Oregon and New Zealand Pinots (and Ed Kurtzman's nose).

A recent tasting in San Francisco (Les Amis du Bourgogne, a long-running
group around the Bay Area) tried recent Oregon Pinots Noirs, with a New
Zealand ringer. Tom Elliot of Northwest Wines Ltd. hosted this time, in a
restaurant back room (with, as sometimes there, another table with another
tasting group sharing the room). 10 tasters including a guest from one of
the wineries, Domaine Serene. This group (like many similar ones) addresses
wines blind, records impressions, adds personal preference rankings for
novelty and conversational value, then combines those rankings for a group
preference ranking, unveiling and discussing the wines from least to most
favorite.

Wines were from Willamette Valley, Oregon, except Akarua 02 Bannokburn,
Central Otago (NZ), and all retail circa US $30 to 40: Domaine Serene 01
Evenstad Reserve and 02 Yamhill Cuvée, Elk Cove 02 Roosevelt,
Francis-Tannahill 02 The Hermit, Lachini 02 Lachini Family Estate, Ponzi 01
Reserve, Shea 02 Pommard Clone.

Highlights were group's (also my) first and second favorites, Dom. Serene 01
Evenstad (I found it restrained, smoky, and herbed fruit on the nose, sage
or marjoram; palate oily, very herbal, coffee; classy overall -- note that I
like high-toast Pinots such as Groffier's) and the Elk Cove 02 Roosevelt
(again restrained or reserved nose with carbonic whiff, dark rich Pinot; on
palate reserved, concentrated, mineraled, fine fruit and structure).
Francis-Tannahill 02 The Hermit was my (and group's) third choice (bananaoid
fruit on nose, bit of barnyard; slick wood, fine structure). These three
excelled clearly in group's preference rankings. Group's (also my) two
least favorites were Dom. Serene 02 Yamhill Cuvée (odd acetic-acid smell
with overnote exactly like chewable children's vitamins which, despite being
good for you as another taster reminded me, don't belong in Pinot Noir;
taste had softish approach recalling the many painstakingly insipid
California Merlots, some Port-Salut Pinot flavors, solid) and Lachini 02
Lachini Family Estate (restrained smoky pinot on nose; taste very smoky,
immature berry; well made but unexciting, the palate fruit might be thin).
The Akarua came out in the middle by preference (nose fireplace-brick smoke,
dark berries, burnt caramel; taste concentrated, mineraled, hard Burgundian
structure, a little clumsy like some young Côtes-de-Nuits, give it a little
time and see).

Coincidentally, conducting at the other table in the room was Ed Kurtzman,
long-time regular too of the Amis group and a local winemaker (at Testarossa
for some years). Ed K, besides being soft-spoken and gracious, has a good
professional nose. It was he who caught a whiff of controversial
Brettanomyces at a tasting years ago with the same group, and rather than
anyone wonder about it, promptly sent a sample for lab analysis (result
positive). During a quiet moment after both tables tasted their wines, Ed
came over and visited, and one of the wine merchants at our table poured a
blind sample from a bottle of a "mystery" wine he had brought (a 1994 Oregon
Pinot, holding up well). Ed took a sniff from the glass and asked eagerly
"1994 Oregon Pinot?" (Causing approval and professional congratulation
among others in the business who were present.)

Forgot to mention: The NZ Pinot (Akarua) had a screw top (requiring
therefore decanting into another bottle to preserve the blindness of the
tasting, because none of the others use this closure, yet).

-- Max

Thanks for the interesting notes, Max. FWIW, I've been generally quite
disappointed with the Oregon Pinots I've had. I've heard lots of good
things about Dom Serene, so your notes are both encouraging and
distressing given their first-and-last place finish (different years
could account for some of this difference, I suspect). I had the Ponzi
'01 Reserve at their wine bar last Xmas and (as usual with them) was
underwhelmed by it. However, I should add that on that same trip we had
some very fine PNs from Torii Mor.

Mark Lipton

"Mark Lipton" in message ...
> FWIW, I've been generally quite
> disappointed with the Oregon Pinots I've had. I've heard lots
> of good things about Dom Serene, so your notes are both
> encouraging and distressing given their first-and-last place
> finish . . . I should add that on that same trip we had
> some very fine PNs from Torii Mor.

The tasting group that did this is organized around Burgundies and has
Burgundian tastes. (One or two regulars are commercial Burgundy buyers
whose US shops some of you here have cited enthusiastically on other
occasions). Despite uneven results from Oregon in general that I also have
experienced, well-chosen Oregon wines show well at tastings of this group,
usually organized by the same host I cited. (First Oregon vintage I
encountered there was the 1994. Various winemakers including the Ponzis
have joined these tastings as guests.) Sometimes Tom E. even works an
Oregon ringer secretly into a Burgundy tasting and it does well.

Bottle variation could be a factor in the low-preference Domain Serene wine.
I saw a comment on a private food Web site, where I posted the same TN, from
a person who just tasted the same wine and found none of the negatives I
did. (Or perhaps it was that we tasted it blind alongside some very good
competition.)

I have a couple of past years of Torii Mor in storage. A reader of WCWN
reported not long ago that (properly stored) they are tending to age fast
and pass their prime. Just a data point, I have not opened any myself.

-- Max

"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> FWIW, I've been generally quite
> disappointed with the Oregon Pinots I've had.

Yeah, me too for the most part - but the 1998 Broadley showed me that Oregon
has promise. I've had one or two since that were pretty good too.

Tom S

"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> FWIW, I've been generally quite
> disappointed with the Oregon Pinots I've had.

Yeah, me too for the most part - but the 1998 Broadley showed me that Oregon
has promise. I've had one or two since that were pretty good too.

Tom S