Best – who can talk from best. What Pinots are drinking great right now.

Merry Edwards – Klopp Ranch 2002
Windy Oaks 2003 Reserve
Williams Selyem – 2003 or 2 Westside Road

Had amazing Williams Selyems in the past. They probably hit the best mark with a few Pommards but I can’t remember which.

Best wine ever. Heitz Martha’s 1974 – got it as a wedding gift. Holy cow! Drank it with a bunch of friends before we knew what the hell we were doing when it came to wine. It’s still all that memorable!

best pinot (and best wine i have ever had) easily 1985 la tache

Gary, I was out of touch for a week,…no access to my laptop… and just caught up on your latest episodes. The Pinot one was the best. I cannot agree more with everything you said. As I tell anyone who asks, you have more fun tasting a variety of wines to find what you like, than to have someone tell you what you SHOULD like. Keep up the KILLER advise.

Dear Gary: I agree with you on Burgundy wines being overrated. However I have some friends in México that are “CHEVALIERS DU TASTEVIN” and are asking me to look for ” tastevinage wines” in the US. Can WINE LIBRARY get these wines or where should I look for them. I am a regular customer of WL, I would really appreciate your help.

Hi Gary,

Just watching back issues now and, yes, I am going to comment, maybe not on every issue, but anyway on that huge ‘lot’. And now I think it just time to tell you why, … nah, that would make this a very long comment. Now what I’ll mail you.
First QOTD: best bottle I ever had was a Montevertine Riserva 2002. That year was a very dark year for Montevertine: crop was so bad that neither the Le Pergole Torte, nor the Il Sodaccio was produced. The grapes were used for the Riserva, that is just the ‘Rosso’ (on the label). We had it in a Sangiovese tasting (you know, one of these ‘fancy’ MC’s full of bigheads – yet, the acknowledged connoiseur who brought this wine was a very hearty agreable person), and it just outclassed everything. It was a ‘catastrophy’ wine, but nonetheless … . Of course there were these guys that chose the flabby Banfi BdM instead, but you know, for me, this was the first wine that really moved me. I was shocked by the colour: brownish orange, unconcentrated, ‘botte’ ripened, and in concrete macerated Sangiovese – very traditional – that’s why it’s not allowed to call itself Chianti anymore, the reverse reaction of the IGT-revolution. The nose: undescribable, so focussed, huge and at the same time so elegant. The mouthfeel: kissing Keira Knightley (whatever that may feel like :-D). The palate: the most harmoniously complex and balanced I ever had … . I know, eulogism … . But then, I am sure I will never taste a bottle like that again in my whole life (and that’s still a long time to go I hope). Just the idea that this was a ‘catastrophy’ wine, it’s just baffling, just to know that they considered it minor to the other two. What the h*ck should Le Pergole Torte taste like then?
You know, I still go emo when I think about this wine …

Finally had a Central Otago Pinot Noir. The Three Miners 2004 you tasted in this episode was it. I really enjoyed the wine, but thought you overrated it at 93/94 points. I really liked this wine, but right Oregon is still my favorite New World site for Pinot. Here are my notes:

91 pts. My first Central Otago NZ Pinot Noir. I’ve had Marlborough Pinots before and this has a similar flavor profile, but even racier, more focused, and more elegant. Tasting this blind, I would have most certainly thought Burgundy. Fragrant nose is a mix of earth, fruit and wood. Bright, pure cherry fruit on a steely frame. Would be incredibly versatile with food. Just what you’d expect out of a decent Burgundy, but at fraction of the cost. Missing a little bit on the finish though.

2002 Domaine Tollot Beaut- Clos du roi. Elegant velvety texture! Long smooth finish. Soft tannins. Red fruit, chocolate, mocha, tobacco.
Beautiful bottle of wine!

I don’t drink a lot of Pinot Noir, but I’d have to say it was a Truchard and I think it was vintage 2001. Tasted it and bought it at my local store and had it with my family last Thanksgiving.

I’m glad SS Chris mentioned episodes 57 & 58 in the forums. Thanks for stickin’ with the vblog. Tough decision. Love the candor.

Lars

Wow! Am I late on this one or what? Like everybody else I’ve had tons and tons of Pinot Noir…I seriously doubt that I’ve had more than any wine manager, rep., sommolier, or wine aficianado, but tasting at least 10 new pinots per week for 6 months is a lot….but I have to say that my favorite Pinot Noir experience was the night we did our Bottega del Vino tasting event. (By the way, noticed the Bottega del Vino ‘Americano” decanter….nice) Part of the event was drinking 3 Pinot Noirs (1. 2003 Ovene Winery ‘Puzzle’ from San Luis Obispo, 2. 2003 Cristom ‘Sommers Reserve’ Willamette Valley, OR, 3. 2001 Mueller Emily’s Cuvee, Russian River) from the BV7, which really illuminated the wine. Really, after a night of experiencing such great wine, who couldn’t look back and smile? Personally, the highlight of the whole event was the Mueller…..if you haven’t tried it before….I HIGHLY recommend it.

QOTD- I’m sorry I didn’t get the vintage. I was at my local beer only bar and talking to the owner when we somehow stumbled upon the subject of wine. Turns out he’s a big wine lover and finds out I am so He actually goes home and grabs a bottle from his cellar for us to drink. It was an arcus estate archery summit pinot noir from oregon and wow! It was pure elegance. Extremely lush plummy fruit and smooth as silk. He opened it and immediately poured it. I couldn’t imagine how good it would have been with some decanting.

