International Pinot Noir Celebration

Willamette Valley OR
Tasted Thursday, July 28, 2005 - Monday, August 1, 2005 by Burgundy Al with 781 views

Introduction

Wines from before, during and after. At least those with notes.

Flight 1 - Dinner (5 Notes)

  • 2002 Ponzi Vineyards Chardonnay 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (7/29/2005)

    IPNC dinner. Surprisingly dark color. Fat buttery flavors, seemingly California in style. Good spice. Good acidity, so it should hold up for a few years.

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  • 2003 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (7/29/2005)

    IPNC dinner. Good fruit on nose, mostly black cherry. Tannins and oak add some good structure and spice. Signs of heat can't be avoided on finish. Not on the subtle side of Pinot Noir, but that's the 2003 vintage and this should provide some good drinking for 3 or 4 years.

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  • 1994 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 93 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (7/29/2005)

    IPNC dinner. Really charming wine stil at its peak. This was the first Oregon Pinot Noir I ever found thrilling, and it is good to go back and revisit, especially when I had the chance to bring a bottle to an IPNC dinner at Ponzi. Especially when it turns out this wine was the first made by Luisa Ponzi after she officially took over as winemaker. And she was sitting across from me at dinner. Red and black fruit- red cherry, black cherry, blackberry - with some well developed mushroom flavors. Starts with fruit, earth emerges in the middle, fruit and spice return on the finish. Nice acidity helps keep this wine fresh and exciting at the end. Not quite as good as bottles from the past few years. time to drink up.

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  • 2001 Domaine Bizot Vosne-Romanée Les Jachées 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

    (7/29/2005)

    IPNC dinner with Jean-Yves Bizot. Nose of elegant red fruit along with roses. Same strawberry and red cherry flavors on palate along with nice acidity and spice. elegant and charming vs. powerful or dense. Excellent with food, with spice coming out even more intensely.

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  • 2004 Ponzi Vineyards Arneis 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    (7/30/2005)

    Rich and buttery start. Intense citrus with some background spice. Easy to enjoy, simple.

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Flight 2 - Event Tastings (25 Notes)

  • 2003 Fougeray de Beauclair Bonnes Mares 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

    (7/30/2005)

    Lush black fruit on nose, but no signs of overripeness. This has the structure I normally associate with Bonnes Mares, but it's less dominating than usual, with fruit and spice in the forefront today. Tasted twice over two days from two bottles, exactly the same.

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  • 2002 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Gravains

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

    (7/30/2005)

    Simple fruit aromas, perhaps starting to shut down? Darker, deeper fruit on palate, somewhat obscured behind fairly firm tannins. Needs at least until 2010, tough for me to assess today.

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  • 2003 Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

    (7/30/2005)

    Very ripe fruit start with modest spice. Mineral character on middle and finish. Good structure and length for Villages level.

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  • 2003 Domaine René Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

    (7/30/2005)

    Ripe black fruit with a slightly roasted character. Muscular, very Gevrey, particularly on finish. Good length. Medium spice.

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  • 2003 Maison Bertrand Ambroise Nuits-Saint-Georges Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 84 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges

    (7/30/2005)

    Dense and backward black fruit aromas without much charm. Blackberry and plum on palate, clearly ripe and powerful, just not rich or balanced or charming.

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  • 2002 Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Les Longeroies

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay

    (7/30/2005)

    Lush black fruit aromas with meaty, gamy spice. Lots of ripe fruit on palate but with good balance. Very good acidity as well. Hold to 2008 or 2009 or later, should then last a decade+.

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  • 2003 Domaine d'Ardhuy Corton-Pougets 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

    (7/30/2005)

    Rich black fruit without being over-ripe. Good spice start-to-finish. Moderate length and complexity. Hold to 2010 or later.

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  • 2003 Edmond Cornu & Fils Ladoix Vieilles Vignes 83 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Ladoix

    (7/30/2005)

    Not a personal favorite for me. Roasted black fruit with both a sweet and harsh character. Firm tannins. Good spice comes through in middle, then some earthy character on finish.

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  • 2003 Maison Alex Gambal Volnay 1er Cru Santenots Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

    (7/30/2005)

    Subdued nose for 2003, overall good showing of strawberry and red raspberry with modest spice, good energy all the way through.

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  • 2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Central Otago 87 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    (7/30/2005)

    Red cherry and raspberry aromas and flavors, particularly bright and vibrant on nose. Moderate length or nuance.

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  • 2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 89 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    (7/30/2005)

    Bright red fruit aromas . Similar red fruit on palate with plenty of sweet tannins andlots of assertive acidity. Needs time, this could be a 91 or 92 point wine if it gets in better balance. Don't try until 2008 or later.

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  • 2003 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

    (7/30/2005)

    Bright red cherry on palate, palate then shows much riper red and black cherry. Modest acidity, good tannins. Probably best young 2009-2015.

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  • 2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 88 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Moutere

    (7/30/2005)

    Fresh fruit on nose and palate, somewhat simple. Good acidity and textures, moderate length.

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  • 2002 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Casteel Reserve 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (7/30/2005)

    red fruit aromas and flavors, with some dried herb on palate. Fairly ripe and large scaled, I'd drink this by 2007 or 2008 while fruit is fresh.

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  • 2001 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander 85 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    (7/30/2005)

    Tasted after open 2-3 hours. Very surprising muted fruit with slightly harsh tannins and aggressive acidity. Somewhat vegetal and earthy. Not sure what was going on here.

