2009 International Pinot Noir Celebration: Pasport to Pinot
McMinnville, Oregon
Tasted Sunday, July 26, 2009 by subtlet with 1,030 views
Introduction
This tasting event is a great opportunity to try some pinot noir from around the world. The International Pinot Noir Celebration is a weekend long event with tours, lectures, decadent feasts, and wonderful tastings hosted by domestic and international producers. The Passport to Pinot event, is held after the conclusion of the conference, and is a great chance for an enthusiast on a more limited budget to taste through the wines of the weekend for just over 1/10 of the cost of full conference registration. Many of them are still poured by the producers, and the festive atmosphere seemed to still be in full swing. My friend and I arrived around 15min early, and to our surprise, that was plenty of time to score a great parking spot and be placed well for the beginning. In hindsight, I would've preferred to be a little further back in line, in the shade, but once the line moved out into the sun, we weren't going to head to the back to get out of it. There was certainly plenty of sun that day too. Thankfully it stayed away from the triple digits in the forecast, and thankfully most of the tasting took place under the ample shade of some enormous oak tries, but there was still plenty of time sweating it out in the sun. I was really worried that we'd be stuck with a lot of over-chilled wines as people tried to prevent them from getting cooked, but in the vast majority of the cases, the bottles were cared for exceptionally well, and the temperature was very reasonable. 
In many ways, this is designed as a social event, with lots of seating and wonderful food options available. Of the food offerings, Bunk Sandwiches and Bar Avignon made a memorable impression, and I look forward to visiting both. Additionally, you're presented with over 60 wines and just over 3 hours to taste them all. I'd contend that the event was NOT designed with the intent of most guests covering 100% of the wines. However, that's explicitly what I was there to do, so I had my work cut out for me. An upside to the social setting is the the lines were never very long, even for more limited wines. In one case, the wine being poured isn't going to be imported for sale in the USA at all, so it was a great opportunity to taste it.
The tasting was organized into 2 flights, the 06 wines, and the 07 wines. They also had a tent where they were pouring some library selections from previous conferences, which I have organized into a third flight.
Flight 1 - 2006 Pinot Noir (23 Notes)
Flight 2 - IPNC Library Table (7 Notes)
This table was pouring miscellaneous wines from previous years. It was a great place to spend the intermission at while they changed between 06 and 07! I was disappointed to see that the 02 wines, a vintage near and dear to my heart, were not showing well.
Flight 3 - 2007 Pinot Noir (12 Notes)
Closing
In the end, I was unable to taste everything, but I still covered a good amount of them, and I survived the heat. I was very excited to try some pinot from Austria and New Zealand as both of those were new to me. I was quite impressed with the quality of the Oregon offerings as well. A number of the producers pouring make wines I respect, but consider to be candidates for aging rather than immediate consumption. To my pleasant surprise, most of them were showing very well today, and I look forward to working through bottles of my own in the near future.
While the obvious highlights could be gleaned by taking the highest point scores, I don't feel that would do justice to some of the offerings presented. If you're at all curious I'd advise you to at least read everything that I scored 90 or higher, and will say that many 89's and some 88's are still quite enjoyable, and in some cases interesting, wines. It's great to see the excitement in the faces of the producers, and it's great to see a big community of people on hand to appreciate their efforts.
2006 Adea Pinot Noir Hawk's View Vineyard 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Nice nose here with raspberries, a bit of heat, some rich earth, and nice acidity coming through. The fruit on the palate is nice and bright and dominated by raspberry flavors. The heat shows up a bit, and the texture is enjoyable.
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2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Red Hills Estate 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
This wine has a complex and interesting nose with hints of blackberry and cinnamon wrapped up amongst cooked green peppers and cooked rhubarb scents. The wine starts out well and has some nice grape flavors, and the rhubarb comes into play on the finish. 88+
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2006 Arcadian Pinot Noir Jill's Cuvée 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Very nice rhubarb and blackberry scents on the nose along with some clean earthy notes. The wine is very light on the front with great fruit developing in the middle, but the tannins and fruit become kind of weak at the end.
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2006 Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers Vieilles Vignes 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Light strawberry scents on the nose, but little else. Pretty straightforward here. The wine is well made with nice structure, but the palate doesn't contain much more flavor than the light strawberry hinted at on the nose. The acid is decent, but over all, the wine seems pretty closed.
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2006 Soter Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Cranberries and light apple scents make up the nose on this wine, with a little bit of heat creeping in at the end. Unfortunately, the wine is a bit hot on the palate too. There are some nice blackberry flavors with lurking apple notes and gentle tannins but the heat holds it back.
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2006 Schloss Gobelsburg Pinot Noir Alte Haide 89 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
This nose is quite interesting. Right away, it reminds me of the scents in a bakery. This is not the "yeasty" smell you get from some wines, but the scent of fresh pastries and cookies coming out of the oven. There is also a hint of raspberry, and mineral notes as well. On the palate, the minerality comes in strong, and that's enjoyable. The wine is balanced and clean at the end with light plums and some fresh bread flavors making an appearance. Fun.
