Pinot Noir Face Off – Episode #186

February 20, 2007

Wines tasted in this episode:

2005 Almarosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills
2005 Breggo Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
2005 Ap Vin Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
2003 Arcadian Pinot Noir Rio Vista Santa Rita Hills

Links mentioned in todays episode.

The Introduce Yourself Forum (Remember you have to register before you can post)

After a certain Hollywood movie Pinot Noir’s became hot. Today Gary tastes four super hot Pinot Noir’s. Sit back and enjoy!

111 Responses

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February 21, 2007

Lars
Chasing pigs in Cuba? Sounds fun. You can see pictures of this on Fidel’s department of tourism brochures. Too bad U.S. Citizens can’t go there to join in the fun. Put me down for a snout after he dies.

Hope yer having a jolly good time across the pond.
February 21, 2007

Neil
Have to try the Alma Rosa. Other Pinot’s we enjoy: Littorai, Papapietro Perry, Du Nah, TR Elliott, Three Miners (Australia). I juuust watched Sideways and have determined that the Pinot reflects Mile’s fragile ego, whereas Merlot symbolized his failed marriage. It was only after he downed the Cheval Blanc (at the encouragement of Maya) that he could let go of the past. I don’t think that he hated Merlot at all. Although the prices for Pinot Noir have skyrocketed, Merlot is a bargain right now.

Booneville is a very laid back place on the way to Mendocino. Only locally owned shops – no Starbucks – and a fairground is all I can remember.
February 21, 2007

Matt B DC
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
and thanks!
February 21, 2007

BruceP
Ok east coast denizens. Boonville is a wonderful little place in the western end of Anderson Valley on Hwwy 128, on the way to Mendocino. It’s about 20-25 miles from the coast. Sparsely populated, mainly by long-term locals and recent fugees from the Bay Area/Napa. They do indeed speak their own language called Boont, or Boontling. A telephone is a “Bucky Walter”, snobby people are “highpockety”, people who live in San Francisco are “brightlighters”, your girlfriend is an “applehead” and her panties are “golden eagles”. Supposedly there’s still a couple of dozen people in the valley who are fluent. It’s a beautiful little valley. Apple orchards used to be the big crop, along with a certain other more dubious “cash crop” grown up in the hills around the valley. Now the home of quite a bit of nice Pinot Noir vineyards, but most of that has been planted in the last 10 years or so. Navarro, Goldeneye, Lazy Creek, and several others are all here (Lazy Creek is great stuff if you can get it). Oh, people from Navarro (just west of Boonville) are called “Deependers”. Robert Mailer Anderson wrote a funny novel about the whole place back a few years ago called “Boonville” About as far from Napa as you can get. If you’re visitng NorCal, I would highly recommend visiting. And stop off at the Anderson Valley Brewery. The beer is fantastic.
February 21, 2007

Lev M.
Eugene, I remember the cream of wheat from my kindergarten as well. That smell combined with the early morning scent of old fish frying still makes me nauseous to think about it.
Does this mean that that youve gotta spend $40 to get a decent pinot noir?
February 21, 2007

ATLien
Gary-
Great show! Your tasting notes were money as always! I love the arcadian wine.

Joe Davis , the winemaker at Arcadian, is making the most age worthy beautiful pinots, syrahs, and chardonnays in all of the Santa Maria Valley. We popped a 1999 Arcadian Gary’s Vineyard Pinot next to a 1999 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny and I must say the Gary’s was drinking amazing while the Chambolle was really showing its age although still stunningly beautiful. His current release on the Gary’s in my state is the 2001. He’s a winemaker that understands that great wine takes time and he’s even willing to age it a few years for you. Arcadian has a bright bright future!

I think old and new word pinot lover should seek these wines out! They are really something special!

Cheers
February 21, 2007

wine dog
I love Pinot with food. But because of price, buying anything good needs to be done on futures and that is always a risk. The past few years I’ve bought most of my Pinot at a Santa Barbara Barrel Tasting. I try everything but end up buying my favorites like Au Bon Climat, Foxen, Lafond and Drew which tend to be more old world than the Sea Smoke and Loring Pinots which are sometimes too extracted for food.
Then I spend all the rest of my money buying Rhone blends. I’m just glad that Miles didn’t drink Granache or that would be out of my price range too!
February 21, 2007

Lawrence Leichtman
What I remember about kasha is kasha varnishkes. That is what I think you are describing. That sound you made was common to Space Invaders and Dig Dug.
February 21, 2007

Dr. Dan
I understand that in 2004 Alma Rosa became certified as organic, so 2005 is their first organic vintage. They feel strongly that is the way things should be anyway, so they don’t advertise it on their label. It’s good to see good quality organics appearing.

I hate Hollywood for Sideways and what they did to P.N. prices. All of us long time P.N. fans got shafted by that movie. Maybe WLTV (with its enormous, and growing, cache) could start trashing P.N. so that the prices would drop back to reasonable levels??
February 21, 2007

ThomasS
Ok, Boonville, here we go: a little town of for about 17 houses, a common stable for the cattle, mainly sheep, friendly, if a bit old-fashioned folks that sit in their front porch watching the nearby forest border as if they could happily sit there all day. The town’s elders are the doctor(in black with silver rimmed round spectacles), the headmaster (grey beard and in waistcoat), the herbs woman (always in purple skirt, lovely round face, hair in a chignon), the pub owner (bit of blush on the face, always laughing) and the local arm of the law (in boots and heavy belt, with hat). Their’s onlt one road, a narrow asphalted one, the rest is all lawn, no seperate gardens. Their is a village loon, friendly guy, but always has to be watched, often accompannied by his red haired, lovely sister who is actually blind. Then, there is also a silent, brooding, young guy with a harelip who is actually pretty smart, but to shy to really show himself. Around the village are vineyards and old wooden watch towers close to the woods …
That being said … the Bourgeuil is still awful !
C ya.
February 21, 2007

AlisonD
Gary, sounds like you had quite an interesting childhood!
February 21, 2007

ken
Here you go:

http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/ca/CA_9895.gif
February 21, 2007

Adam
Gary..

