Pinot Noir – Burgundy Style around the World (12/04)

Description

Tasting Notes from the Previous Pinot Noir Masterclass

Grevrey Chambertin

Conclusion: Buy at the right price, decant one hour, enjoy.

The start of the tasting and the reference point, when discussing Burgundy-inspired Pinot Noir styles around the world.

 

Maybachfarm

Conclusion: Value-for money champ, nice, easy, enjoyable, terroir-typical.

Clear color, intense ruby, very lively color. Clear freshness and acetonic aspects in the first sniff, probably acidic, refreshing, and potentially chemical. Fresh cherries, a bit to the sour side, raspberries, much resemblance of cranberry juice. Typical German matchstick character. Damp, without being earthy, hint of vegetal ideas, further indicating the cold climate. Refreshing acidity, mild tannins, greatly extracted and supported by careful maturation in old oak. Great example for a youthful, fresh Ahr wine. 91 Points Juuls.

 

Frank John 2019

Conclusion: Decant one hour, simply enjoy.

Clearly unfiltered, sedimented, between pinkish and ruby in color. Fresh vibrant nose, a bit farty, and reductive. Ripe strawberries, strawberry-vanilla jam, raspberry, herbal aspects as mint, light pepper. Juicy in the mouth, soft and velvet tannins beautifully integrated. Soft acidity, playing nicely with the mature fruit aroma. A juicy wine, perfect to enjoy now. 92 Points. Manfred & Co.

 

Frank John 2020

Conclusion: Put in cellar, forget about it.

Clearly unfiltered, but softer in the color expression, more to the light ruby side. Nose strikingly unripe and green, the typical character of a winemaker working with the vintage at hand and bringing out its unique characteristics. Cool vintage for this part of the Pfalz. Freshness and vegetal aromas dominating, raspberry, unripe strawberry, cherry, green bell pepper, nearly as intense in Bordeaux wines, beautifully showing the coldness of the vintage. Striking acidity, fresh fruit palate, well-integrated tannins. Not a wine for now, but to be aged significantly over the years, probably 10+ years before drinkable. Potentially 94 points. Manfred & Co.

 

Flat Rock

Conclusion: Shows its terroir, but go for the single vineyards.

Intense ruby in color, something bloody and animalic in it. Aggressive green nose, paired with unripe fruit and subtle new oak influence like used vanilla beans and burned coconut oil. Rustic in its style, immature and unripe, exactly as you would expect it from a cold-climate Pinot Noir. For an entry-level wine of this producers, beautifully composed and balanced, integrated oak on the palate, striking acidity, freshness, and impression of 3-5 years developing potential. However, it stays an entry-level wine from a cold-climate region, yet a good one. 88 Points. Juuls

 

Illahe

Conclusion: Makes me happy at a restaurant.

Oregon Pinots have for some reason this typical color play in the glass, intense, yet subtle, pinkish-ruby hint, nearly like a royal purple touch to it. Juicy, intense, and lively in the nose. Strawberry jam, vanilla and coconut which clearly indicate a good share of new oak here (probably 30%). But also, the rustic aromas of old oak, a typical, Burgundy-inspired blend of oak use to build up such a fairly mature Pinot Noir. A high level of floral aromas and ripeness in the nose, silky. 92 Points.

 

Eden Rift

Conclusion: Good wine, go for the single vineyards, and more moderate years.

Very classic Pinot Noir color, with few hints of warmer climate and more intense color extraction. Ripe cherries and ripe strawberries in the nose, intensifying the warmer climate effect. Peppery, creamy, malolactic light vanilla and coconut note, yet clear signs of a subtle new oak influence. Well-integrated in the nose. However, the structure clearly shows a 2018 wine, certain lack of acidity, too full body and high alcohol and not enough substance to carry it. Beautiful, great to drink now, but not much more potential. 90 Points. Americanwines.dk

 

Elephant Hill

Conclusion: Clearly the weakest wine of the tasting. Not worth the DK price.

Clear, light and ruby color, seeming nearly a bit artificial after this lineup. Nose does not tell us much, despite it being Pinot. Certain cold climate hints, a bit resemblance to Ahr (Maybachfarm) without the typical German reductive touch, instead some rather typical Oceanic idea of Eucalyptus, mint, or alike. However, not very pronounced, and mainly a cherry explosion without much depth to tell more. Probably a challenge in blind tasting and a typical product because NZL wines are appealing to most consumers, not challenging, easy acidity and tannins, fruity profile, but not the complexity that you would like from a wine. The producers make great stuff. But this entry-level wine is not work your money. 84 Points. Juuls.

 

Ritual

Conclusion, Meaty and edgy, but a bit too jammy and unintegrated structure.

Surprisingly enough, the wine in the lineup being closest to the original color tone of the Gevrey Chambertin we started with, and most true to the textbook definition of a Pinot Noir. Nose is surprisingly edgy, a bit like being hit in the face and being confused after it for a second. Meaty, baconish, nearly like Pinotage quality. Fruit rather cooked cherries and raspberries, jammy, sweet. Some typical animalic character as typical for some of the Southern American wines. Palate comes of nicely acidic, clearly the wine with the highest tannins levels tonight. However, appears a little bit unbalanced, acidity not fitting in well, and the juicy and jammy aromas support by (new?) oak are overpowering the structure. A fine example, but not the highest level of possibility from Chile.

90 Points. Otto Suenson.