James King Presents Can the True Pinot Noir Step Forward The Society of Wine Educators Conference August 15 th 2014 Seattle
Acknowledgements - Volunteers Wines of Argentina Wines of Australia The Society of Wine Educators Willamette Valley Wineries Russian River Valley Winegrowers Italian Wine Central BIVB Old Bridge Cellars Rudy Weist Selections Louis Latour Donations: Wines of New Zealand Wines of Germany BevCo International Empson Wines USA Coelho Winery, Oregon
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Procedure Feel free to taste at any time!!! Wines are in random Order Price Point of $20-$40 Retail Discuss Wines / Styles & Power Point: Generic style of Pinot Noir Country Data Brief Discussion on Clones Regional / Country Styles Revealing the Wines
CSW Study Guide Pinot Noir Pinot Noir is a unique red grape, able to thrive & ripen in cool climates, & for this reason every cool climate area in the wine world has at least experimented with Pinot Noir. To many wine lovers, Burgundy is the standard for perfection in Pinot Noir. But is it the standard for style in Pinot Noir?
CSW Study Guide Pinot Noir Cool climate creating full flavor & retaining acidity with youthful Aromas: Cherry, raspberry, strawberry, violet, lilac & sandalwood along with mature Aromas: Mushroom, forest floor, leather & earth. The acidity is Medium to high with low to medium tannins, and medium alcohol. The finest Pinot Noir wines combine juicy fruit with good, zingy, balanced acidity. Pinot Noir has signature aromas (imho) of floral notes at the top of the glass, cherry-berry at the bottom, both circling a core of earthy-wet dirt hints. Jane Nickles
National winegrape area (ha s) for Pinot Noir, 2000 Shares (%) of national winegrape area, 2000 France 26525 3.07 Germany 9255 8.81 Moldova 6521 10.85 USA 5343 3.04 Switzerland 4601 30.59 Italy 3287 0.52 Australia 3223 2.47 Romania 1740 0.78 Chile 1614 1.42 N. Zealand 1098 11.04 Argentina 1047 0.52 S. Africa 487 0.52 Austria 409 0.84 Total 60099 National winegrape area (ha s) for Pinot Noir, 2010 Shares (%) of national winegrape area, 2010 France 29738 3.51 USA 16776 7.36 Germany 11733 11.45 Moldova 6521 7.26 Italy 5046 0.81 N. Zealand 4776 14.94 Australia 4690 3.09 Switzerland 4402 29.71 Chile 2884 2.59 Argentina 1802 0.9 Romania 1089 0.64 S. Africa 962 0.95 Russia 533 2.08 Total 86662
Pinot Noir as Interpreter of the Soil Pinot Noir +Limestone: lightly pigmented but sublimely elegant wines; highly aromatic Pinot Noir + Marl: less elegant reds with more structure and fruit Pinot Noir + Clay: less aromatic and less complex reds with plenty of body; need 5-7 yrs of bottle age to express themselves
Major Clones and Characteristics Dijon Clones: 113, 114, 115, 667, 777 & 828 are the most widely planted in the USA. In Burgundy, 75% of the vineyards have Dijon Clones. Noted as being darker & more concentrated, with black fruit components. (Not to mention more alcohol.) Dijon Clone 113 Dijon 113: Perhaps the most elegant clone with perfumed aromatics. When properly managed, wines possess nice weight & body as well. Classic blend of plum, cherry, and raspberry fruits with a cedar and pepper finish.
Major Clones and Characteristics Clone 114: Classic Pinot Noir flavor profile of black cherry, lovely spice. Profound color with purple inflections; complex flavors; concentrated black and red fruits; berry, cherry, and dark plum, fruitdriven spicy pinot; seemingly intrinsic balance; fine yet abundant tannin. Dijon Clone 114 Clone 777: A tour de force of flavor and color concentration; balance despite a yinyang of round tannins & persistent flavor.