10 Yard Fight… that was the MOST annoying thing about a video game. You could go make a sandwich by the time he was done running across field. Aaarrggh! I hated that!!!
February 21, 2007

E-Rock
In Boonville I picture guys with long beards and flannel shirts drinking lots of Hop Ottin IPA from Anderson Valley Brewing. It’s good beer. I also picture Moose and Bears.

If Pinot’s so popular why didn’t we break 100 comments yet??
February 21, 2007

Snarf
I wanna try the A. P. Vin ……
February 21, 2007

Brian
Too bad you can’t ship to MA
February 20, 2007

OttawaB
Dionysus: a couple of Pinots you may want to look at (I know we have them at the LCBO Vintages here in Ontario) are the Byron Pinot 2004 (91 rating) at $29, also Bouchard Pere et Fils Cote de Beaune Village 2004 or 2005 (for around $25). Look for names in Burgundy from areas like Moray St. Denis, Fixin, Cote de Beaune Village or Santenay. Not the best known areas but easier on the pocket book and their quality is getting better. Look for producers like Patrice Rion, Bouchard Pere et Fils, Droughin.
My preference lies in pinots from Gevry-Chambertin, Nuits St. George, Vougeot, Vosnee Romanee, and Meursault. However, these are way pricier, so it is a splurge a few times a year only (I buy a couple 2-4 bottles of these per year to lay down, and drink some of my older ones).
February 20, 2007

Eugene
Gary, thanks for another great episode.
Pinot is hot as ever and so overpriced itâ€™s not even funny!
I recently attended Pinot tasting. All wines were in the 40 to 50 range. Good wines but it got me thinking-is that all you get for 50 bones these days? Anyway.

Looks like you feel home sick in London.

Mannaya kasha, Russian kielbasa â€“ those are very nostalgic words.

My memory brings me back to kindergarten time. Oh how we hated this kasha, which was mandatory for breakfast!
I heard two names for it here-cream farina or semolina pudding.
I liked it though at home with a dollop of cherry preserves on top â€“thatâ€™s probably what you smelling in this pinot.

QOTD:

Boonville â€“ I imagine it as a cartoon city, like in â€œWho framed Roger Rabbitâ€
February 20, 2007

Rick "The Model" M
Foo foo, that’s new to your vocab.
February 20, 2007

SoCal
G,
Hope you are enjoying London.
QTOD: Boonville? Is that close to Lodi or Bako?
I am not sure what it looks like but, I am sure it sucks.
February 20, 2007

JonE
Pinot is so hot, but you have to admit a great one is like nothing else. You should do a vertical of Kosta Browne to make us all jealous. Big ups G-Man. BTW if I ever smell Wisconsin cheddar in a Pinot I will email ASAP.

QOTD: I don’t know about Bonneville Cali, but Bonneville NY is a perdy little three stoplight mountain town in the Adirondacks, with a nice little public pond, and a killer little superette that made the best milk shakes, and peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Although if they made wine it’d probably taste like woodchucks and river water.
February 20, 2007

NickG
Boonville is about as different from Napa Valley as you can get. It looks like a typical small farming town in the middle of nowhere, except the population seems to lean heavily to aging 60s dropouts. And you need to drive for an hour or two on some of the twistiest, narrow mountain roads you’ll find anywhere to get there. Guaranteed to make the kids in the back seat throw up.
February 20, 2007

PJ
I am not a huge Pinot fan whether it is sideways or frontways. It’s good and all but I’ll take a cab or Shiraz over Pinot just about any day. Guess that makes me a heretic. Down with screw caps!! Long live the cork!! I was throwing things at my monitor Gary just so you know. Boo the screw cap. It’s like a western without John Wayne.
February 20, 2007

Harley Stan
Gary,
Another great episode. Still trying to visualize the the BBQ pig snout, I guess it is better than a jock salad.
February 20, 2007

Dionysus
joe: The price range is the issue with me. I like to look for wines in the under $20 CND range. Occasionally I might go up to a $25 Bordeaux for a Christmas dinner with the family.

The most I’ve ever spent was like $31-$33 for a Barolo and a ChÃ¢teauneuf-du-Pape, but those were exceptions. One wine I’ve been eager to try is a Brunello di Montalcino of which there are only 2 different types at the MLCC (Manitoba Liquor Control Commission) : bloody government monopolies! One for $37 the other for $55, so I’m hesitant to take the plunge. Fortunately, I plan on attending the Winnipeg Wine Festival in May and should be able to finally try it then.

Getting back to Pinots though, if I could find a high rated one in the $15 range I might give it a go. Maybe one from Australian Winery Of The Year: Deen De Bortoli, as I’ve been very impressed with some of there $15 and under, wines. To be honest though, I really have been put off the grape, I’ve bought about 10 bottles in my lifetime and did not like any of them.