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It was heaven for Pinot Noir fans: Producers from the west coast and a few representatives from around the world came together in Shell Beach to pour their newest releases. For redwinebuzz.com, it was an opportunity to gauge Central Coast Pinot Noir against a greater spectrum of wine.
The grape and the buzz.
Long admired before "Sideways", the noble Burgundian grape can make beautiful and complex wines when circumstances are favorable. It is delicate and light bodied with a soft texture. The aromas and flavors are as distinct and identifiable as they are complex and varied. Common fruit aromas are: cherry, raspberry, ripe tomato and strawberry. It can express floral notes or rose or violet. Spice is also a big element of Pinot Noir: cardamom, caraway, cinnamon, cola, clove, nutmeg, pepper, rosemary and sassafras. Some describe a peppermint quality. It can also show herbal aromas and flavors: beet, black olive, green tomato, green tea, oregano and rhubarb. More earthy elements found in Pinot Noir are earth (moist earth), barnyard, mushroom and truffle. In addition leather and meat (raw or grilled) can be expressed.
Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties to be vinified. With 46 identified clones in France and worldwide estimates ranging from 200 to 1000 clones, Pinot Noir has a broad range of expression dependent as much on clonal selection as on terroir. The tiny Côte d'Or region in Burgundy, France has been the benchmark for Pinot Noir for centuries. It is believed that the east-facing slopes of Burgundy make for optimal sun exposure without excessive heat and the chalky, well draining soils retain heat – all of which assist in ripening. Pinot Noir also does well in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and in New Zealand. In California, it does well in Carneros and the Russian River Valley regions of the Sonoma AVA in the north. In the Central Coast, Monterey County (particularly, the Santa Lucia Highlands) and the Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills have a reputation for producing outstanding Pinot Noir.
Reputations, however, very often make for prices and fortunes. Most successful producers are able to maintain the quality which garnered them their reputation. Growing regions tend to be constant, but are subject to climatic variation and unforeseen plagues and catastrophes. It is a good idea, then, for consumers not to dogmatize opinions and reputations from the past. The 2007 World of Pinot Noir was an excellent opportunity to test the Pinot Noir status quo.
The Setting.
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The Cliffs Resort hosted the seventh annual World of Pinot Noir Celebration - a two-day event dedicated to the noble variety on March 2nd and 3rd. Two tasting events, a series of seminars and two gala dinners drew enthusiasts to the sold out event. redwinebuzz.com tasted and mingled with the intent of giving our readers an account of the event as well as of the standing of Central Coast Pinot Noir in a broader context. In excellent weather and with captivating scenery of the cliffs of Shell Beach, 65 wineries and distributors came together under three tents to pour Pinot Noir at the Focus Tasting on March 2nd, 2007. |
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Participants could pause and take in the spectacular views of the Shell Beach cliffs and coast. |
The Layout.
Participants entered the walk-around tasting through a lower-level lobby where they received a Pinot Noir glass from Riedel's Vinum Extreme collection. The first tent (one of two smaller tents) was home to French producers Domaine Huber-Verdereau and importers of New Zealand wines: Station Imports and The New Zealand Winegrowers Association. A display of magnums put up for silent auction was also placed in the first tent.
Domestic producers were set up in two tents at the edge of the resort property, overlooking the sea. The larger of the two tents held wineries with names starting with A-S (complete list). Custom producer Crushpad and Gregory Walter of the Pinot Report were also set up in the larger tent. The smaller tent housed wineries with names starting with S through Z. Also in the smaller tent was a table for Brown-Forman, who represents Sonoma-Cutrer, Bonterra, Wakefield, Mariah, Sanctuary Durbanville Hills, Eleven Tongues, Fetzer, Five Rivers, Jekel, Virgin Vines, Little Black Dress, Bolla, Fontana Candida, Gala Rouge, Michel Picard.
Most wineries were represented either by the owner, winemaker or a key member of the winemaking team. They were very accessible and more than happy to answer questions or philosophize about wine.
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Although spacious, the tents were a bit crowded but offered protection from the sun and remained cool. The grass was a bit wet and, in places, a little muddy. These were minor issues and did not detract from enjoyment of the event. Each table had ample drinking water and plastic cups for spitting. Two large hours d'oeuvres stations were well stocked with delicious snacks to satisfy all palates - ranging from spicy shrimp to toast topped with olive spread to sausages. These were not only tasty but available in seeming unending quantities. The Cheese Shop-Carmel had a large display offering fantastic cheeses. |
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3 tents housed the event. The largest tent, seen here, housed the bulk of domestic producers and food stations. |
The Spread.
The food selection and quantity was not only designed to quench epicurean needs but also to slow down the absorption of alcohol. A purist might argue that bread and water are better for clearing the palate. While we are inclined to appreciate the purist way of thinking, safety and tasting responsibly are a higher priority - particularly in light of the fact that a majority of those in attendance were not wine critics or writers. The two and a half hour-long event made it a challenge to taste all the wines being poured. It was very much a marathon that tested both endurance and ability to focus. The ubiquitous security staff was unyielding in their enforcement of the event's end. There was little time to socialize. We still couldn't help but say hello to some familiar faces.
The Rundown.
