Four Pinot Noirs - Episode #71

August 15, 2006

episode71

2003 Fischer Pinot Noir

2002 Chehalem Ridgecrest Pinot Noir

2004 Chasseur Russian River Pinot Noir

2003 Caves De Colombe Pommard

Today tastes and reviews four Pinot Noirs from four different regions. Watch as he reviews these four and answers more viewer questions. Also a new question of the day.

78 Responses

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  1. about 5 months ago

    Purple Tooth

    QOTD: I drink wine every day.

  2. about 6 months ago

    Kristen

    I opened up a French pinot tonight, but I should have known better- it was from Trader Joes (I want to learn about the French wines that most Americans have access to). Even after decanting for 2 hours, it smelled and tasted like cigarette ash. Ugh! I kept trying it and it was better with some food, but the food acted more like a mask than a compliment. I hope that most Americans don’t base their assumptions of French wine on something they buy from a grocery store!

    QOTD: Yeah, I taste every night. I wanna be in the business, so I need to learn as much as possible. Plus, it’s always a great way to end the day- drinking wine and watching WLTV. :)

  3. about 7 months ago

    thefanjestic

    Qotd - 5+ times a week (honestly every night unless we eat at a restaurant)

  4. about 13 months ago

    WA Ambassador

    I drink about 1 bottle a day with my girlfriend.

  5. about 15 months ago

    David Canada

    QOTD - Everyday baby!….. 6 out of 7 actually but as often as possible.

  6. about 20 months ago

    ThomasS

    Yuw Gary. Nice indeed. I have somewhat awkward feelings on Pinot but they can certainly be great juice. Still, man you have a very traditional choice of where your Pinot’s come from. Come on man, Pinot from Austria, the Spätburgunder thing, that’s nothing so special, it’s all over the *** place here! No, kidding. But anyway: why not a German Spät, an Italian Pinot Nero, a Hungarian/Romanian Pino Neru or even smth from NZ? I think they are mostly better in QPR, really, especially the Italian ones ;-), and I tell you this: Austrian Spät, I really never had a WOW-one, really never, Germans are much better in my experience (whatever …). Maybe there are some, but I haven’t had them yet, and oh, man, you don’t want to know how much of this Austrian junk I already drank. Barnyardy wine on skis, or expensive schnappsy disasters (like you had), yuk, yuk, yuk.
    Great episode though :-D . Had an Oregon Argyle Pinot 2001 yesterday, very, very profound bottle of wine. I was certainly intrigued.
    QOTD: 5 days a week, the rest is beer time! Have a nice weekend, I’m gonna sip my Rochefort 10 (trappist ale) and play some music. C ya!

  7. about 25 months ago

    P. Hig.

    Gary
    you are a smart man and you know a great deal about the grape. Your knowledge or at least discussion of pinot, and particularly burgundy, to the extent that you dicuss it at all, is to my mind not up to snuff. 1st: What the heck is Cave de Colombe? Where did you find this stuff? I take it is a negotiant (as the name suggests). In any case, seems a little odd as representative of what Burgundy can produce. How about using Bouchard or Jadot instead if you are going the negoce route? Second, why a 2003? When you start talking about bacon in your tasting profile of pinot it freaks me out. Bacon is Syrah. In pinot something is up. OK so 2003 is the closest Burgundy will ever get to Rhone (or at least I hope so). In 2003 just about every wine tasted like it came from the south. Why not
    use a 2002 or 2004, both relatively terroir driven vintages? Another thing, why have the Burgundy last? It MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE! of course it doesn’t stand up to the new world stuff. Neither does being caressed with a feather after you have been hit over the head with a baseball bat. That is why New World wines do well against old world wines in comparative tasting. All subtlety is lost.
    Finally, the idea that you don’t take ageworthiness into account kind of bothers me. If I am to understand, you are recommending wines for immediate consumption. If that is the case, I won’t by anything you recommend that costs over twenty bucks because I don’t want to spend more than twenty bucks on something I am expected to drink now. A great wine (or even a really good one) should be ageworthy. You know as well as I do that your Russian River pinot (an area whose wines I know fairly well) won’t last more than two or three years. That, to me, makes it something I’m not that interested in. I’d rather drink a good $15 Bourgogne with some acidity to it and no “road tar.” Geez…why the hell have Pinot at all if they all are aiming to be zin?
    Anyway, if you weren’t doing a good job (that is, interesting work) I wouldn’t watch or comment. Great show on the Germans, by the way.

