2007 Walnut Block Pinot Noir Nutcracker

• By Stephen Tanzer
  September/October 2009, IWC Issue #146, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Walnut Block Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Marlborough) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  4/17/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (WALNUT BLOCK Pinot Noir) Pinot Noir Dear Friends, Upon first release (2005), this wine was one of the more highly touted upper end wines coming from Marlborough. It had Jancis Robinson's endorsement and the hype gained quickly. The 2006 marked the debut of the wine in the US and it was controversial to say the least. With comparisons to Marcassin (not sure who would make such outlandish statements?) half of our audience loved the wine for its old meets new personality and half thought it was rubbish (because of the same old meets new personality). With that as a backdrop... The Walnut Block Pinot Noir is back with a new vintage - ready to challenge the best of the New World...and it's under $20. Unlike the 2006, the 2007 has the critical praise in New Zealand to back it up. Just awarded a perfect 5/5 by Bob Campbell (by contrast he gave the 2006 a 3/5 rating), this appears to be a relatively safe investment. This wine is not intended to be a sappy bruiser, it is vinified with strict Burgundian principles from fruit that would not be out of place on Ribbon Ridge in Oregon. It walks the line like Johnny Cash between the dark and the light, the old and the new. It has higher alcohol than Burgundy but far less than many of the 15%+ examples emanating from the Golden State at present (it also has less candied sap than many examples from California relying instead on pure varietal fruit). Coddled from bud-break to bottle by hand, with no additions and a wild yeast ferment that is its signature, this 100% estate wine is from some of New Zealand's most expensive terra firma in Marlborough (similar to this morning's offer from Monforte). To bring this wine to market for less than $20 is challenging enough but a wine that is coddled to this degree? That's nearly impossible with shipping, taxes, customs, duty, etc. unless you time the exchange rate perfectly which is what we did here - basically, it was pure luck but we hit this at just the right moment when the NZ dollar was at 2.03/1.00 a month ago (it's already back to 1.70/1.00). I don't have access to my laptop to look this up but my guess is that our price below is about what the wine sells for in New Zealand or Australia (all thanks to the 2.03/1.00 - not because of some great deal we negotiated). From Gordon Ritchie (winemaker): "2007 Pinot Noir - Crimson in colour with aromas of dark berry fruits, with savoury characters and a hint of chard oak. The wild ferment has developed a complex palate with black cherry and a gentle savoury background with good acid and fine tannin structure. Grown in European style high density planting, using top quality Burgundy clones. The canopy is meticulously worked on to ensure even ripening, intense flavours and good tannin structure. Yield 2.5 ton per acre. 100% handpicked and sorted into 15kg bins, then chilled overnight at 2oC to preserve delicate flavours. The cold fruit is de-stemmed and crushed into open top fermenters. Fermented using 100% wild yeast and aged for 12 months in high quality French barriques." The above is not the norm for a wine in this price range - period. While I haven't tasted the 2007 from bottle yet (I'm still in Europe), my instinct tells me the problem people had with the 2006 a year ago had more to do with a simple facet than anything else: rest. I know everyone wants to rip the corks from the wine they receive from us immediately (especially after waiting half a year or more) but, in general, every wine we offer will be better 3-6 months after you receive it - in many cases much better. Most wine merchants receive stock from a distributor after it has had a significant rest period in an importer's warehouse - we work in an opposite fashion. In most cases, you receive a wine only a few weeks or even a few days after it arrives in the US - it has not gone through a rest period. Unlike domestic Pinot Noir that never goes through the shake up of extended transcontinental travel, any Pinot Noir from Europe or the Southern Hemisphere is subject to weeks if not months of James Bond-esque "shaken and stirred" treatment and it can take 3-6 months (or even a year) to fully recover. Certain wine can actually benefit from the travel by breaking up the tannic cell structure (Bordeaux), others do not (Burgundy). Pinot Noir in general is temperamental but the extended sojourn of travel makes it even angrier. What usually stands out is sugar and acid but in opposition - the aromatics are also dumbed down but given time, all elements will integrate back to the whole. That being said, those that were quick to judge the 2006 version of this wine a year ago should taste it again today (although the 2007 appears from the critical praise to be far more successful at the outset). While the above statements do not apply to every wine in the world, it is something to think about the next time you reach for a bottle that UPS just dropped off a week ago. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price - if we re-order it will be at least $25-27: 2007 Walnut Block Pinot Noir Marlborough (single vineyard) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA NZ4700