Major Clones and Characteristics Clone 115: Producing rich, typical wines with good tannins & structure. Very juicy raspberry essence, mid-depth color; favors complexity and savoriness; dark fruits cherry, plum, blackberry; intense and rounded in structure; full-bodied. Highly valued for balance & aromatic Richness. Dijon Clone 115
Major Clones and Characteristics Clone 667: Deep and vibrant color; eloquent bouquet; rather tannic; cellarworthy structure. In Oregon takes many years (7+) to produce very high quality fruit. Black glace cherries, rich, spicy, bark, & sensuous flavors with sweet tannins Dijon Clone 667 Clone 777: Most site dependent. Noted for fleshy, black-fruited wines with tropical notes.
Major Clones and Characteristics Pommard: Produces very intense, perfumed red berry fruit flavors & sometimes known for having a meaty, gamey edge. Pommard 4 - firm in tannin and lightly warm on the palate with generous juiciness accompanied by light glycerol. Impressively pale. Pommard Clone UCD 5 Pommard 5 & 6 Density, structure & chewiness belie its fruit-driven nose.
Major Clones and Characteristics Suitcase Clones Swan Clone/Selections: Tend to provide bright fruit, richness and elegance. Abel Clone Abel Clone: consistently made very good, intense & complete wines in most areas of New Zealand. Excellent color & tannins. A selection that is unique to New Zealand.
Major Clones and Characteristics Wädenswil: A lot in both California and Oregon. This clone contributes exotic spice character & consistently good color with finessed tannins, alluring perfume & lifted acidity. Martini clone: High-toned floral aromatics, black raspberry flavors & fairly hard tannins. Common today in Carneros & the Russian River Valley. Martini Clone, FPS 13, gives decadently soft, ripe & often jammy fruit. UCD 2A (Wädenswil)
Major Clones and Characteristics The viticultural performance of Pinot noir clones as well as wine quality evaluations often produce inconsistent results for the same clones due to differences in site, climate, and management practices. Rhonda J. Smith UC Davis
Burgundy Pinot Noir (CSW Study Guide) Alcohol: Moderate Acidity: Moderate Tannin: Moderate Complexity in aromas & flavors & characteristic earthiness. In the Cote d Or Pinot has a multilayered aroma profile suggestive of wet earth, the outdoors, forest undergrowth, or farmland. Additional elements from oak ageing and the typical varietal characteristics of Pinot Noir.
Marsannay Pinot Noir Only communal AOP which produces wines of all three colors. Style: Blends red fruits (morello cherry, strawberry) & black (blackcurrant, blueberry). The attack is powerful & generous shading into a long & meaty finish.
New Zealand Wairarapa Region Style: Darker fruit aromas, often with a savory component. Rich, full, sweet fruit on the entry with flavors in the dark plum and chocolate spectrum whilst retaining the perfumed varietal character. The structure of the wines are based around long, fine tannins. Pinot Noir 465ha
New Zealand Wairarapa Region Soil: Predominantly silt loam over free-draining gravels, some of which can be up to 15m deep courtesy of the rivers criss-crossing the region. Clay loam and limestone feature in certain vineyards. Climate: A semi-maritime climate sheltered by the westerly Tararua Ranges, and exposed to blustery, devigorating winds, Wairarapa experiences cool springs and autumns plus hot summers with cool nights. Martinborough Annual Average Sunshine 1,915hrs Annual Average Rainfall 979mm
Australia - Yarra Valley Style: Pinot Noir takes pride of place amongst the red varieties in the Yarra Valley. Many appreciate its haunting delicacy and surprising length of flavor. The strawberry plum spectrum of fruit flavors are the most common to be found in Yarra Valley Pinot Noir.
Australia - Yarra Valley Climate: It is one of Australia's coolest regions, with elevation varying from 50 metres to 400 metres. Rainfall is winter/spring dominant, with the summer relatively cool, dry and humid. There is limited maritime influence. The small diurnal temperature range reflects the proximity of the sea. With a seven-month growing season, rainfall of 750-950 mls irrigation is considered essential. Soil: The traditional areas on the northern side of the valley are loamy sand to clay loam in consistency with red-brown clay subsoils. Most are relatively acidic and low in fertility, but are generally well drained.
