NC Cindy Tasting, Pinot Noir

On this occasion, NCWino, Phredd, and JohnR were joined by WIM, RDHudak and his wife Joanna, and NCWino's friend, Marvin. It was great to see Marvin coming back for another round with us, and it helped make for a huge lineup.

Many thanks to Sheila for providing the bubbly to help me continue my birthday celebration from the week before.

• NV Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Very light in the glass with lots of tiny effervescence, this shows a very light yellow-orange in the glass. The nose is light, fresh, and delicate, with apples, mineral, a bit of yeast, and just a touch of liquid Ivory dish soap (which does not detract). The palate has really nice tart green apple, some candied lime peel, a great mineral core, and a trace of challa bread on the finish. The flavors are light and crisp, with refreshing - almost bracing - acidity, but there seems to be just a hint of offsetting sweetness and the finish is really quite long and well-balanced. Sheila brought this in honor of my birthday, which made me concerned, as I'm not a huge Champagne guy. I need not have worried: this is a good one. The $63 reported price tag is plenty steep, but this one delivers. A good start to the night.

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The theme today is Pinot noir, and we have aged and unaged from France, Oregon, and California, with a lot of big names in the bunch. It was an impressive collection, and I regret not taking a picture of the lot. A full dozen bottles.

• 2007 Camille Giroud Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains 89 Points

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

  Absolutely gorgeous translucent red in the glass, with just a tinge of purple near the edges. The nose shows light strawberry and raspberry with a pleasant floral component. It is a little bit challenged on the nose, which is too bad, because I thought it was pretty enticing. The palate begins with light strawberry, but rises up to a fairly tannic mid-palate, with tart cherries and a bit of citrus. It is just a tiny bit awkward on the medium-length finish, and it has a slightly watered down mouthfeel to it, but I'm making that sound worse than it really is. Overall, this is a solid, if unspectacular, effort. Does it live up to a $43 all-in purchase price? Probably not yet, but it has enough tannin and acidity to last until some secondary flavors develop. 89 now, but with potential.

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• 1998 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Lovely and translucent in the glass, ruby red with just a tiny trace of orange color beginning to develop, this has a very nice nose of tangerine, cherry, a touch of funk, and some wet maple leaves. The palate has blood orange and delicate Rainier cherries to lead off, before the mid-palate takes over with very smooth, soft tannins and a little hint of spice. The finish is surprisingly persistent and impeccably balanced. This was opened but not decanted about an hour before consumption, and it seemed too young. Several hours later, the palate showed much more development with additional notes of ginger and added sweetness, plus, if anything, an even longer finish than it had early. Overall, this was a pretty spectacular effort, with outstanding definition, great depth and length, and a lithe beauty to it that was really quite wonderful. It is a 24-year-old Ginger Rogers in wine. Outstanding.

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• 2005 Moillard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  A little bit darker than the Arnoux, but still fairly light and quite translucent, this also has the touch of purple. The nose has light huckleberry, raspberry, and a hint of funkiness that smells a bit like laundry. The funk is noticeable on the palate too, along with some of the fruitiness, but there just doesn't seem to be a huge amount of depth and structure here. The finish is medium and quite dry. This may be in a dead phase, as I would expect a 1er Cru from a premier vintage to be showing better than this wine is tonight. Hold, and hope the $60-$100 price tag comes into its own.

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• 2005 Michel Magnien Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Aux Charmes 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

  This is the darkest wine we have had yet tonight, although it is still plenty translucent with a bit of a purple tinge to it. The nose has a boysenberry character, but it is relegated to the background behind savory notes of soy sauce, hoisin, and an unfortunate smell very similar to mold. Fortunately, none of the mold smell carries into the palate. Unfortunately, none of the savory does either, and this come across as fairly simple cherry, with tannin so mild it almost doesn't exist. It is a bit of a cliff wine, carrying through the mid-palate into a finish that is reasonably balanced, but very short and almost vanishing. The wine has a fair amount of deliciousness, so I actually think it deserves a decent rating as a wine you want to just drink. But it is hard to think of this as a serious wine that is destined to improve, and it is almost impossible to think of it as a $60+ wine from one of the best Burgundy vintages of recent memory.

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• 2005 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir The Beaux Frères Vineyard 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

  The wines keep getting darker, but so far still decently translucent. This one is not purple, but solidly ruby in tone. The nose is full of sheep funk, with some strawberry but also with a considerable cough-drop-like medicinal quality. Unfortunately, the funky, medicinal character comes across in spades on the palate, and there is very little in the way of redeeming fruit. The wine is astringent to a fault, with a finish that is mouth-drying and unbalanced. Obviously, I'm not feeling this wine, but neither was anyone else at the table. It must have been a bad bottle, because our experience was completely unlike every other tasting note I see in CT, and there was nothing even close to suggesting it was worth the reported $60+ price tag.

