It’s the PINOT stupid!
Recently, I was lucky enough to attend the 7th Annual Passion for Pinot Summit. This was an opportunity for the Pinot Noir lover, Press & Trade to get together and have a Pinot Noir Taste-Off.
This is a unique event that really pulls the lid off of wine judging, and allows the average Josephine to become a wine judge for a day. While the officially judges taste 32 wines each day for an eternity until the contenders were whittled down, the attendees at the Summit were given the top 44 wines to taste blind in The Final Showdown. Additionally, the attendees at the Pinot Summit got to vote on our top 3 wines, in a Girls vs. Boys challenge, that shows us that there really is a difference in biological palates.
Below are my tasting notes from my favorites, plus the group winners by gender, and the over all judges winners for kicks. I’ve also included some tasting notes, just cuz, well, they help! Here are my 90+ pointers.
Color
Points
Tasting Notes
Wine Name
Lilac92Rich spices, black raspberry. Dr Pepper, lavender. HerbsFort Ross 2005 Estate ReserveBlack92Brick color. Cherry, chocolate, black cherrySonoma Coast Vineyards 2005 Freestone HillsRed92Deep dark rich red. Bright red fruit, cherry cola. Brown sugar, raspberry jam. Black cherry. Baking spices.Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Rdige VydChartreuse92Pale, light, cola. Very light, dried oranges.Bargetto 2006Dark Red91Pomegranate, red zinger tea, strawberry jamRN Estate 2007 Fiddlestix VydKhaki91Cherry cola, slight barnyard that blew off. Pomegranate, bright cherries, bark, mushroomsSegue Cellars 2007 Filligreen VydCoral90Back cherry, dark earth. Roses & lavender. Herbaceous. Zesty.Heart O’ The Mountain 2006 EstateBlue/Green90Light juicy, cloves & spice, mince meatAdobe Road Winery 2006Blue90Big spicy fruit. Dr Pepper.Vision Cellars 2007 Coster VydsDeep Purpple90Bronze red. Rhubarb pie, spicy smokeLonder Vyds 2006 ParabollPeriwinkle90Very light. Nice balance, light spice. Cherry.Claiborne & Churchhill 2006 Twin CreeksPumpkin90Raspberry, cranberry, hibiscus, great with food.Brutocao Cellars 2006 Estate BottledPurple90Big rich syrah like. Blackberry Jam.David Brucie Winery 2005 Reserve
Once the business was out of the way, the wines were unveiled, and we were invited to the Grand Tasting reception. This was when we matched our favorite wines, previously only identified as colors, to their names. This was also when we could see the medal winners from the official competition, as well as try some other offerings from the participating wineries.
Here’s how my top three compared to the rest of the attendees:
Summit Men
Panel Men
Summit Women
Panel Women
Purple- David Bruce 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir, Sonoma CoastRed- Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noit, Sonoma CoastRed — Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noit, Sonoma CoastTurquoise — Bohemian Vineyard 2007 Freestone Estate Pinot Noir, Russian RiverPeriwinkle- Claiborne & Churchill 2006 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir, Edna Valley (Periwinkle)Coral- Heart O’ The Mountain 2006 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz MountainsTIED FOR SECOND: Orchid — Lucienne 2006 Lone Oak Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
AND
Purple- David Bruce 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir, Sonoma CoastTIED FOR SECOND:
Khaki — Segue Cellars 2007 Filligreen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley AND
Black — Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2005 Freestone Hills Pinot Noir, Sonoma CoastRed- Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noit, Sonoma CoastPurple- David Bruce 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir, Sonoma CoastPumpkin- Brutacao Cellars 2006 Estate Bottled Pinot Noir, Anderson ValleyPeriwinkle- Claiborne & Churchill 2006 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir, Edna Valley
I love how I get to compare my pallate to the “official judges” pallates, and see the results. Looks like
Purple, Red, Coral, Khaki, Black & Periwinkle all ended up on both winners plates!
Thanks much to Affairs of the Vine for the invitation and the fun day! I hope everyone goes out and buys Pinot. There are great finds at every price point, and it’s a very versatile beast.
Happy Drinking!
