Blind California Pinot Noir Tasting
Gary's House in Lisle, IL
Tasted November 30, 2007 by Steve Jones with 719 views
Introduction
It was a super event hosted by Gary and Shirley, with Keith, Claudio and Azita, Ben and Laura, Eric, Francis and I in attendance. Francis did us proud for food, too. Almond crusted wings, beans, coleslaw, corn bread, brined and rubbed beef ribs and marinated pork ribs. Great job!!!
Flight 1 - Pre-Tasting (1 note)
Before the tasting Gary provided a nice Oergon pinot. We sipped and sampled as Francis brought out dinner.
Flight 2 - First Flight (5 notes)
My favorite wine of the night was in the first flight. The Samsarra was just everything for me. It hit on all cylinders. While none of these were slouches, the intense nose and flavors and complexity of Samsarra won me over. The Loring also surprised me when I went back later- it had evolved into a richer and more approachable wine. I was going a little lower but went back up to 89 and could even go higher with it. Eric had us warm up with a little rose before the "true" flight.
Smell:Intense, beautiful strawberry nose. Very elegant.
Taste: Alcohol hot, rhubarb, celery and a little tobacco. Not elegant.
Notes: Drinkable but not memorable.
Smell: Nose was hot, vegetal, earthy; the heat dissipated later and the earthiness morphed more into wet mushrooms.
Taste: The flavors matched the nose. An earthy vegetal taste overlaid by blackberries and rhubarb.
Notes: Needed more time to breathe, will get better with age.
Smell: Intense black cherry fruit and mint on the nose.
Taste: Not at all like the nose. The mint and eucalyptus was there but the wine was soft, earthy and suede-like
Notes: Lighter finish. Drinking now. I found the differences from nose to flavor to be somewhat remarkable. Two different wines.
Smell: The nose was intense and complex. Fruit forward but in such a refined and elegant way. Very interesting. All the cherry you’d expect and so many other components it was impossible to identify them all.
Taste: The flavors were equally complex and elegant. Intense cherry fruit flavors and some tannins filled the mouth and mid palate.
Notes: Exceptional wine. Will age, drinking fine now. Best of the night.
Smell: The nose struck me as almost identical to #1 but the hot alcohol was not there and it was a bit more refined.
Taste: More cherry fruit forward than 1, less vegetal, too.
Notes: More approachable early than the first wine.
Flight 3 - Second Flight (5 notes)
Eric got us a cleansing wine to sample at the start of flight 2, and he picked one to see if we agreed with Gary V on this wine. This a 2006; Gary reviewed the 2005. If the 2005 is as good, Gary was right! Overall, this was the best flight.
Smell: Some heat, tar and fruity nose.
Taste: Inky, hot and jammy prune taste. If I did not know better I would have said this was a zinfandel.
Notes: Needs to lay down.
Smell: The nose was creosote, alcohol and fruit.
Taste: The wine tasted more like a syrah than a pinot. Hot, dark, cherry flavors.
Notes: Number three of the night.
Smell: Intense strawberry and rhubarb. Complex.
Taste: Big, meaty strawberries, earthy and tasted older than it was.
Notes: I called it an older version of 3 as it was a bit more muted. Second best of the night!
Smell: A big nose, very big Calfornia pinot nose.
Taste: As with the nose, a big Cali pinot. Overpowering to a point.
Notes: Needs to get even better with age.
Flight 4 - Third Flight (4 notes)
The 2003 Kistler Kistler Vineyard at 87 Points, 2005 Kosta Browne Russian River Valley at 87-88 Points, 2005 Pisoni Estate at 87-88 Points , and 2005 Kutch Russian River Valley at 88-89 Points made for a weak flight but only due to their youth. It is far too early tell what gems are
here. Loads of potential.
Smell: Green apples, cloves and melons. Very interesting.
Taste: Hugely tannic, masked the flavors and made it hard to evaluate.
Notes: Needs to be aged. Couldn't go higher due to unknowns. Could be a hugely fanatastic bottle if it evens out.
Smell: Cherries with a little wet bandaid/latex smell. Big alcohol nose.
Taste: Hot and tannic.
Notes: Far too young to drink now. Another one that needs to wait and see on. Can't tell yet.
Smell: Big green pepper nose.
Taste: Tannic and hot, too.
Notes: This one needs even more time than the last. Wait and see.
Smell: Lots of heat, complex deep cherry berry nose.
Taste: Very cherry and hot.
Notes: Another young wine, will get better with age. A point over the last few.
Flight 5 - Dessert (1 note)
After the tasting this superb dessert wine accompanied the apple and spice dish prepared by Francis. Excellent!
Closing
I was amazed at the quality of the 12 pinots and only wish that I could repeat this in a year or two as these young wines gain some bottle age. Eric did a great job picking these wines! Thanks to him for the wine great selection, Francis for the superb dinner and Gary and Shirley for being gracious hosts.