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• 2008 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Quite dark in the glass, this is starting to approach Cabernet-like opacity, with a younger purplish hue at the rim. The nose is bright and fresh, with lots of raspberry and a certain savory richness. The palate gives an impression of sweetness, much more so than the previous wines, and considerably more than the nose suggests. There is solid raspberry and a nice spiciness on the mid-palate, and some really pleasant pine needle and forest flavors come through on the deliciously long finish. Overall this is not overly fruity, smooth, and showing excellent complexity. Clearly an excellent example of California Pinot noir and it lives up to the $40 price point.

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• 2008 Lachini Pinot Noir Lachini Family Estate 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

  A much lighter, more appropriate Pinot color in the glass, this is bright, translucent ruby, and looks very inviting. The nose, on the other hand, is a little too inviting, with a very sweet, candy-like character. The expectation, of course, is that the palate will be a robust flavor, the way fruit candy usually is. Instead, the palate is fairly thin. The fruit is there, but just not very big, and there is very little in the way of development. You get decently balanced, slightly watered down fruit, for a medium-short length of time, and then that's it. It is quite drinkable, but just not interesting. It is what I might expect from an under-$20 Pinot, not a bottle that was reported to cost $40. So yes, it is drinkable, but no kind of QPR, and I question how long it will last in the cellar. Drink 'em if you've got 'em.

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• 2008 Donum Pinot Noir Carneros 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Quite nice looking in the glass, although just a touch too dark, the nose shows really nice smoky leaves with a hint of sweetness. The sweetness is almost like a dusting of powdered sugar, though, and there is very little actual fruit on the nose. The first thing you notice about the palate, though, is that it is still quite tannic. Once that fades a bit, some of the sweetness returns, but this comes with a nice cherry flavor. There is also a good fresh leafy taste, although there's not really much of the smoke you get on the nose. There is a good amount of cola flavor, too, and the back end brings a nice dose of pepper and pie spice. The overall impression is of a well-made wine that is very much on the young side of the development curve, with enough of both tannin and fruit to take it another 5-10 years. Right now it is right at the edge of its $60 price point, but it may well turn into a QPR down the road. If I owned this, I'd be tempted to hold for at least a year and maybe two before checking in again.

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• 2009 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée Alyce 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  This one is really dark, back to an almost Cabernet-like look, with just the barest hint of translucence to the dark ruby. For me, I rarely pick up oak flavors as pure wood, but in this case, I'll make an exception: The initial impression is like smelling the inside of a woodworking shop. It has the sweet oaky smell of a newly-turned table leg, which fortunately is backed by dark, bing cherries and blackberry fruits. Heavy on the nose for a Pinot noir, that extracted heaviness continues on the palate, as well, with more of that big, black- and dark-red-fruit character. There is an odd trace of almost carbonation to it, too, although the wine itself is not really spritzy. It just has a carbonic, slightly metallic taste to go with all the fruit. It is smooth on the palate, but doesn't yet show much in the way of subtlety. While I do like some big, full bodied Pinot noirs from time to time, and this is obviously fairly well made, it somewhat misses the mark for me, given the $41 average CT value on a limited production offering. It's a good wine, no mistake, but just not quite what I'm looking for at this price point. I would hold and hope that the wine integrates a little more with time.

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• 2011 Sojourn Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  A gorgeous, not overly dark ruby and purple in the glass, this has a very pretty, feminine nose. It is very fruity, with delicious sugared strawberry and raspberry compote, just a hint of cola flavoring, and a slightly metallic, almost zinc-like edge. The palate is sweet, but not overpowering, and just notably delicious. It has good, bright, youthful Rainier cherry and raspberry flavor, with the acidity that goes with the latter fruit when eaten fresh off the vine. Some of that zinc edge continues on the palate, as well, along with some orange oil. It does not have a lot of depth, yet, of course, being less than two years from harvest, but there is plenty of acidity and smooth tannin to hold this together while secondary flavors develop. The finish is surprisingly persistent, even young. I was about to be really impressed that this was just the Sonoma Coast bottling, which is what I intended to bring to the tasting, but it was quickly pointed out to me that I had grabbed the Rodgers Creek bottling by mistake. OK, by me. I got this on the Berserker Day offering for a mere $34, which was a steal for a wine that is this good now and with this much potential. I really like it.