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2006 Rippon Pinot Noir 85 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Lake Wanaka
Vanilla oak and nutmeg dominate the nose here, and a hint of cranberry fruit shows through as well. The wine is light overall with some nice cherry flavors, and a candied note that shows up later on the mid palate. Easy drinking.
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2006 Domaine Rion Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos St. Marc 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru
Very nice nose here with blackberries and strawberries contributing scents and with a meaty prime rib scent lurking beneath all the fruit. The wine is super smooth on the front an middle of the palate delivering apple flavors that evolve to darker blackberries. The tannins are quite heavy at the end right now, and clearly suggest that some time in bottle is in order. The wine is solid and enjoyable now, but promises very exciting things with a few years to really bring out the flow across the palate. 89+
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2006 Domaine Muré Pinot Noir Clos Saint Landelin 84 Points
France, Alsace
Baked raspberry scents on the wine. Apple flavors dominate on the palate, with some nice tannins later. However it's a bit awkward as the tannins aren't integrated with the rest of the body yet.
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2006 Domaine Pavelot (Regis / Luc et Lise) Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
Heavy nose with raspberries and a distinct tomato component. The wine is light from the start with crazy minerality on the mid palate. The tannins are gentle but firm, and I like them. The fruit is very light now, but I'd like to think that a few years would bring the fruit out and really make this a solid wine.
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2006 Porter Creek Pinot Noir Fiona Hill Vineyard 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Plums and apples make up a smooth nose for this wine. The acidity is light, but it sticks around well and cleans the palate up at the end. I like that experience. There's a bit of minerality, and the fruits suggested on the nose appear, but they're quite light.
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2006 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Winemaker's Block Selection Russian River Valley 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Plums all over the nose here as well as strawberries. The nose is smooth and enjoyable. The acid is sharper on the front end of this wine, and some good strawberry flavors and tannins come in late on the palate along with a light hint of bitterness. 89+
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2006 Ken Wright Pinot Noir McCrone Vineyard 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Heavy stewed blackberries appear on the nose as well as a vegetable note. Maybe a little veggies were in the fruit stew? The wine delivers some enjoyable minerality right out of the gate and some nice tannins evolve during the course of the tasting. There's a bit of heat on it, but it doesn't hurt it much. Some nice blackberry flavors roll in nicely later on the palate.
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2006 Hamacher Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 84 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Cherries and light steak spices on the nose here. The wine has a nice approach, but some light cherry flavors only make a brief appearance on the mid palate, and then they disappear again. The finish is light as well. The wine is clean, but I want more flavors.
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2006 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Interesting green apple scents on the nose hint at some nice acidity in the wine. There are also some nice blackberry scents and a hint of lilac. The wine has a lighter body and front end but some nice texture comes into play immediately. Lighter blackberries appear on the mid palate and the tannins rise up with a bit of heat on the way to the finish. Overall the wine is clean and enjoyable.
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2006 Hanzell Pinot Noir 79 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Not sure what's going on with the nose here. It's like a pile of rotting leaves with a ripe plum sitting on top. This sensation doesn't carry to the palate. I tasted some lighter plum fruits, and some nice minerality along with some well used oak. There's a bit of heat on it though, and the nose kills the experience.
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2006 Duck Pond Pinot Noir Jory Cuvee St. Jory Vineyard 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Straightforward strawberries all over the nose here. This is just like sticking your face in a carton of berries. The fruit hits you full on when tasted as well, but it's not overbearing. The feeling of the wine is lighter, and it's clean with a bit of minerality as well. I don't find it overly interesting, but it's got some great fruit, and makes for enjoyable drinking. 87+
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2006 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Original Vines 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Cool nose with some nice cherry scents and a bit of sea spray. I don't find that too often on Oregon wines, and I like it here. The wine is clean with some nice dark blackberry fruit and enjoyable minerality that runs out on the finish. The wine is well integrated already, which I'm also impressed by. Quite nice. 90+
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2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Plum and blackberries jump out on the nose here, with some great scents of cinnamon and other spices as well. The wine has some nice mineral flavors right out of the gate. It's quite clean and exhibits some elegant tannins as the wine evolves. The spice and dark fruits deliver on the palate. This wine is lovely and well made, and I'm quite excited to see where it could go in a few years.
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2006 Demetria Pinot Noir Cuvée Sandra 86 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Red apple scents and a hint of blackberries on the nose. The apple flavors deliver on the palate. The wine is light and clear with some blackberry flavors appearing as well. Some tannins appear quite late, but they're not too integrated with the rest of the experience.
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2006 Copain Pinot Noir "En Haut" Kiser 80 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Apples and funk on the nose. The wine is light with a bit of apple flavor, but almost nothing else. Reading some of the other notes makes me wonder if this bottle was atypical.
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2006 Carabella Pinot Noir Inchinnan Carabella Vineyard 83 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
Faint plum scents show up on this very light nose. There are some apple and plum flavors on the palate, but they're quite light, and leave me wanting more.
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2006 Buena Vista Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard Series Ramal Vineyard 84 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
This nose strikes me as a full on pepperoni pizza. Wild. There is some light minerality on the wine here, and some apple flavors come into play as well, but it feels a little empty over all.
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