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Monday, January 23, 2006

Pinot Noir, News and Views

MacRostie Winery, “Keltie Brook”, Pinot Noir ...
MacRostie Winery, Keltie Brook, Pinot Noir, Carneros 2002 ($15) - Garnet color with strong black cherry, raspberry and vanilla aromas.

http://winecast.net/?p=311

Wine Tasting Note: Dashwood Pinot Noir, 2004, Marlborough, New Zealand.
Spittoon - Wine Tasting Note: Dashwood Pinot Noir, 2004, Marlborough, New Zealand.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Spittoonbiz?m=975

Medici 2000 Pinot Noir, Block I and II, Estate Reserve, Willamette Valley (Oregon) $20
When it’s good, Pinot Noir is one of my favorite wines but it’s not a wine that holds up well to mediocrity. Medici’s Pinot Noir came highly recommended by the owner of a wine shop/restaurant that I frequent. From one of the oldest vineyards in the Willamette Valley and winemaker, Peter Rosback, Medici 2000 Pinot Noir, Block I and II, Estate Reserve will turn you into a true believer of Oregon Pinot prowess.

http://grapemashstash.blogspot.com/2005/12/medici-2000-pinot-noir-block-i-and-ii.html

WBW #17: Borthwick Vineyard 2003 Pinot Noir
Personally, I had only tried one New Zealand red, a pinot noir from Spy Valley. So, after some consideration, I selected this bottle of Borthwick Vineyard 2003 Pinot Noir. Comments: While not offensive, this wine was underwhelming At this price point, I expect to get a little more -- even from the sometimes-pricey pinot noir.

http://lennthompson.typepad.com/lenndevours/2006/01/wbw_17_borthwic.html

The Dining Room, Spencer on Byron, Takapuna
The wine list is sound — and excludes the stratospheric price levels — with our mainstream choices of the Chard Farm chardonnay, C.J. Pask Gimblett Road merlot and the excellent-value Rabbit Ranch pinot noir all doing the job.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=46&ObjectID=10364791

Sebastiani Merlot, Handley Pinot Noir
I had a glass of Handley Pinot Noir, which by itself was pretty good, but even better when paired with the pomegranate glazed pork ribeye. It didn't impress me quite as much as Taft Street's bargain Pinot Noir (also about $15) but I'd be willing to try it again.

http://everydaywinepairings.blogspot.com/2005/12/sebastiani-merlot-handley-pinot-noir.html

A to Z Wineworks Oregon Pinot Noir 2003
A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir '03 is a blend of 20+ wines from 16 estates, aged in 40% new French oak. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied for a Pinot Noir, fleshy with tart acidity.

http://volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/2005/12/a_to_z_winework.html

Benton-Lane Oregon Pinot Noir 2003
Benton-Lane Oregon Pinot Noir 2003 is a blend of seven clones grown on estate vineyards in the southern Willamette Valley, between Corvallis and Eugene.

http://volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/2005/12/bentonlane_oreg.html

Martin Ray Angeline Mendocino Pinot Noir 2004
Martin Ray Angeline* Mendocino Pinot Noir 2004 is 96% Pinot Noir, 4% Sangiovese. Courtney took Martin Ray, while Derek became proprietor of the Purple Wine Company, which markets the popular Mark West Pinot Noir, as well as Avalon and Rock Rabbit labels.

http://volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/2006/01/martin_ray_ange.html

Oregon Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is recognized worlwide as a great wine grape. It can be a difficult grape to grow prone to almost every affliction know to affect the vine. It is also a difficult wine during the fermentatio process prone to acetification and problems with color retention. Oregon wineries produce prize-winning Pinot Noir with surprising regularity.

http://www.allorwines.com/?p=6

Argyle Pinot Noir 2003
Could be due to the fact that I've never spent over $20 on a bottle of Pinot Noir.

http://waterintowino.typepad.com/water_into_wino/2005/12/argyle_pinot_no.html

so then Pinot Noir goes to Grenache: You bring me downstream
Here we have a wine made from Pinot Noir and a Côte du Rhône wine. And as for contrast, what could establish a greater gap than comparing the humble descriptive record of Grenache to the storied accomplishments of Pinot Noir. The Laroche Pinot Noir Vin de Pays D'Oc 2003 is juicy, round and refreshing.

http://weingolb.blogspot.com/2006/01/so-then-pinot-noir-goes-to-grenache.html

2003 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir
The girl I'm dating went home to California for Christmas and returned with a bottle of the 2003 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir from the Anderson Valley in Mendocino. It was an excellent Pinot Noir, and even more fun to serve because I'd started out the evening with my old favorite, the sparkling pinot noir from Domaine Ste. Michelle.

http://wine-by-benito.blogspot.com/2006/01/2003-navarro-vineyards-pinot-noir.html

Fermenting Change
Casual wine drinkers don't associate Corralitos, Calif., with premium, coastal pinot noir production. It's a classic "slow and steady wins the race" scenario, and with pinot noir, a notoriously fickle grower and thin-skinned grape, ideal conditions become that much more important in producing consistent fruit.