QOTD if we’re going by best 90 point value. I just had the Monte Antico toscana which got a 91 by enthusiast I beleive. It had stunning jammy fruit and was incredibly polished for it’s price range. Worst was probably the ’03 tignanello, it tasted like a crappy california cab.

Sorry that last comment was supposed to go on the next episode.

Whoa. This might be my new favorite episode. This should definitely be with your list of favorites/featured episode. It’s kind of a turning point for the show. You were kinda reserved in some episodes before this, but it’s like you just morphed into the HULK, permanently, during this episode. Very cool. It also shows why the show is popular – honesty, passion, integrity. If you were just using this to sell, it never would have exploded like it has. Congrats. This episode really put some perspective on your motives and vision. Awesome. Just awesome.

And here I see is the birthing of the “question of the day”.

My answer will turn into a “lesson of the day” because the best bottle of Pinot Noir I have ever tasted was given to me by one of my patient’s children. It was a 2002 Rochioli Pinor Noir. I am a Geriatrician who takes care of nursing home patients and this particular patient and family was labled as “difficult” to deal with by many (including myself). After one of my visits I called the son to update him on his mom’s condition and he just so happened to be wine tasting in the Russian River Valley and probably 2 sheets to the wind. He asked me what kind of wine did I like and I responded with “um, pinot noir?” A couple of weeks later he shows up at the nursing home with 2 of these amazing bottles for me. After that day they became a lot less “difficult”.
Lession of the day: be nice to your grandma’s doctor!!

Gary, Try Leyda Lot 21 Pinot Noir From San Antonio-Leyda Valley. Kick ass juice!
Not exactly cheap either.

The virgin QOTD!!!! I knew I would get there if I watched all of the back episodes!!!
QOTD – Mosswood Pinot Noir from Western Australia 2002. This was all strawberry dipped in black pepper. I had it at my 30th b-day and was up there with 2001 Dominus, 1977 Warre, 1998 Clarendon Hills Astralis. It was $50 and held up to the others no problem!

Had to go back for the classic

There’s things in life you can control, and then there’s everything else. Keep your show part of the former. Mad respect.

You guys are brilliant. This is exactly what this community needs. Open communication. Now all you need is a wiki for us to access.

Best Pinot Noir I’ve had: 2004 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune, Aux Guettes. Ashes, mold, cheese shop, toast and perfume on the nose, and toasty campfire and a gush of fruit [strawberry] on the palate.

I love Burgundy, but it pisses me off. I’ve spent a lot on bottles of top tier stuff that has little to nothing redeeming in it, despite my best research. I WILL try some NZ Pinot soon.

for pinot noir, 2004 sea smoke botella and southing…those are the only ones that really sticks out in my mind. though i’ve had some other good ones like dierberg and foxen. but it doesn’t compare to the first time i tasted sea smoke. it was like love at first site.

Classic. Is this the first question of the day?

QoTd: Brewer Clifton 2005 Ashley’s Vineyard. I was on my 1 and only wine trip to Santa Barbara – with my Dad and we went to this restaurant called Bouchon – which was amazing. We told our waiter Nuri that we were on a Father Son wine trip and that I was expecting my first child in July (This was in the first week of March 07) and he started bringing out the left overs of different wines (it was the end of the night and we were 2 of the last 4 patrons) they had openned during the evening to let us try. We each had about 4 1/2 glasses of amazing wine and we only had to pay for 1. The meal was incredible and we got to taste 7 to 10 different wines. The Brewer Clifton stood out as the best in my mind and I wrote it down on Bouchon business card since I was pretty cooked at that point.

Dinner with my Dad in wine country with perfect weather in Santa Barbara – it was as perfect as it could get. When I get old I will regret not taking more chances and trips like that one.

Gary I know you rip on Sideways and I get that, but I disagree. That movie openned my eyes to wine travel, new wineries, a new wine region, and how much I was missing from the whole wine experience. I love that book and movie for the same reason I love your show – it inspires more people to look into wine, and experience something they might not have without. Sure it dissed Merlot and sure it increased the price and sales of pinot, but it got people interested in wine and eventually those people will search out new regions and new varietals or if they were just there for the Sideways trend – who cares, every industry has those people.

Look – when it comes to this stuff, you’re smarter than me, you have more experience than me and you even have a bigger passion than I do – but on this one thing, it’s time to make your peace with the Sideways phenom, and recognize it for what it really was – a positive thing for wine and the wine community!

Hey – if nothing else, it Changed the Wine World whether you like it or not.

PS- You rock!

Gary, great job man! Just found your site, and am going back through all of the reviews. I have to give you a ton of credit for keeping it real, and not selling out to the corporate masses!

Best Pinot Ever?

2005 Van Duzer Westside Blocks, from Dallas, Oregon. My good friend was lucky enough to marry a girl from Dallas, and we were able to hit up a ton of great vineyards, for my first “wine tasting road trip”. I truly enjoyed Witness Tree, Cristom (2005 Jessie is great), Bethel Heights, Erath, and a few more. Willamette Valley, one of the best places in these United States!