Sommeliers Australia USA Pinot Noir Masterclass

Rockpool Bar and Grill Sydney
Tasted Monday, August 29, 2011 by chatters with 264 views

Introduction

2 brackets of mostly Californian Pinot Noir. A bit of a treat as it is rare for us to see these wines over here

Flight 1 (5 Notes)

  • 2007 Cobb Pinot Noir Emmaline Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Ruby, clear, medium minus intensity
    Medium minus intensity, red berry, slight strawberry, slight spice, developing
    Medium acid and alcohol. Initial tart fruit that persists on the long finish. Medium minus tannin. Hmm

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  • 2006 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Ruby, clear, medium minus intensity
    Medium intensity, spice, cedar, oak, almost chocolate, over red berry and hints of plum
    Slightly burnt but not jammy red fruit. Long finish, white pepper, Medium acid, alcohol, body, flavour intensity, tannin. Dry. The wine is balanced and the flavours grow in the mouth. Hmm

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  • 2006 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Comptche Ridge Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

    Ruby, bright, medium minus intensity
    Medium minus, smells of washing up, very slight fruit, sweet spice and, perhaps, a tiny hint of leather
    Medium acid, alcohol, flavour intensity, tannin. Medium plus body, Dry. Slightly bitter and green (stalks/whole bunches?), tannins embrace the mouth. In fact, this wine has a lovely mouth feel but does lack fruit. Nah

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  • 2007 Saintsbury Pinot Noir Lee Vineyard

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    Ruby, clear, medium intensity
    Light intensity nose, slight farmyard funk, slight burnt, very hard to get anything on the nose from this wine. Just the merest hints of red currant
    Medium plus body that is green (whole bunch), spice, not much fruit, long finish. It has medium plus acid and is ‘big’ for a pinot noir. The finish is slightly bitter and astringent.

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  • 2008 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Purple to ruby rim fade, clear, medium intensity
    Perfumed oak, medium intensity, cherry and berry, chocolate, more obvious – quite youthful despite oak and meaty qualities
    Peppery and spicy, stalkiness and greenness over berry fruit. Medium plus alcohol that lends a certain generous warmth to the very, very long finish. Medium plus tannins. Not what I look for in a Pinot Noir but a well made wine none the less

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Flight 2 (4 Notes)

  • 2009 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot Noir California

    USA, California

    Ruby, clear, medium intensity
    Medium intensity, red berry and slight cherry, sweet spice, slight cedar
    Medium plus acid and tannin. Medium alcohol, body, flavour intensity. Dry. Red berry, slight spice, long, growing and warm finish. Slight bitterness on the end of the finish but very nice. Best wine of the bracket for me.

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  • 2006 Calera Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan

    Medium minus, ruby, clear
    Slight farmyard funk and greenness, toast and leather over red fruit and touches of beetroot. Medium intensity – the farmyard funk blew off.
    Medium plus acid, tannin and alcohol. The grippy, course tannin and hot finish dominate bitter red fruit and carry the finish. Come back in ten years.

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  • 2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Medium minus intensity, bright, ruby
    Medium plus intensity nose, red fruit over leather and sweet spice. There is also very slight hints of farmyard funk and minor touches of struck match
    Raspberry fruit initially which is then dominated by chalky course tannin that dominates the palate and overwhelms the diminishing fruit. The wine lacks acid and has too much oak for my palate

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  • 1998 Flowers Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

    Medium minus intensity, clear and garnet
    Toasty, leather, very slight farmyard funk. Meaty and spicy. There is also earthiness and mud and a delicate perfume that is almost ephemeral.
    Medium plus acid and, despite its age, tannin. There is slight red fruit but also a rather unpleasant charred earth and struck match in the mouth. Nope.

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Closing

Oh dear...not much here for me. They're all a bit too big for me.

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