Wine Club Bonus Tasting – Pinot Noir

With the rest of the leftover money we had from our monthly Wine Club meetings we got to do two ‘bonus’ tastings. Last month we looked at dessert wines for the first bonus tasting –

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2009/10/wine-club-bonus-tasting-late-harvest.html

This month we looked at Pinot Noir. I like using Pinot Noir in a bonus tasting vs. in a regular tasting where every member takes home a bottle due to Pinot Noir being such a inconsistent grape. This way if the Pinot isn’t very good, we just lose the cost of the bottle and when you are splitting the cost 11 ways, it is a cheap way to try it.

Here is the LCBO Information (with pictures) on all 3 Pinot Noirs that we tried –

DOMAINE TAUPENOT-MERME GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2005

VINTAGES 87023
750 mL bottle
$49.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Domaine Taupenot-Merme
Release Date: Aug 28, 2009

Description - Gevrey-Chambertin produces some of the most exciting wines in the Côte de Nuits region of the Côte d'Or. It is said that Emperor Napoleon preferred the wines of this region above all others. In a vintage such as 2005, you don't have to be an emperor to appreciate or afford these wines. At every level, from quality village wines such as this to single-vineyard expressions like Domaine de la Vougeraie's Les Evocelles and La Justice (in this release, +088732 and +088740, respectively), spectacular wines were created.

ANDREW RICH CUVÉE B PINOT NOIR 2006

VINTAGES 127043
750 mL bottle
$33.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Oregon, United States
By: Andrew Rich Wines
Release Date: Jul 4, 2009

Tasting Note - This wine's fresh woodland berry scent melds with spice mix, sassafras and pink pepper. Its youth doesn't get in the way of its fineness, with ripe fruit pulled into line by fine acidity and the clean grip of fruit tannin. For roast chicken. Score - 92. (Wine & Spirits, Feb. 2009)

WILD ROCK CUPIDS ARROW PINOT NOIR 2007

VINTAGES 61242
750 mL bottle
$24.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: New Zealand, New Zealand
By: Kobrand Corporation
Release Date: Aug 1, 2009

Tasting Note - From Craggy Range, the 2007 vintage was harvested at 24 brix [approximately, the percentage of residual sugar in the grapes at harvest] and matured for six months in French oak (15% new). Full of drink-young charm, it's ruby-hued, with strong cherry, plum, spice and herb flavours, a gentle seasoning of oak and ripe, smooth tannins. Score - 3 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Michael Cooper, Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines, 2009)

Here are my tasting notes for each of the wines –

ANDREW RICH CUVÉE B PINOT NOIR 2006

Nose – Fresh Strawberry, White Pepper
Taste – Fresh fruit mix but with a sharp finish

WILD ROCK CUPIDS ARROW PINOT NOIR 2007
Nose – Strawberry Jam and Raspberry
Taste – Very fruit forward, strawberry flavour thoughout with a lovely smooth finish

DOMAINE TAUPENOT-MERME GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2005

Nose – Green pepper, Leather, Smoke
Taste – Sour Cherry and pepper.

Trying the wines before the food, the Wild Rock Pinot Noir was easily the crowd favourite; with its fruit forward flavour and smooth lingering finish it was a very approachable wine. We tried the wines again with Lamb Stew and French Bread and this time it was a tie between the Wild Rock and the Domaine Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin. I personally found the Wild Rock with the food became a bit jammy whereas the fruit and complexity of the Domaine Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin was a nicer pairing.

It was a fun tasting and it is always interesting when the lowest price point wine (the Wild Rock) is the one that everyone is talking about.

We aren’t meeting in December as that is always a busy month but will be starting the new session in January.

Cheers!

Mark