What is happening to Pinot Noir??

I was in New Zealand in March, and found the pinot noir from the north end of the South Island to be pretty fat and fruity--easy-drinking stuff. Not exactly my favorite style, but wines from Nelson-based Greenough and Neudorf have serious commercial appeal--in my opinion--and come in under $20. Also, the Waipara Hills pinots (made with fruit from Marlborough and Canterbury) have nice fruit and retail in the U.S. at $15.

The Central Otago wines were something else again. You can find my notes at my website, http://www.winemule.com. The big Peregrine, Chard Farm, Gibbstown, and Amisfield wines tend toward the racy and complex (I'm generalizing, here!) but also have some racy prices. We sell Peregrine, for example, for $35. You can get a pretty good Santanay for that price.

P.S.: I don't know how current this news is, but Herzog in Marlborough has changed its name to Mahara, after objections by U.S.-based Herzog Winery.

What has happened to pinot noir is Robert Parker. He likes his wines dark in color and big in flavor, and more than a few producers are ready to give the Big Guy what he wants. At some level, who can blame them? They're in the wine game to make money, not to win the admiration of cranky purists like me.

As far as the syrah/shiraz bit goes, there is a long and honorable tradition of giving Burgundies a shot of color and richness through adulteration with a little something from the South.

Agree about RP comment. I tasted P Rion`s`04 blended red Burgundy the other day. Massive colour and big fruit bomb, "this is burgundy, no way".