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/01.18.06/wineries-0603.html

WBW #17: Kim Crawford Marlborough Pinot Noir
The 2004 Kim Crawford Marlborough Pinot Noir displays a smokey nose which shrouds the fruit hidden beneath, strawberry and cherry combine with earthy tones on the palate, a light mouth weight that finishes with a little peppery tannin.

http://winetastic.blogsome.com/2006/01/02/wbw-17-kim-crawford-marlborough-pinot-noir/

Cool Australian region produces some lovely wines
You'll find some shiraz here, sure, but the dominant grape varieties in the Yarra are pinot noir and chardonnay. Pinot noir is now the most widely planted grape in the valley, followed closely by chardonnay.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/dining/13651740.htm

2003 Dry Gully Central Otago Pinot Noir
It’s dramatically beautiful, isolated and also happens to make some of the world’s best Pinot Noir. The typical style for the region is much like Oregon’s only cleaner and brighter (Oregon Pinot Noir is mainly made in a Burgundian style). Being from Oregon, I’m naturally quite partial to its local wines, but really enjoy Central Otago Pinot Noir.

http://www.delongwine.com/news/2005/12/15/2003-dry-gully-central-otago-pinot-noir/

Barringwood Park Pinot Noir 2003
I tasted the 2003 Pinot Noir blind in a line up of three and was not surprised to find it the best.

http://www.pinotisland.com/index.php?p=175

Is this the perfect excuse for missing next doors cheese and wine ...
Research by a team at the University of California, Davis, suggests that wine buffs should avoid pairing cabernet sauvignon with camembert or pinot noir with Pont l'Evque if they want to appreciate their cellars to the full. The researchers selected two bottles each of pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1995753,00.html

Tutored Tasting - Tasmanian Pinot Noir Terroir
Migration Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) 2002

http://www.pinotisland.com/index.php?p=183

Texas-size talent to make West Coast Pinot Noir
How else to explain how three Texans, whose only wine experience came as salesmen in Austin bottle shops, became winemakers 1,800 miles away, wrangling with the most cantankerous wine to make, Pinot Noir? The two stores helped create a fan base for Pinot Noir in Austin.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/19/WIGNAGN5021.DTL

Migration Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) 2002
2002 Huia Marlborough Pinot Noir

http://www.professorbainbridgeonwine.com/2006/01/migration_pinot.html

Sonoma Coast winemakers living on the edge
Mostly they are planted with pinot noir, a grape that is finicky and difficult to grow in the best of conditions. Thomas Brown, who in 2001 bought 40 acres, or 16 hectares, near Annapolis, north of here toward Mendocino County, is one of many who found inspiration from the 1988 Williams Selyem Summa Vineyard pinot noir.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/22/travel/trwine.php

Fell forests to make wine?
In the fog-shrouded forests of California’s remote North Coast, winemakers believe they’ve found the perfect terrain to grow the notoriously fickle pinot noir grape prized by connoisseurs. “If you’ve seen the movie, you’ve seen the glassy-eyed stare they have when they talk about their plans to produce pinot noir up here,” said resident Chris Poehlmann, who opposes vineyard conversions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10946211/

Lincourt 2002 Santa Barbera County Pinot Noir
For the Pinot Noir lover this should be a must taste.

http://www.vancouverwine.com/pivot/entry.php?id=22

2002 Huia Marlborough Pinot Noir
Anyway, thanks to the Whole Foods Palo Alto, purveyor of soups far superior to the Whole Foods San Franciscos, I found a couple of bottles of New Zealand Pinot Noir, any one of which would do for the Kiwi Red theme this month.

http://www.thisheaven.com/2006/01/2002_huia_marlb.html

Vintage Wine Trust nabs Central Coast winery
The newly acquired winery on Corbett Canyon Road is located in San Luis Obispo County's Edna Valley appellation, known for producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Rhone varietals.

http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2006/01/16/daily42.html?jst=b_ln_hl

de Loach 2003 California Pinot Noir
In Red wines | The Wine Tasting

http://wine-tasting-society.co.uk/de-loach-2003-california-pinot-noir

Cono Sur Pinot noir Chile Rapel Valley 2005
In Red wines | The Wine Tasting S...

http://wine-tasting-society.co.uk/cono-sur-pinot-noir-chile-rapel-valley-2005

Wave Magazine
Testarossa Palazzio, Pinot Noir, $40 Wave Magazine,CA- Jan 11, 2006Anyone who fancies themselves a bit of a wine connoisseur knows that you don’t pronounce the “T” at the end of cabernet or merlot. ...