  8. about 25 months ago

    Markyb

    Late to the party (as usual), but still up on Friday night watching WLTV (way to keep me involved).

    So - how often do I taste wine? Not often enough … which is why I am advocating a new size - the demi-demi bottle … one glass, and I can try something new each night. Anyone?

  9. about 25 months ago

    Richard B

    I expect … this comment being #70 will likely never be read .. but just had a 99 Cote de Chalonnaise .. P. Villaine La Digoine.. talk about terroir! Tobacco, red currant, great mid palate and finish. Made my day!

  10. about 25 months ago

    Mike B

    Gary,

    Great episode although I find most Pinot Noir kinda watered down to my tasts.

    You don’t seem to sell any Norton, the “Great American Grape” wines. Why not? I’ve tried several of these and find they compare well. How about an episode dealing with several of the more well known Norton wines.

  11. about 25 months ago

    Susan

    Gary,
    Great episode!
    ok- maybe I can get an award for being the slowest to respond!
    THANKS SO MUCH for answering my questions about how much I spend on wines. That is very cool!:):):)
    I am learning sooooooo much from WLTV. Also, just in case you haven’t figured this out, I am the original tight wad sooooooo…..Thanks for saving me time and money!

  12. about 25 months ago

    sam

    I could not believe all the horrible comments you got…this people are dark!!!. I’m sorry I’m a bit behind…been busy opening my own wine boutique. Just Open this past Monday (wish me luck!!). I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who tries to tame the wine-geek in within and enjoys wine for what it truly is….

  13. about 25 months ago

    TimF

    If you read the biography on Parker (Emperor of Wine), the author explains that he lets the wines sit after he tastes them and then re-tastes them later on. He does this in order to guage ageability. Not exactly sure how he guages that or what he looks for later on, but that’s what the author wrote…

  14. about 25 months ago

    SeanM

    This is actually from my comment yesterday, seems more appropriate today:

    I just got back from OR and WA where I got to taste a bunch of 300 case production pinot’s as well as some great reislings, zins, and syrahs. I had a great time. My friend was laughing at me in the tasting rooms, I was lining up glasses of wine infront of me and going back to them in order to see how air was affecting them. He thought I should be ‘drinking’ faster. I pointed out that if his glass was empty he couldn’t be enjoying the wine as much as I was.

    Am I off base, was I tricking myself into thinking I was getting anything new from the wines?

    What kind of glass are you using most of the time for tasting on the show?

  15. about 25 months ago

    TimF

    Lawrence — How’d you like that Kalin Chard? I think I had a 93 last year and loved it…

    The last bottle I had was called “Sexy”. It was a bottle of Riesling from Germany. It was enjoyable. Of course my wife bought it. When I saw it I said, “you’re such a chick”.

  16. about 25 months ago

    Jim Vandegriff

    Hi Gary,
    Good episode on pinots. Perhaps an episode solely on red Burgundy would be good to explain the differences in regions. I drink wines about once or twice a week almost always with dinner, and once a month my neighborhood holds a wine tasting potluck dinner in which many bottles are shared. This Friday our potluck will feature Oregon Pinot Noir while the last one featured wines from Provence. All the best, Jim

  17. about 25 months ago

    Lawrence Leichtman

    Every day with formal tastings once a week. Last wine I drank was the 2001 Pickberry Cabernet Sauvingon from Ravenswood. This last week a 1999 Torreon Rioja, 1990 Kalin Chardonnay, 1982 Pinchon Longueville, Pinchon Lalade, Beychville, Talbot, Ducru Becalliu to anwser the previous poster. This weekend is California Pinot Noirs.

