sweeter fruit, more obvious oak and a fuller body.
10 wine-lovers, 6 wines, a table full of food and an evening in which to enjoy it in; life isn’t so bad after all! Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and should anyone wish to attend our weekly wine tasting events, the next months tastings will be going out as part of our monthly newsletter on the 1st November. For more information and for updates about events, join us on Meet-up!