Brother, could you please pass the pinot?

Looking back at the tastings we’ve hosted this year, a few categories stand out. Nearly a quarter of our events, so far, have been devoted to Spain, the Rhône or Pinot Noir. Is this mere coincidence or design? A bit of both. 2005, ’06 and ’07 are strong to exceptional vintages, so we buy and by extension, pour, what is relevant and what is drinking well. On a more selfish note, if you were to observe the wines that wet our glasses during our frequent After Hours Recreational Consumption Sessions(AHRCS), you would find that the aforementioned wines play prominent roles. Last Saturday (8/8) was the fifth installment featuring one of our favorite grapes, Pinot Noir.

A quick rundown…The 4 Bears label from King Estate/Renwood alum, Sean Minor, showed surprising balance and poise for such a moderate price tag. Waipara Springs, from the Canterbury area of New Zealand made a nice splash. Burgundian-styled Hamacher from the Willamette Valley, blossomed after enough air. Ketcham Estate from the Russian River, WM Michael Browne(Costa Browne) at the conn, was plush and spicy. Verging superstar, Anthill Farms’ Tina Marie from Green Valley was laced with vibrant cherries and rose petals, one of my new favs producers.

Finally, the Caymus connection…The polished, ripe, smoke tinged Belle Glos from the foggy Taylor Lane Vyd was made by William Wagner (son of Chuck, grandson of Charlie) with the assistance of John Bolta, the maestro of Conundrum. John Bolta, headed the now defunct Lorca label using fruit from the Garys. From a sales standpoint, Lorca stole the show. The 2003 Lorca Rosella’s and Lorca Pisoni Vineyards were fruit forward and in a very good place drinking wise. The Lorca Garys’ 2001; probably one of the earlier efforts from the iconic vineyard, it was planted in 1997; was herbaceous with hints of anise. A little piece of history in a bottle, it held up well against the younger and bigger kids on the block but keep in mind it is a drink now-drink today-drink tomorrow kind of wine.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 9:35 pm and is filed under Tasting Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.