  18. about 25 months ago

    kjb

    Gary -
    Appreciate the candid response. I think you are handling things the right way, which given your position is not easy with all the various constituencies to please.

  19. about 25 months ago

    Bill

    Every day. 99% red.

  20. about 25 months ago

    joe

    Mitch (post 51) and Gary (post 55):

    thanks for the insightful posts. Mitch you summed up my pinot life. I was hooked after “Sideways” on Santa Barbara pinot - - but now think that perhaps the style (although extremely pleasant and friendly) is perhaps too simplistic (overall comment - Sea Smoke as Brandon points out Smokes)? I have had some Burgundy which totally blew my mind. Burgundy is so confusing though. Gary - really what styles of pinot are you gaga over and which regions/producers should we seek out?
    Joe

  21. about 25 months ago

    Jason R.

    Drink mostly red - 2-3 times a week - work from home so open early and let most breath and have a glass while cooking, and finish throughout dinner - some now change - some amazing how it really opens up and gives you more. Some - wish you had not had a sip til the end….

    I HAVE A QUESTION: SINCE GARY V. FORGETS TO ASK A QUESTION EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE (NO ONES PERFECT) - THE NEXT TIME GARY FORGETS TO ASK A QUESTION - I HAVE A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE: “WHAT WAS THE LAST (VERY LAST) WINE THAT YOU DRANK?” I love reading the comments and would love to hear what the last thing people drank and what you thought of it - post a score 0-100. This will help me expand my drinking selection as I am stuck on Bordeaux & Cabs. Thanks - Thank you for addressing my Bordeaux question - Makes me feel like a celeb..

  22. about 25 months ago

    Italian Stallion

    I TOTALLY agree with comment # 32. That would be an AMAZING episode, as the effect of heat on wine is on everyone’s mind. Gary I usually drink about 3 bottles a week. I only drink red wines….I don’t like whites. I love California cabs, and cab blends. I also love Chilean wine.

    Gary, Please do an episode on the effect of heat on wine…..not only heat (as in a hot day), but heat as in storing wine at room temp rather then 55 degrees. I bought a wine cooler to keep my expensive wines at a constant 55 degrees for long term storage, but if we keep a wine in the kitchen at room temp (72-76 degrees) will it really have an effect on the taste.

    Thanks again Gary!! Loved the show.

    I am headed to Italy on Thursday, so I will be away for a while…..I’ll be enjoying some wine over there.

  23. about 25 months ago

    Pete J.

    7-1o X/W Thx agaian for your wine reviews!

  24. about 25 months ago

    garyv

    Mitch/KJB yes we do buy and sell a lot of Caves DC and the Pommard was by far the one that was selling the best and so I wanted to try it again. I am sure as you watch it again you will see that I was stunned that it wasn’t drinking sooo well at this point, I was expecting more, but it’s middle palate and tannis structure was much more complete then the Chahelem and that was what I based my cellaring comment on. Mitch I understand your point but not only did the Chassuer have great up front fruit, I really think it has the “gutts” to last. I know a lot of people think Cali wines breakdown. We will see over time. Trust me I think I hurt our sales of CDC yesterday more then helped, eitherway I have really no thought of sales when I do WLTV, trust me I got killed on The Frog’s Leap Zinfandel and am still sitting on tons of Miner cab and we have cases and cases of other wines I have panned! I am hear for you guys and am treating WLTV as a different world form what i do day to day.

  25. about 25 months ago

    kjb

    I’m curious to see Gary’s response to Mitch (#48), as I too have noticed that WL has a big bet on Caves de Colombe wines, in fact one of the earlier WLTV episodes was (#3 I believe) based on a Caves de Colombe CdP.

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