Blind Pinot Noir Dinner

Chateau VinoMe
Tasted Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by Vino Me with 662 views

Introduction

My wife and I invited Anwar, Trigirl, Otis and his wife to dinner last weekend at our home. We chose a blind Pinot Noir theme for the wine. We started with some appetizers and white wine on the patio before dinner. Shrimp, smoked salmon, a few cheeses and sausages were paired with the a Champagne, Riesling and Austrian auslese. For dinner, we started with an aspargus salad with a homemade caper dressing. My wife made a roasted pork rack rubbed in provencal herbs with a morel sauce. Roasted potatoes and cauliflower/brussel sprouts were the sides. Anwar brought an apple strudel for dessert and I opened a half bottle of a Michigan Icewine for anyone who wanted it. We finished off the red wines after dinner in the backyard around a bonfire. Very enjoyable evening. Here are my notes:

Flight 1 - Pre Dinner Whites (3 Notes)

  • 1999 Lamiable Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Les Meslaines Brut 94 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Opened a bottle of this 100% Pinot Noir Champagne last weekend to start a blind Pinot dinner at our home. Otis, Anwar and their wives came over. Just as good and fresh tasting as my previous 2 bottles. Slight orange tinge to the color of this wine. Similar notes. 93-94 points

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  • 2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    I bought a pair of these back in 2002 for $29 and this was the first of the bottles I opened. Cracked it right after the 1999 Lamiable Champagne as the 2nd patio wine when Otis, Anwar and their wives came over for a Pinot Noir dinner to our home. This was my favorite wine of the night and I think it was Otis' as well. BJS is one of Haags top sites. The highly respected Wilhelm Haag was still in charge of winemaking at the estate in 2001. Wilhelm handed the reigns over to his son Oliver in 2004. This wine is really coming into it's own right not. Showing some wonderful secondary nuances. Slight petrol character which was not overpowering. Lush, opulent fruit notes of peach and apricot with a slatey feel on the finish. Excellent depth. This will drink well for another 10 years and get heavier and more serious with age. 93-94 points.

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  • 2003 Feiler-Artinger Welschriesling Auslese 88 Points

    Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland

    I opened this wine after a 2001 Fritz Haag BJS Spatlese at our home for Otis, Anwar and their wives last weekend. I was disappointed in this wine. It is not available in the US. We bought one bottle of it in 2005 at the winery in the town of Rust, Burgenland, Austria during a vacation and thought it was a fantastic wine for $10. It was so fresh and tropical back then that it was irresistible. Obviously this was a wine to drink when young (at least for me palate) because it had changed considerably. Anwar noticed sweet tea notes which were obvious when to me as well when I tried it. It also had richer fruit notes of pear and apple cider. The acidity had faded a bit as well. 88 points.

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Flight 2 - Blind Pinot Noir (6 Notes)

  • 2007 Wyncroft Pinot Noir Avonlea Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Michigan, Lake Michigan Shore

    Served blind alongside 6 other Pinots. 2nd time I have had this wine in the last month. When I had it in March I thought that it needed some additional time in bottle. This wine was the youngest wine in the lineup by far. However, I wanted Otis and Anwar to try this wine (particularly in a blind lineup) so I opened it now. Splash decanted it about 1 hour before the dinner and put it back into the bottle. Light clear color. Notes of raspberry and cranberry which was a dead giveaway to me that this wine was the Wyncroft. I tasted those same notes in March and they are very prevalent in young Wyncroft Pinot but turn into heavier red fruit notes with age. This came in last in the voting but everyone agreed that this was not out of place in the lineup. 89-90 points.

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  • 2003 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Served blind in a linup of 6 Pinots. Otis brought this. Dark crimson color. Very pretty nose which was superior to the taste. The biggest of the wines in my opinion. Black cherry notes. Never really came together but still enjoyable. Perhaps a little decanting? 5th place in the voting. 88 points.

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  • 2001 Friedrich Becker Kammerberg Spätburgunder 90 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Served blind in a lineup of 6 Pinots. This 14.5 hectare estate has a reputation as one of the best red wine producers in Germany. 60% of his vines are Pinot Noir and his Reserve Pinot has been named wine of the year by Gault Millau on 2 occasions. This Grand Cru vineyard is one of Beckers top sites and 2001 was a great vintage for Friedrich Becker. I bought this at auction for $23 (it normally sells for $45). A medium red color. The most old world of the Pinots in my opinion although the Robert Chevellon was close. Slightly musty but in a pleasant way for my palate. Smooth with integrated tannins. Notes of wet earth and red fruit. 4th place in the voting. 90 points.

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  • 1995 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Roncières 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

    Served blind in a lineup of 6 Pinots. Brought by Otis. At first, I didn't think that any of the wines in the lineup were more than 10 years old; but, when Otis said that he brought one that was older I was able to identify it based on its mushroom/compost nose. This was very young and still youthful tasting. A special wine which I enjoyed. Earthy caharacter with less fruit than the other Pinots. Round finish and delicate. Finished 3rd in the voting (1 1st place vote). 89-90 points

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  • 2004 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Served blind in a lineup of 6 Pinots. Anwar brought this. Medium ruby red color. I thought this tasted younger than it actually was. It had some spritz to it. Notes of pomegranite and cranberry (similar to the the Wyncroft). However, it was lighter bodied than the Wyncroft in my opinion. Seems as though other tasters liked this better than me as it finished 2nd and got 2 1st place votes. 88-89 points.

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  • 2000 Ojai Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Served blind in a lineup of 6 Pinots. Anwar brought this. This was my favorite Pinot of the night. A cloudy red color. Smooth tannins and old world in character. Medium bodied with ripe cherry and a nuttiness to it. Some tartness on the finish. Finished 1st in the voting (3 1st place votes). 91 points.

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Flight 3 - Dessert (1 Note)

Flight 4 - After Dinner Red (1 Note)

Closing

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