Pinot Noir tasting

Just a casual wednesday night with six Pinot Noirs from France and Germany.

• 2008 Shelter Winery Pinot Noir Sparkling Brut 93 Points

  Germany, Baden

  First of six
  
  Nose of yeast, grapefruit and some herbs. Has some oak and will be good during a meal, not just as a starter.
  This is great!
  For the following vintages, they had a different company doing the secondary fermentation (Sektkellerei), so there there are differences. But I hear the 2010 and 2011 are great as well.

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• 2009 J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Spätburgunder Spätlese trocken 91 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  Second of six
  
  I liked this one. No formal notes. Didn't smell like a German PN.
  No new oak, fermented in a pressure tank, hence the dark color.
  2009 is said to have been a great year in the Rheingau.

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• 2003 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge Belle Dame 95 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre Rouge

  Third of six
  
  I could have sniffed this one until the cows come home! Deep Burgundy nose (I know, it's a Loire, and but it's a Vacheron!). Beguiling from start to finish.
  I'm not good at identifying specific fruits, I just knew it smells like a great Burgundy. Think Gevrey-Chambertin, but a little lighter.

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• 2005 Weingut Klostermühle Odernheim Spätburgunder Trocken 86 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  Fourth of six
  
  Showed some orange or brown color at this age.
  100% new oak, and you can tell. Has the nose of German PN. And the alcohol showed beyond its 14%, I thought it a little schnaps-y.

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• 2009 Shelter Winery Pinot Noir trocken Seven Seven Seven 92 Points

  Germany, Baden

  Fifth of six
  
  Strong nose of raw beef/iron, smoke and fruit. Smoke got more present over ten minutes on the air, while the iron faded.
  Very exciting.
  One third new oak, slowly toasted, so no vanilla and all that. Still smoke.
  Discontinued, because it was made from the burgundian PN clone no. 777, which didn't work well in the rainy Breisgau area of Baden, Germany.

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• 2001 Nicolas Potel Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Sixth of six
  
  Dark smokey nose, wood. Tertiary aromas, said the somm, of undergrowth, dried fruit, earth.
  On the palate, there was some sweetness, some steel, and firm tannins. This was actually the most tannic of the bunch.
  Very exciting.

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