Pinot-rama

It's time again to report on a pitchfork wine blind tasting. This time, we tackled pinot noir from around the globe. It seems these days, with the post-Sideways surge in popularity, everyone wants to grow pinot. So much so that we had to whittle down the regions to explore in this jaunt through seven bottles of one of the world's most enchanting and misunderstood wines. Burgandy, California, Oregon, Germany, New Zealand, New Mexico, and Northern Michigan were all represented with amusing results. Whereas Reisling a Go-Go yielded divisive opinions based on wines that were all over the place geographically and characteristically, there was more of a common thread evident during Pinot-rama. Cherry, dark berries, chocolate, smoke, and peppers of all sorts were a few of the common discriptors of the wines selected. Favorites, however, were yet again, a point of contention for our panel: Lauren, Justin, Jay, Kyo, Andrew, and Steve.

First Place: Gruet, "Cuvee Gilbert Gruet" 2003 New Mexico

A surprise winner from an unlikely locale, Gruet was a top three pick for everyone except Andrew, who likened it to a sponge. While descriptors ranging from dried meat to wet dog to barnyard were bandied about, important varietal commonalities such as chocolate, acid, and oak came through. Gruet was also complimented for its great balance and lushess, which Kyo (who personally ranked it first) compared to a fortified wine. Perhaps it should not come as such a surprise that Gruet is made by a French family who relocated to New Mexico after finding the optimal conditions for growing chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.

$21-25

Second Place: Belle Glos, "Clark & Telephone Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley-Santa Barbara County 2005

This single-vineyard pinot was a favorite of Justin, who remarked, "it doesn't impose complexity, rather straightforward" and Jay who called "evolving/dissolving down to the root, the grape." Its sweet, fruit-forward, smoky qualities were remarked upon, as well as its bitter zestiness, best expressed by Andrew: "Scotch. Tastes like burning. I'd imbibe to this in dark alleys writing apocalyptic wino verse. Good flow: fruit, sting, afterglow. Wild grape. Velvety scrotum." Belle Glos in a nutshell.

$38-43

Third Place: Spiny Back, Nelson New Zealand 2005

Another unlikely high-rank, this time from an emerging pinot-growing locale. Spiny Back refers to the critter on the label, a cute little lizard who serves as the mascot for the most divisive wine of the night. Overall, its softness, fruit (strawberry, cherry, pineapple), vegetal, and onion qualities were noted. While Justin lamented its inability to open up, it ranked first with Steve and Andrew who praised its character and Charles Mingus-like sensation respectively.

$17-22

Fourth Place: Joseph Drouhin, Laforet Bourgogne 2005

A low-priced offering from the famed Joseph Drouhin that landed right in the middle. This wine possesed an alcohol nose, a deep red hue, and lots of dark berries. Most prevalent were comments about its astringent, acidic qualities, enough so that I could have sworn that this was from Oregon (where Drouhin, incidently, also owns land).

$11-15

Fifth Place: Adelsheim, Willamette Valley Oregon 2005

Here comes the Oregon pinot, to little fanfare. While commentary included mustiness, sweat, smoke, olives, cherries and garlic, there was a recurrent theme of flatness, exemplified by Andrew, who compared it to a kid who gets average grades. Though inevitably regarded as a bit overpriced, it was not without charm. Justin praised it for being "not intense, but fun," and I personally ranked it number one for its gamy nose, cherry/chocolate qualities, balance, and acidic finish.

$28-32

Sixth Place: Fitz-Ritter, Spatburgunder Rotwein Trocken, Pfalz 2001

It's not easy finding a German pinot noir, as they don't export much of it. It maybe unfair to say this wine is an example of why, as it was the oldest in the lineup. Its mellow lightness did not make it a crowd pleaser, but it found fans in Steve and Kyo, who called it "brandy-like," a "lean mean machine" and compared it to Campari. Incidently, I once did hear someone remark that Germans don't export much "rotwein" because its so good they don't want to share.

$12-16

Seventh Place: Chateau Grand Traverse, Reserve Pinot Noir, Old Mission Peninsula 2002

"My grandpa's bathroom," "weird sickly root beer color," "tastes and smells cooked," and "corked?" These could be answers on Family Feud to the question, "How doesn't a vintner want people to describe their wine. This Michigan wine was generally loathed, but I kinda dug it. Mostly I tasted oak, which is no wonder- it aged for 30 months in French barrels.

$14-18


Pinot-rama, like our previous blind tastings, was a great time and indeed a time of self-discovery. It can be the damndest thing, how being in a room with opinionated friends and some bagged bottles can do this. Pinot noir, being the nuanced grape that it is and being so heavily influenced by terrior, can sometimes serve as a wine-drinker's litmus test. For the qualities one perceives and enjoys in pinot can say a lot about what they like in wines in general. Perhaps this is akin to which albums one picks to listen to during a long car ride. We shall return again to navigate those treacherous oceans of wine, but until then, take time to get to know a good Pinot. We have a few suggestions. But don't take my word for it...

-Lauren