http://www.thewavemag.com/pagegen.php?pagename=article&articleid=25664

Vache Pinot Noir honors its roots in Burgundy
The Vache Pinot Noir 2001 is sophisticated and tender. Don't miss:Vache Pinot Noir 2001 Cienega Valley, California, $39. There's nothing more seductive, exotic and elusive than the fragrance of superlative Pinot Noir.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/LIFESTYLE05/512290413/1042/LIFESTYLE05

Cefalo has 6 wines that score points
"This is from our good friend and favorite pinot noir maker Donald Patz.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-licefalo-wineboxjan23,0,4591444.story?coll=sfla-features-headlines

Fire up the grill -- and your imagination
A California Pinot Noir would be my choice, although an un-oaked Chardonnay would be interesting.

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/390534.html

Pooley, Home Hill are top drops
The Home Hill Pinot Noir 2003 is our best red, according to the well respected judges. Other prominent awards went to Crosswinds BBD Chardonnay Pinot Noir 1999 for Best Sparkling Wine, Moorilla Estate Riesling 1989 for Best Museum Wine, Bass Strait Pinot Noir 2004 for Best Value Wine and Craigrow Riesling 2003 as the Chairman's Selection.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=326175

Grape growers hoping for good harvest
Don Petrie from Petrie Vineyard checks out the progress of pinot noir grapes on his vineyard near Chertsey. “The yields are looking good,” said Paul Philips, owner of Sirocco Wines in Rakaia, who grows three hectares of pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling grapes.

http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=6663

Wine Concierges Rescue Messy Collectors With Scanners, Bar Code
When someone from Merry Edwards winery called recently to offer him 2002 Olivet Lane Pinot Noir, Day quickly discovered he already had six bottles.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aCRK4X89rurw&refer=europe

Beyond Burgundy
"Sir, I may have to confiscate your three bottles of Central Otago pinot noir," said the security officer at Auckland airport, as I prepared to fly home last Friday after two winefocused weeks of touring New Zealand.

http://www.nysun.com/article/26049

Pinot craze sows seeds of conflict
Residents of Annapolis, a small town about 100 miles north-west of the famous wine area of Napa, are fighting the conversion of nearby coastal areas into pinot noir vineyards, which they claim destroys forests and wildlife habitat, erodes soil and pollutes rivers. In the film Sideways, the central character extols the virtues of the pinot noir grape and lambasts merlot.

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=108622006

Red wines | The Wine Tasting S...
Aroma - earth and mushrroms - smells lilke a pinot noir!

http://wine-tasting-society.co.uk/taxonomy/term/1/0

San Mateo Daily Journal
He spends most of his time in Hillsborough, but his true love rests in hills of Rutherford where he produces about 5,000 cases a year of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=53790

Corks
Vancouver Courier | Friday Jan 20 ... 1), Alsace at Le Crocodile - Pinot Noir: Thinking, Drinking Tags:

http://www.vancourier.com/issues06/013206/dining

Heartbreak grape for Feb. 14
Vancouver North Shore News,Canada- Jan 16, 2006... everywhere. Esser Pinot Noir 2004. Manfred ... notes. Plenty of bang for the buck at $16.49 (BCLS). Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir 2004. This ...

http://www.nsnews.com/issues06/w011506/013106/taste.html

Worthy Wines for Thai With Di
His recommendation was that we try some Sauvignon Blanc, a dry Riesling (he mentioned Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling as “specifically created for that kind of food”), and perhaps a Pinot Noir. We tasted three wines with our meal: 2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, 2002 Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling, and 2001 Byron Central Coast Pinot Noir.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=4884

feBusiness Traveller
A DiGiorgio Pinot Noir, though rare in the region, with generous frames of oak did only too well for me. By the time I arrived at Chain of Ponds for a Pinot Noir tasting that I had been saving my sobriety for, I was at about the threshold.

http://www.businesstravellerindia.com/200601/gourmetcorner03.shtml

A case of pinot envy
Pinot noir winemakers are potty about clones, but should drinkers really care? Which is a roundabout introduction to a story on clones and how absolutely potty pinot noir makers are about them. Anyway, Jensen is happy with his clonal selection and that's important for pinot noir makers, because no other variety mutates into so many variables - low-yielding, high-yielding, big berries, small berries, thick-skinned, thin-skinned, light-skinned or dark-skinned.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/epicure/a-case-of-pinot-envy/2006/01/16/1137259986542.html

Vintage Wine Trust acquires new vineyard, winery and associated ...
Jan20,2006-Included in the acquisition are a 63-acre vineyard planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, a winery, office building, tank building, and bottling and storage building. The Edna Valley appellation is known for producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Rhone varietals.

