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November 09, 2005 - Top Shelf Pinot Noir

Bannockburn 1999 Geelong $38.00
This Australian Pinot is from a region down near Melbourne in Victoria, which is a great place to grow Pinot as it sees warm days and very cool nights. Pale garnet in the glass with slight variation, this sports nuanced aromas of strawberry, ripe rhubarb, burnt brown sugar and violets. On the palate it's super smooth and complex, belying its age. The flavors echo the aromas with additional notes of vanilla and coffee. The tannins are soft and silky and linger gracefully on the finish.

Seresin Estate 2001 Marlborough $47.00
This wine seemed very young to me. It's a deep garnet, almost ruby color with little variation and on the nose, boasts spicy red cherry, raspberry and violets. The flavors are extremely ripe and wound-up, with notes of red raspberry and strawberry jam. The tannins are fairly firm and offset by mouthwatering acidity. My conclusion was that this wine was not ready to drink, even though many in the crowd loved it. I would allow it some time in the decanter.

Cosentino 2001 Russian River $32.00
I had this earlier this year with a rep from the winery and it was gorgeous then, and tonight, it again showed beautifully. Medium garnet with little variation, this is textbook Cosentino wine, with super-ripe jammy aromatics of stewed strawberry, spice, violets and vanilla. On the palate it's very smooth and juicy, with notes of strawberry, red raspberry and toast with soft, velvety tannins. This proved to be the most popular wine of the night and was the most ordered.

Chezeaux 2001 Vosne Romanee $45.00
The first of two Burgundies, this was pale ruby with slight variation and demonstrated the typical earthiness of its terroir, which perplexed several in the crowd, leading to a discussion of "funk." Old World Pinot Noir is typically grown in cool climate regions and will exhibit much less immediate fruit and much more earth notes, which can often be described as funky, meaty, gamey or even “barnyardy”. This had nuanced aromas of roasted berries, strawberry, violet and notes of mineral and wet earth. On the palate it's complex with dark berry, cranberry, toast and spice. It's discernibly drier than the other wines and displays moderate tannins. I think it's drinking fairly well right now, although it could be decanted for optimal drinking. Definitely a food wine, this would pair beautifully with seared venison with cranberry reduction.

Gaunoux 1999 Pommard Premier Cru "Les Epoenots" $73.00
I was really worried about this wine when I opened it at 6:15 because it was really closed down and not showing much at all. Two hours later it had evolved nicely and showed elegantly and I thought was as lovely as anything of the night. Medium garnet with slight variation, it sported pretty aromatics of wet earth, stewed strawberry, baked rhubarb and spicy toast. On the palate it was dry with lithe tannins and similar notes as the aromas, with an additional streak of mineral and cherry. Having the two Burgundies next to each other in the midst of all the ripe New World Pinots was highly instructive to all, myself included, and the next wine also continued the mystery of Pinot Noir.

Domaine Serene 2002 "Evanstad Vineyard" $54.00
Clearly the show-stopper, this is arguably one of the top Pinot Noirs in the world. Medium garnet with little variation, this was super big and ripe with aromas of rich strawberry, violets, spice, vanilla and toasted brown sugar. On the palate it was way yum, with medium acidity, supple tannins and notes of grilled strawberries, cinnamon-sugar toast and a touch of tar. Many in the crowd concluded that this was the best Pinot they'd ever had. I think it could age for at least a decade if not more, although it's drinking pretty well right now, at least after two plus hours of being open.

Pinot Noir lives up to its elusive reputation as the most idiosyncratic of all grapes, and in turn one of the most coveted. It's often a disappointing varietal to experiment with as it can be fickle and thin tasting, especially in lower price brackets. Tonight was a memorable tasting as all the wines offered something different yet equally satisfying.

*All of the wines we taste, no matter what night we tried them…even if it was over a year ago…are available either on our shelf or to special order. We are always very happy to special order a bottle of anything you’re looking for. If you are interested in trying some of these, please email or call us anytime and we will include it on our next order – almost always delivered within two to three days!
 
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