WCC California Pinot Noir Blind Tasting II
Milestone Restaurant, Glenmont, NY
Tasted June 27, 2013 by kenv with 483 views
Introduction
My regular Albany-area group got together to taste California Pinot Noir at the Milestone Restaurant in Glenmont, NY. A long, long time ago when this was known as the Stone Ends Restaurant, we frequently had wine dinners here. After several incarnations, it is now the Milestone with young chef Michael Mastrantuono. Based on tonight, it looks promising. The wines, not so much. All wines were served blind. We knew the theme was California Pinot Noir, but not any of the ones (except the one that person brought). We also did not know if there would be one or more ringers.
Flight 1 - Flight 1: 2010 (4 notes)
With Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with a Honey Mustard Glaze and Barley Risotto. Tasty, and not bad with the wine, but not good.
Not sure if 2010 is a much weaker vintage for California Pinot Noir than 2009 (Flight 3) or if it was the choice of producers, but the wines in this flight were so much lighter than the wines in Flight 3, in a way that 1 year of aging could not cause.
Flight 2 - Flight 2: The Oldest Wines (1997-2002) (5 notes)
With Spinach Salad with Crimini Mushrooms, Carrots, and Horseradish Dressing. Good salad, terrible choice for this wine tasting.
Based on this flight, I would say that California Pinot Noir doesn't make it past 10 years of age. These were fairly awful.
Flight 3 - Flight 3: 2009 (4 notes)
With Slow-braised Duck Confit and Wild Mushroom Risotto. Terrific dish and a great match to the wines. A real winner for wine dinners.
Generally more typical, more ripe, and more appealing than the first 2 flights.
Flight 4 - Flight 4: The Medium Old Wines (2004-2006) (4 notes)
With Pork Tenderloin with a Cranberry-Sage Stuffing, with Demiglace, Jasmine Wild Rice, and Summer Vegetables.
Not only were these less than 10 years old, they were also more extracted. I would expect these wines to hold up longer than those from Flight 2 did. Two or three could even improve with more age.
Closing
Halfway thought this evening, I proposed we never again have a Cali PN tasting, but the last 2 flights did pick it up quite a bit. Still, I'm not looking to increase my meager collection of PN any time soon.