Tasting Notes: Pinot Noirs at JavaMonkey

Note: I had hoped that Hubby would write this one, and that was the original plan, but he's swamped with work right now. He'll be covering the next one for me because I'm out of town this week.

I'm spending the week in Birmingham to help Mom out after yesterday's surgery. Hubby and I were trying to figure out when we were here last, but all we could come up with was sometime last year before September. It's been kind of strange in that everything looks much the same, but older. For example, the theater that was the nice place to see movies when I was in high school is now a dollar theater. How depressing! Have I grown out of this place, or has it grown past me in a different direction? It's impossible to say.

Drinking Pinot Noir can be like visiting a familiar place in that by now, we pretty much know what to expect, but sometimes we do get surprised. This one would've been interesting to do as a blind tasting (just ignore how much I've ranted about blind tastings in the past) with guesses as to where they were from. Here are the wines:

2008 Sherwood Estate Pinot Noir (Marlborough, New Zealand):
Okay, I have expectations for Pinots from France, California, and Oregon, but none for New Zealand. It started "hot," but opened nicely. We got pours from two bottles at the table. One was cranberry-pomegranate, and one tasted more strawberry, which was interesting. It was also "insect-approved," so be sure to keep your glass covered, or the little bugs will dive right in. And they don't spit it out easily.
Rating: Very Good; would've been Excellent at cellar temperature

2007 Lechtaler Pinot Nero (Trentino, Italy):
Another surprising place for Pinots! I'm still debating as to what sounds cooler, Nero or Noir. Berry all the way, nose to finish, with a bit of butter. We deemed this one to be "berry scone in a glass."
Rating: Good

2008 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, Oregon):
Clove on the nose and darker fruit, moving from berry but not quite to cherry yet. Has interesting savory and earthy notes as well, kind of like good cheese. This one is certified biodynamic.
Rating: Good to Very Good

Roncier (Burgundy, France):
When you've been making wine since 1842, you don't need to give much info? Cherry nose, butter balanced with fruit. Hubby noted, "Mais oui!"
Rating: Very Good

2008 Mark West Pinot Noir (California):
This one is a good, basic Pinot for beginner oenophiles. We brought it to a party last month, and it went over really well. It's kind of meaty for a Pinot with nice fruit in the middle and a hint of licorice at the end.
Rating: Good to Very Good

2008 Lange Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, Oregon):
Earthy nose, full and fruity with good acidity. Lange is always a good bet for Pinots.
Rating: Very Good

Tasting Notes: Pacific Northwest Wines at JavaMonkey's Thursday Wine Series

I almost got my wish for Pacific Northwest weather last night. A small black cloud blew over Decatur but didn't stick around long enough to do much. Oh, well.

Thanks to all of you who checked in on Twitter to play the drinking game. I tried to make it easy for you.

The wines:

2006 Four Legged White (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Riesling
Yes, this one is made in a winery just outside of Walla Walla. I know this because I've been there and have even met the dog on the label. There are a group of wineries located in old hangars near the airport, and half the fun of visiting them is to see how they converted their spaces. This one actually looked like a real tasting room.

The wine itself was billed as "off-dry," but the general consensus is that it's actually way off dry with hints of honeysuckle. The nose was misleading, being mostly mineral and lemon.
Rating: Good, would be good as a component of Kir

2007 Lange Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon):
Green apple and pineapple nose, but a good bit of mineral and lime on the palate. It gets kudos because it's a Pinot Gris that Hubby actually liked, although my preference would still be for the Big Fire, which has more fruit.
Rating: Very Good

2006 Novelty Hill Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, Washington):
Chemical cedar nose ("like licking the inside of a cabinet," one taster said). This wine is kind of like a novelty store with all sorts of odd things juxtaposed, and it's hard to tell how well they go together. The oak carries through with a vanilla butterscotch finish. I tried it with brie, a natural pairing for Chard, and found that the cheese actually killed the wine and made it watery. Confused AND wimpy? Would give it a miss.
Rating: Meh

2007 Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, Oregon):
Earthy, dark cherry nose. Decent alcohol to balance out the fruit and white pepper. When originally poured, it was a little warm. The fruit really came out after it had been chilled closer to cellar temperature. Gads, I sound like a wine snob! That can't be good, but at least the wine was.
Rating: Very Good

2005 Novelty Hill Merlot (Columbia Valley, Washington): 92% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot
A cedar/blackberry nose was a little bit of a tease because the wine was lighter-bodied than the nose had promised. Lots of smooth fruit, cedar, and butter. I said berry, others said dark plum, but you get the idea.
Rating: Very Good to Excellent

2005 Del Rio Claret (Rogue Valley, Oregon): 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 11% Malbec, and 6% Cabernet Franc
A beautiful reminder that Oregon has more than one wine-growing valley. This blend had a very alcohol-forward nose and palate, but only came in at 13.9%. Still, drinking it was like having a flaky, buttery pastry that had been covered with brandy and set alight. Yeah, I liked it. Besides, how can you not feel all classy and literary when drinking Claret?
Rating: Very Good

So that was the tasting. Hubby and I didn't remember going to any of the wineries except the first one, but we do have a picture of Montinore on our "Wineries of the World" kitchen calendar. Yeah, we're wine geeks.

Jess is always looking for new ideas and themes for tastings. If you have one, please feel free to comment. Or comment otherwise.

Opening That Bottle: Pinot Noir, anyone?

So here's the bottle of wine we opened tonight:

2005 Lange Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

For those who don't know, Open That Bottle Night is an occasion to open that special bottle of wine you've been saving. It happens toward the end of February, and we were technically a day late, but Hubby went to a hockey game last night, so we were a little delayed.

We bought this bottle in October, 2007 on our trip to the Pacific Northwest. Although Lange has pretty wide distribution, the stuff at the tasting room was really good, and we fell in love with this Pinot Noir. We've been saving it because it's a bit beyond our typical price point. The nose is of currant, dark cherry, and eucalyptus, and the palate has a bit of smoke with smooth tannin, dark fruit, and a little pepper on the very end of the finish. It's an incredibly elegant wine, and I'm glad we drank it tonight.