http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/newsmaker_article.asp?idNewsMaker=10019&fSite=AO545&next=7

The Weight of Wine
On the other hand, reds like Bardolino, Pinot Noir, and Beaujolais are often more pleasant when served slightly chilled, between 55 and 60f .In a fuller-bodied red, heat attenuates our sensitivity to tannin and acidity.

http://entertainment.mainetoday.com/dining/sommelier/004449.html

Central California Coast overflowing with wineries
Wine drinkers cannot get enough of the flavorful and (still) inexpensive pinot noir, while interest in merlot wanes. Among the big names from the area — the ones you’ve probably heard of — include Tobin James, J. Lohr, Firestone, Foxen, Zaca Mesa, Bella Luna, Martin and Weyrich, Blackstone, Chalone, Rabbit Ridge and, of course, Sanford, the pinot noir so coveted by Miles from the Oscar-nominated wine country comedy-drama.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=57267

Blockbuster lunch goes over budget
Here is the label's info: Sundance, Grown, Produced and Bottled by Benton-Lane Winery, Monroe, Oregon, Pinot Noir 2002, Willamette Valley. What you're looking for is the 2002 Benton-Lane Pinot Noir Estate, which had a suggested retail price of $20.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/13646455.htm

WBW #17 Red Kiwi Zenith Vineyards Pinot N...
I chose a pinot, Zenith Vineyards Pinot Noir 2003. The silty, fertile alluvial soils and long, cool ripening conditions in the South Island regions of Marlborough and Nelson produce vibrant, fruit-focused Pinot Noir with strong cherry and plum flavors. Although it is the Sauvignon Blanc that is the crown of Marlborough, acclaimed as among the best in the world, the quality of New Zealands Pinot Noir has come an astonishingly long way in the past twenty years.

http://www.thewinegiftguy.com/index.php/2006/01/04/wbw-17-red-kiwi-zenith-vineyards-pinot-noir-2003/

On your Marks if you want to bag some bargain bottles
Well, Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2004 (£9.99, Sainsbury's) is the liquid incarnation of the stuff, an intense New Zealand red that also reminds of treacle tart, with raspberry, leather and chocolate-coated raisins thrown in for good measure.

http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=97842006

East Bay Events
Newly released wines include 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley; 2004 Estate Bottled Pinot Noir; and 2001 Brut Cuvee, Napa Valley.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_3413642

Cheese spoils fine wines - so stick to the plonk
Where the tasters would have expected to hold forth on the berry and oak flavours of a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon or the light tannins of a pinot noir, it was found they were indistinguishable from a bottle of plonk.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=46&ObjectID=10364684

Environmentalists Fight Vineyards Spread
In the fog-shrouded forests of California's remote North Coast, winemakers believe they've found the perfect terrain to grow the notoriously fickle pinot noir grape prized by connoisseurs.

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/01/21/ap2466258.html

Top-flight wine tasting in Sonoma Valley
The most brilliant matchup on the current menu is a light, bright 2004 Russian River pinot noir served with "fish

http://marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_3413417

Trenton - Wine connoisseurs are catching on
A Pinot Noir was served with a Smoked Peppered Duck Salad followed by a Champagne Fruit Spritzer filled with mango, mandarin orange slices and raspberries.

http://www.communitypress-online.com/template.php?id=26031

Looking to drink less? Try lower-alcohol wines
Rose of pinot noir instead of pinot noir: It's hard to find a red with less than 12 percent to 13 percent alcohol, but you might find a few good roses, which can offer more body than light whites. An excellent find is Scott Harvey 2004 Napa Valley Rose of Pinot Noir ($15.99), a dry, crisp pick, labeled at 10.5 percent alcohol.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/ENT02/601190332/1046/ENT

Alsace in Anderson Valley
Half of the valley's 2,400 acres are planted to Pinot Noir, according to Bob Nye, president of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. Compared to pricey, popular Pinot Noir, Alsatian varietals are still minor. "We're convinced of Gewurztraminer's future in Anderson Valley, which is why we T-budded five acres of Chardonnay to Gewurz in spite of the huge success of Pinot Noir in this valley," Holstine says.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/12/WIGJTGI5D61.DTL

A tip for fondue devotees
After cheese, the wines tasted flatter, with pinot noir, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon all deemed to have lost flavour.

http://smh.com.au/news/world/a-tip-for-fondue-devotees/2006/01/20/1137734154327.html

Wine Column: Winter whites satisfy summer cravings
2003 Taz Vineyards Santa Barbera County pinot noir.

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060118/ENT03/601180307

Posted by KenW at 8:18 AM
Edited on: Monday, January 23, 2006 2:45 PM
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