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WBW #14: New New World Pinot Noir
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October 06, 2005
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This month's WBW theme is "New-New World Pinot Noir" -- that is to say, Pinot Noir from someplace other than Europe or California. This is a taller order than one might expect. Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult grape to grow, and finding microclimates with an affinity for it isn't easy.
My first stop was Chile. I holed up with the 2004 La Mision Pinot Noir from Vina William Fevre. Fevre is a French winemaker with large holdings in Chablis. He branched out to Chile in the late '90's. I have a certain impression of (some might say "prejudice against") Chilean wines. They can out-California California. Sometimes they can be super-ripe, over-hot, and structureless. I've had counterexamples, of course, and quality is improving all the time, or so I hear, but I seem to prefer wines from cooler climates generally.
This wine is has an soft, warm, smooth mouthfeel that is characteristic of warm-climate Pinot Noir and a slightly tart sour cherry/cranberry palate, and a bit of an alcohol flare in the finish. This tart-sour bit saves the wine, I think, from being devoid of interest. But this is not the sort of wine that I'd prefer to be drinking. I must concede that it's a fair contender among Pinots in its price range ($9). But I wasn't quite satisfied.
K&L (despite their fantastic selection) didn't have much in the way of Pinots from areas other than Europe, the U.S., and New Zealand. New Zealand wasn't specifically prohibited by our host, but I do feel that choosing a Kiwi Pinot Noir would be cheating somewhat; New Zealand Pinot Noir is better established in terms of its worldwide reputation than California Pinot Noir, so it's difficult to consider it "New-New World"
I thought that perhaps I could satisfy the spirit of the law if not
the letter by trying a bottle produced in an area not normally known
for its Pinot Noir. Not much Italian Pinot Nero makes it to these shores, and since one came recommended by K&L's very helpful staff,
I thought I'd give it a whirl.
A completely different face of the Pinot Noir grape. Minerals! Yes, you heard right. Crisp, tart, and minerally, this tasty wine reminds me far more of a good German Spätburgunder than of anything Burgundian. The mouthfeel is clean and borders on effervesence. The palate is simple and cherrylike -- little complexity here -- but what a joy to drink!
Around the internet:
Here's a fascinating article on the rise of Pinot Nero.
October 6, 2005 in blog_events, wine | Permalink
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