JUNE 2008 TASTING: PINOT NOIR

SWIG assembled for our second blind tasting, this time of Pinot Noir. We "worked" our way through 5 bottles, accompanied by some great artisanal cheeses, an array of artisanal chocolates from Seattle's own Theo chocolate maker, and other tasty eats that may or may not have been made by artisans.

The Pinots we sampled were roundly good to excellent. In light of this we won't award a "wine of the night" this month; though a consensus favorite did emerge it did not stand head and shoulders ahead of the rest. We count ourselves as lucky, because let's face it: Pinot Noir is a gamble. It is hard to grow, hard to make, and can be inconsistent (read, suck) at 40 bucks a bottle the way a Cabernet might be at $15.

(80 points) Slaviyanski Cellar 2007 Pinot Noir, $11. This Pinot was the odd duck of the group, and while generally not loved it was certainly interesting to parse next to the much more varietally true competition. Color was highly-extracted and very dark purple. The wine had aromas if dried plummy fruit, cooked fruit apply fruit, cinnamon, a little must and lactobacillus. Tastes were similar and quite soft and round with low apparent acidity.

In total this is not a regular expression of Pinot Noir. It seemed to be either A) a variant vine like pinotage; B) macerated in a heated process (which is common in Eastern Europe), leading to
deep color and cooked flavors; C) encouraged to a very complete malolactic fermentation (thus the softness and residual lactobacillus; or D) some combination of the three. SWIG says buy a Bulgarian wine some time to check out the region style. Maybe not this one, though overall it was drinkable if not able to compete with the rest of the Pinots.


(84 Points) Joseph Drouhin 2005 Cote De Beaune Villages, $20. The next Pinot Noir was a Burgundian table wine, built very much in the old-world style. It didn't quite run with the next three, nor was it intended too. The lightest in color and body of the group, this wine incorporated more acid and minerality than its peers, against a backdrop of sour cherry, strawberry, and earth and herbs.

Relatively simple, light, good quality and versatile with food -- plenty to like here at the bottom of the Droughin ladder. If you want a little more punch than a low-end Burgundy Pinot offers, you'll prefer one of the next three.

(89 points) Scott Paul 2006 "Le Paulee" Willamette Valley, $39. Clustered tightly with the top three wines of evening, the 2006 "Le Paulee" defines a solid, refined Oregon Pinot. Tasters noted its complexity: aromas of raspberry, cheery, orange, flowers, perfume, a little vanilla and raisin. It had slight sherry and fuel-type tones in the way good Pinots can. We liked its clean acid, balance and medium weight body. Opening up considerably as we drank, another hour of decanting and this wine very well might have caught up to the wines finishing above it.

SWIG recommends this wine is general, and particular as a wine to pair with a meal. This one has the virtue of eminent drinkability -- while the next wine on our list wowed us with luscious, clear, pungent flavors, the "Le Paulee" is a wine that you could drink all night without palate fatigue.

(91 points) Stag Hollow 2006 Pinot Noir, Yamhill, $26. On a different end of the spectrum from the Scott Paul, the stag Hollow Pinot was a big, opulent, luxurious Oregon Pinot, featuring a great first taste of typical Pinot fruits and bitter herbs; a clear, clean, oak-induced mid-palate, and long, sweet, herby finish. This wine had lots of mouth-coating body. It was in a few words big and powerful, though not nearly a giant Aussie Shiraz, and certainly much too well-balanced to be labeled a fruit-bomb.

One taster noted that this one was delicious but after a glass might start wear thin on subtlety; another that it's punchy flavors and slightly low acid could overwhelm or fail to cut through the wrong food pairings. Outside of these concerns the wine impressed and certain made an impression -- if you aren't the shy type this wine will suit you fine.

(94 points) Picardy 2005 Pinot Noir, $29. The consensus, if not runaway. favorite was Picardy, a complex, balanced, Western-Aussie Pinot leaning toward a higher-end Burgundian style with plenty of fruit. (Pleasant) barnyard smells on first opening blew off with a few hours of aeration, opening into a balanced, very complex and varietally true Pinot Noir. Tasters noted a wide range of aromas and flavors: forward red fruits, currant, apricot, lemon peel, orange blossom, herbs, tar, smoke, earth, spice, vanilla, and nuts, all cleanly integrated with a fairly long finish.

Playing Goldilocks to the previous two pinots, the Picardy came across as both big and refined. This one has the versatility to match next to all food types and drink well as a stand alone sipper. It drinks like you spent 70 bucks on a Cru Burgundy and knew which one would taste the least like dirt. A big-shot critic gave it 95 points and we agree that this wine is exceptional.