Pinot Noir Styles from Germany The traditional style is lighter in color, body & tannic acidity than its counterparts from warmer climates. The international style, is fullerbodied, deeper red wines with higher tannin levels. Often the wines take on more depth and complexity (and a light vanilla tone) if they are aged in small (225-liter) oak casks.
Pfalz Pinot Noir, Germany 7% of the region is Spatburgunder which from 2003 can be called Pinot Noir. Predominate soils are limestone, red sandstone and gravel. The wine develops the blackberry-like fruity aroma, & the barrique vitrification caters for the refined flavor.
Pinot Noir Styles from Italy Pinot Noir grows best across northern Italy where the climate is much cooler. The fruit flavors of Italian Pinot Noir are similar to that of France, but the earthy flavors lean toward smoke, tobacco, white pepper & clove. Pinot Nero, as the Italians call it, tend to have more color extraction & higher alcohol.
The breathtaking valley of the Adige River is renowned in the wine world for varietally labeled cool-climate wines. Pinot Noir Styles from Italy Pinot Nero is predominantly in the north, with the largest concentrations in Lombardia (59%), Trentino Alto Adige (12%), and Veneto (9%). Trentino Alto Adige is the northernmost Italian region, comprising the Germanic Alto Adige or Südtirol, which borders Austria, & right below it the more Italian but still very Alpine Trentino.
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon Style: The structure is a fuller style with moderate tannins, moderate plus acidity, moderate to plus alcohol with ripe red fruits of Strawberry, Cherry, Raspberry & Ripe Black Cherry, Blueberry, some cola & spice with Oak & forest floor influences.
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon Climate: Temperate climate & coastal marine influences give cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Long day light hours & large diurnal temperature swing. Soils: Volcanic & sedimentary seabed that has been overlaid with gravel, silt, rock & boulders. Red Jory soil is volcanic at 300 feet elevation with primarily sedimentary-based (Willakenzie) soil below that.
Sonoma County Russian River Valley Style: Aromas tend to be bright, focused fruit, ranging from wild strawberries & raspberries to red and black cherries. Notes of cola & baking spices are common. In the mouth they are rich and velvety, with their high degree of ripeness, kept in check by bright acidity.
Sonoma County Russian River Valley Climate: Marine fog through the Petaluma Wind Gap & the channel cut by the Russian River. The fog usually arrives in the evening, often dropping the temperature 35 to 40 degrees from its daytime high. The fog retreats to the ocean the following morning. Soil: Sandstone & volcanic soil with the Goldridge loam & alluvial.
Pinot Noir Style from Patagonia Style: Refined flavors, unequaled aromatic intensity & a unique personality that reflect the purity of the environment. It is very soft, fresh and fruity, with good acidity that leads to a longlasting finish on the palate. it maintains its characteristic raspberry, sugar beet and earthy aromas in every case.
Patagonia Pinot Noir Style Patagonia is the southernmost region of Argentina. It covers the provinces of Río Negro, Neuquén and La Pampa, and has 11,240 acres of vineyards, 850 acres of which are Pinot Noir. Climate: Winters are harsh & summers cool, particularly at night, which allows winemakers to obtain harmonic combinations of acidity and sweetness & abundant aromas. Among the virtues of the region may be mentioned the slow, protracted ripening of the grapes. Vineyards stand at altitudes between 985 and 1,640 feet above sea level.
Pour Order 1. Escarpment Pinot Noir Martinborough, New Zealand 2011 2. Franz Haas Pinot Nero Alto Adige DOC, Italy 2011 3. Coelho Winery Paciência Pinot noir, Coelho Estate Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA, 2012 4. Maison Louis Latour, Marsannay Rouge, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France, 2011 5. Joseph Swan Saralees Vineyard, Russian River Valley, California, USA 2011 6. Denario Pinot Noir, Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina, 2011. 7. Giant Steps "Sexton Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia, 2012 8. Becker "Estate Pinot Noir", Pfalz, Germany, 2011