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So now, the big question, after all, is how does Central Coast Pinot Noir fit in the global Pinot landscape. Domaine Huber-Verdereau was pouring their Volnay and Bourgogne. The 2004 Volnay lived up to the Volnay reputation by showing bright, rich red fruit and floral aromatics over taut tannins that were less firm than those in the Bourgogne offering. Touted as the new world's answer to Burgundy, New Zealand was represented by two stations (New Zealand Winegrowers Association and Station Imports) pouring 2004 Pinot Noirs. These were seductive: soft, curvy, plump fruit with beautiful rosy notes and earthy nuances. |
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Sharing a laugh with Bernardus winemaker Dean DeKorth. Bernardus is a Carmel Valley (Monterey County) producer. |
There is a lot of buzz over Oregon's Pinots as well. Stoller Vineyards and White Rose Wines were each pouring exceptional wines. Stoller wines were softer, more feminine with a broad nose and plate of darker red fruit, brown spice and cola notes that were as captivating as winemaker Melissa Burr's piercing aqua-blue eyes. White Rose wines leaned a bit towards the old-world, Burgundian style with slightly firmer tannins while maintaining breadth and extraction with bright acidity. In character, these were not too distant from the New Zealand offerings, both showing seamless integration and balance.
The Russian River Valley (Sonoma) is lauded as one of the best sources of California Pinot Noirs. These showed composure and finesse while maintaining breadth of character, depths of extraction along with some tannic backbone. DeLoach Vineyards is a good example of this but is not necessarily definitive of the appellation. Arista Winery, (who did not pour at the Friday event) makes both AVA- and vineyard-designated Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley fruit that tend to be more feminine and softer. Papapietro Perry makes very delicate, light bodied Pinots in the same appellation.
Central Coast offerings spanned the spectrum of character. The most extreme example were wines from Josh Jensen's Calera Wine Company. Jensen set out to establish the Mt Harlan AVA with the goal of reproducing the conditions of Burgundy's Côtes d’Or with its limestone-rich soils. His Pinot Noir has great breadth of expression and a firm backbone. These wines were on a quality and character par with the Volnay and Bourgogne being poured at the Focus tasting. At the other extreme of the spectrum, wines from those warmest nooks and crannies of the Central Coast region where temperatures run higher and there is far less marine cooling influence tended toward lower acids and a more ripe, perhaps flabby and somewhat tired character. Wines in this end of the spectrum made up a very small minority of the wines poured.
The majority of Central Coast wines were youthful, vibrant, complex and exciting. They were clearly formidable global contenders. The majority of the Central Coast is planted to varieties that suit soil and climate and Pinot Noir is generally planted in the coolest regions. This does not necessarily guarantee a firm and tannic wine. Monterey County producer Cima Collina poured their premiere releases of well-structured but soft, floral Pinot Noir made by Annette Hoff. Tolosa winemaker, Nathan Carlson, was pouring his Edna Valley Pinots - a convergence of complexity and finesse in a softly curved package. Jean-Pierre Wolff poured his rich and meaty Pinot Noirs from his eponymous Edna Valley estate.
Rick Longoria, the winemaker with ever-changing facial hair, offered Pinot Noirs with spice, mocha and savory notes backing bright red fruit. These are sourced from his Fe Ciega Vineyard and others in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Producers from this exciting appellation in the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley, Carr Vineyards & Winery and Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards also made a strong representation of their appellation with complex and nuanced Pinots. Kathy Joseph of Fiddlehead Cellars poured her carefully crafted wines expressing a broad palette of terroir, clonal selection and vineyard.
Representing Santa Maria Valley were: Louis Lucas (Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards) who looked dapper, as usual, pouring his rich and robust Pinot Noirs sourced from his Santa Barbara County vineyards. Denise Shurtleff, winemaker for Cambria Estate Vineyards & Winery was pouring her terroir-driven Pinots from estate vineyards on the Santa Maria bench.
Strolling through the three tents allowed attendees to get a good sense of the spectrum of style and character of Pinot Noir around the world. It is impossible to taste through the 60 stations pouring at least 2 wines each in the limited time of the Focus Tasting event. However, moving at a good pace and paying attention to the origin of the wines being poured, once can easily discern trends and patterns that transcend local character and terroir.
While there are variations and some differences between Burgundy, New Zealand, Oregon and California, they all share a cool climate in which Pinot Noir thrives. The differences in terroir give each wine an individual identity. What this means is that the cooler parts of the Central Coast: Monterey County, Santa Barbara County and the more coastal parts of San Luis Obispo County produce world-class Pinot Noirs which are formidable contenders, globally, while maintaining a unique identity.
Final thoughts.
We set out to get a sense of the current global Pinot Noir landscape. A larger portion of the wines poured at this Focus Tasting were from the 2004 vintage. In California, this was a short and hot growing season. In most parts of the state (including the Central Coast), Pinot Noir, an early ripening variety, was able to do well. In France, the 2004 vintage was troubled - especially around harvest time - and quality was spotty in contrast to the very successful 2003 vintage. New Zealand enjoyed a long and even growing season in 2004 which resulted in increased yield.
Based on the wines poured at this year's event, the state of Central Coast Pinot Noir is strong. California and Central Coast Point Noirs distinguish themselves as unique and high in the global hierarchy. Nothing ever stays the same, however. There is no denying that there has been a shift towards softer, more extracted Pinot Noirs in Santa Barbara County. Some of the 2005 Pinot Noirs we have tasted are topping 16% alcohol - and that's from a cool growing season! This may be as much a product of the interplay of climatic variation and clonal selection as it is a matter of stylistic trends in the industry. Shifts come in the form of slow creeping trends and sudden leaps and lurches. There is a small crisis in New Zealand that will take several years to overcome. The European climate is subject to much wilder variations than California. It is likely that during the coming years, the global hierarchy of Pinot Noir will undergo some rearranging. However, even that will not be permanent. It is the anticipation of the unique nuances of each vintage and a passion for Pinot Noir that will keep redwinebuzz.com and many other enthusiasts returning to Shell Beach for many years to come.
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Wineries pouring at the 2007
Focus Tasting:
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Alfaro Family Vineyards and Martin Alfaro Wines Cambria Estate Vineyards & Winery Elk Cove Vineyards |
Fess Parker Vineyard & Winery Pleasant Valley Vineyards, Inc. |
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