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  • 1999 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts St. Georges

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

    (7/30/2005)

    Tough to assess. Excellent start with floral bouquet with plenty of cherry fruit. Palate was mostly black cherry, some red cherry, but fruit was clearly behind firm tannins and acidity for now, giving an austere, even harsh, character. Don't touch until 2010 at the earliest.

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  • 2002 Saintsbury Pinot Noir Brown Ranch 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    (7/30/2005)

    Floral start with great spice, boysenberry and red cherry. Similar on palate with earthy hints in background. Nice balance. Better in another 2 or 3 years.

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  • 2002 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    (7/30/2005)

    Bright black fruit aromas. Very ripe black cherry and plum on palate. Medium length, all fruit-driven, hints of heat protrude. Drink young.

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  • 2003 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (7/30/2005)

    Somewhat backward and roasted fruit aromas. More balanced fruit on palate, with lots of ripe character and tannins without the supporting acidity as balance. Might eveolve into something more interesting, but I'm not confident here.

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  • 2002 Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (7/30/2005)

    Bright red fruit aromas. Red cherry and strawberry on palate, slightly obscured by tannins and acidity, but everything seems in reasonable harmony. Still this will need to 2008 or later.

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  • 2002 Hamacher Pinot Noir Oregon 92 Points

    USA, Oregon

    (7/30/2005)

    Lots of big black fruit aromas with supporting savory spice. Palate shows great fruit and even better spice. I appreciate Eric Hamacher's blend of a cross-section of Oregon Pinot Noir into this wine, providing great textures and complexity from the blend. Tight tannins for now, this will need until at least 2009 to harmonize. Really impressive.

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  • 2003 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Notorious 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Yamhill County

    (7/30/2005)

    Bright re and black cherry. Ripe fruit, good balance, retaining some subtlety. Ok acidity and balance, still best to drink in its mid-life, probably 2007-2010.

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  • 2003 Soter Pinot Noir Beacon Hill 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    (7/30/2005)

    Fresh aromas of red fruit. Shows more ripeness on palate, still with good acidity and textures. Give another year or two, but this will never be at the same quality level of its wonderful 2002 counterpart.

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  • 2002 Domaine Bizot Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

    (7/30/2005)

    Really enjoyed the Bizot 01 V-R Jachess yesterday so was glad I could try a 2002 V-R VV today. I believe this might be at least partly declassified Echezeaux. Bright nose shows lots of red fruit and spice. Good strawberry and red cherry are charming on the palate, then cut off a bit by the wine's tannins. moderate length. I'd hold these at least a few more years.

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  • 2002 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 87 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    (7/30/2005)

    Dark color, lush fruit that is borderline ultra-ripe,with soft, sweet tannins. Reasonably balanced and enjoyable for right now but a slightly hot/alcoholic finish.

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Flight 4 - Dinners (3 Notes)

  • 1996 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir West Block 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    (7/30/2005)

    Big, ripe fruit on nose. Red cherry and raspberry flavors, still quite primary, very lush and enticing. There is clearly some heat on finish. so I think this is a wine you want to drink while primary, which makes me think it's at its peak now.

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  • 1996 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    (7/30/2005)

    Tough to assess, this didn't get much air time before serving and came across somewhat dormant. Very subdued aromas. Black, brooding fruit on palate with some trace earth hints. Very good concentration. Long and powerful finish, not showing much charm yet, but clearly showing great potential. Hold to 2010 or later.

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  • 2002 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir "Méthode à l'Ancienne" 87 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    (7/30/2005)

    Big, forward fruit on nose and palate. Good balance, but simple overall. Drink young.

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Flight 5 - Other Tastings (4 Notes)

Flight 6 (3 Notes)

  • 2004 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Grace Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (8/1/2005)

    Barrel tasting at winery. Floral start with moderate level of red fruit aromas. Red and black cherry on palate with very fine savory fresh herb flavors. Good acidity helps with energy leading to nuanced finish.

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  • 2004 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Fleur de Lis Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (8/1/2005)

    Barrel tasting at winery. Floral notes to start. Black fruit and plentiful new oak spice. Same black fruit on palate, albeit simple, with moderate length and finesse.

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  • 2004 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Jerusalem Hill 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (8/1/2005)

    Barrel tasting at winery, with two distinct components tasted. First had lots of bright black fruit aromas, very aromatics. Similar fruit on palate but modest length. Second was more floral to start, with more modest fruit and more intense structure and a longer finish. These seemed very complementary.

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Flight 15 (3 Notes)

  • 2003 Soléna Pinot Noir Grande Cuvée 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (8/1/2005)

    Tasting at winery. Ripe fruit on nose and palate. Tannins are soft and integrated, wine has maintained more acidity than many other 2003s. Good layers of flavor for a fairly straightforward, entry level wine.

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  • 2003 Soléna Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Yamhill County

    (8/1/2005)

    Tasting at winery. Good ripe fruit and that classic silky Shea texture. Good fruit, spice and acidity. I am a little concerned that the tannins might be a bit harsh, so am less confident on how this will evolve.

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  • 2003 Soléna Pinot Noir Domaine Danielle Laurent 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    (8/1/2005)

    Tasting at winery. The most interesting wine in the lineup. Good floral start with cheerful red fruit. Bright red fruit on palate with a hint of cocoa, then some vanilla (from oak?). Really good mouth feel and length, this wine has some very interesting nuance and I will be interested in seeing how it develops by 2008.

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