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• 2010 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Darker than the Rodgers Creek which immediately preceded it, this wine still has substantial youthful purple. The nose is less pretty and more muscular than the Rodgers Creek, with a significant bit of funk which blows off quickly. There is also solid red fruit. One the palate, this comes across as a touch sweet and if anything, even more delicious than the Rodgers Creek. It still has a bit of cola, but is just starting to take on some secondary earthiness. The wine is quite acidic, with a long, mouth-watering and well-balanced finish. There is plenty of time to go with this wine, which should only get better over the next 3-5 years, but it is more than drinkable right now. Smooth, well-made, and extremely inviting, this wine just gets better as the hours unfold. The best of the California Pinots that were opened this night by a significant margin, at $44 this is an excellent buy. A magnificent effort.

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• 2011 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Tied for the darkest Pinot of the night, this still has the barest trace of translucent purple to it, but the look is pretty extracted and a little scary. The nose seems to match, with very sweet black fruit, like a blackberry and plum reduction sauce. It is quite confectionery on the the nose. The palate, on the other hand, hits your mouth like a freight train. It is huge and very tannic, without a trace of sweetness. In fact, this is like a good deal of sour cherry or even crab apple, with acidity and structure that would hold up against the boldest food flavors. Despite the immenseness of the wine, it is still smooth on the palate and well made, but it may just be too early to even rate this fairly. It would be tricky to serve with a meal at this point, certainly. Funny that this comes in as the lowest alcohol wine of the night at just 12.8%, lower even than the Burgundies. You don't need alcohol to make huge wine. I give this a 91 right now, but if I owned any, I would put them away for a minimum of 2-3 years before giving this another try, and I'm guessing it will improve in the bottle for at least 8 years. It may eventually give the Sojourn Sangiacomo a run for its money.

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We closed out with a couple of dessert wines, including the Pocas Colheita that we have been following since our very first tasting.

• 2003 Château Doisy-Védrines 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Very gold and absolutely gorgeous in the glass, with good viscosity. The botrytis is very evident right from the first moment of the pour, and that characteristic could be smelled even among all the red wines sitting open and before I could even bring the glass up for a deep whiff. There is also rich honey and fresh cream, and just a touch of balancing lemon. The honey and cream carry through on the palate, with a bigger dose of vanilla tossed in. There is some balancing acidity, but it is lower than some other Sauternes, and as a result the palate ends up with a substantial sweetness that includes a little bit of toast as the medium long finish finally fades away. Widely regarded as an above-average-but-not-spectacular vintage, this bottle makes me think that it might be better than advertised. There was good depth of flavor here and just enough acid to keep it fresh. Acid is usually considered the hallmark of a good aging vintage, but my feeling here is that as the sugar begins to recede over time, the acid will get pushed more to the fore and this vintage may well keep getting better. I may have to look for a few bottles of 2003 Sauternes to put down for the long haul to see if I'm right. Meanwhile, this bottle is frankly better than I was expecting and quite enjoyable. At $30 for the full bottle, it over-performed.

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• 2001 Tokaj Hétszőlő Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 95 Points

  Hungary, Tokaji

  Considering this is over a decade old at this point and at 5 Puttonyos of sweetness, it is still rather light in color, although fairly viscous. The nose is gorgeous - spectacular even. Cement dust, bright white and yellow floral components, a trace of bright apple blossom honey, a minimal creaminess, and some good tropical acidity, make this wine both light and deep on the nose. The palate has pineapple and bright lemon flavors as the most prominent component, meaning it is almost wildly acidic. I'm not sure I'd want this at much less than 5 Puttonyos, but with that much sweetness, the acidity ends up well-balanced. This does not yet have a lot of the "darker" flavors, but that will likely come in time. The finish on this wine lasts for a very long time, and you end up almost reluctant to take another sip for fear of disturbing the balance. But, of course, the next sip is just as good as the first. This pairs well with both highly acidic desserts like lemon squares, and with salty snacks. A truly excellent effort that should last for years if the sweetness holds against all that acidity. An excellent value at $30 per 500ml bottle.

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• 1982 Poças Porto Colheita 88 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Back to the 2005 bottling for this wine, and that's really too bad. It is extremely cloudy, possibly the most cloudy example of this wine yet. The nose shows smoke, caramel, chocolate, and toast, but none of the refreshing lighter flavors that I have come to associate with other pourings of this wine. The palate shows a sharp acidity with more of the toffee and dark flavors, but no smoothness. This particular bottling seems to be headed over the hill, as this is by far the least impressive pouring of this wine over the years. Fortunately, some of the other wines remained open....

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Great wines, but more importantly, great people providing excellent company and having a very good time together. I look forward to our next outing.