California 05 Pinot Noir

After tasting a small handful of California Pinots this morning I remarked on how they seemed to have less fruit upfront than I usually notice. A colleague of mine mentioned that 05 was a wet year for pinot in Cali, thus taking away some of the fruit character. In turn, this makes the wine a little more French; more earth, etc. This is something that I really look for in a pinot. I like them more earthy, mushroomy, woodsy.

I have determined that I like the big, wet French Kiss!

rwj

[David M. Bueker]

I like 2005 Cali Pinot, and I'm not really much of a Cali Pinot fan anymore.

For a reference point, Bob Parker dissed many of the popular Cali Pinots in his recent issue.

This is quite amusing. I did not know that Parker dissed '05 PN but I think they are lovely. I do not buy CA PN because of the up front fruit but in the last 3 months bought a case of '05 Siduri "Gary's" to lay down and a case of '05 Braudborg for current drinking. They are indeed more bourgogne in style, very nice and I expect the Siduri to last quite a few years. Guess I won't be asked to rate West Coast PNs for Robert.
Walt

[Jenise]

Robert, I was unaware of the weather problem, but I have so far liked every 05 California Pinot I've tried--they've tasted fresher than usual, had a little more structure. I'm delighted to learn the cause.

Not wet--which evokes thin wines--but certainly not the late heat spikes of '04. The wines are better balanced to my tastes with lower alcohol, more acid and leaner fruits. I bought more than usual.

That said, the vines are getting older and the past few years have helped with the learning curve. With some effort you can probably find a Calipinot in a style that will match your tastes. It won't replace Burgundy, but you can do a lot of good drinking at, mostly, reasonable prices while you save your pennies to afford some of those Grand Crus.

I don't think that '06 will be the across the board success of '05, still the very few tastes that I've had indicate that the top producers will do well: reportedly a hybrid of the best qualities of '04 and '05.

As to Robert Parker's knock on the vintage: I find it hard to argue with his take on BDX and Rhones, but PN (US or France) and Aussies are another thing altogether. You have to go with your own palate.

I quite enjoyed the 2005 Fort Ross Pinot-very earthy and intriguing, even at a young age. The 2004 needed the Pinotage, the 2005 did not.

Not wet--which evokes thin wines--but certainly not the late heat spikes of '04. The wines are better balanced to my tastes with lower alcohol, more acid and leaner fruits. I bought more than usual.

That said, the vines are getting older and the past few years have helped with the learning curve. With some effort you can probably find a Calipinot in a style that will match your tastes. It won't replace Burgundy, but you can do a lot of good drinking at, mostly, reasonable prices while you save your pennies to afford some of those Grand Crus.

I don't think that '06 will be the across the board success of '05, still the very few tastes that I've had indicate that the top producers will do well: reportedly a hybrid of the best qualities of '04 and '05.

As to Robert Parker's knock on the vintage: I find it hard to argue with his take on BDX and Rhones, but PN (US or France) and Aussies are another thing altogether. You have to go with your own palate.

Dan,
I agree 100% with your post. It could not have been wet, had to be cool. They are not Burgundies but much more of that style than what is usually produced. The '05 Braudborg I referred to was a WA PN but probably had the same type of relative climate. May even pick up a couple more '05s.
Walt

Not wet--which evokes thin wines--but certainly not the late heat spikes of '04. The wines are better balanced to my tastes with lower alcohol, more acid and leaner fruits. I bought more than usual.

That said, the vines are getting older and the past few years have helped with the learning curve. With some effort you can probably find a Calipinot in a style that will match your tastes. It won't replace Burgundy, but you can do a lot of good drinking at, mostly, reasonable prices while you save your pennies to afford some of those Grand Crus.

I don't think that '06 will be the across the board success of '05, still the very few tastes that I've had indicate that the top producers will do well: reportedly a hybrid of the best qualities of '04 and '05.

As to Robert Parker's knock on the vintage: I find it hard to argue with his take on BDX and Rhones, but PN (US or France) and Aussies are another thing altogether. You have to go with your own palate.

Dan,
I agree 100% with your post. It could not have been wet, had to be cool. They are not Burgundies but much more of that style than what is usually produced. The '05 Braudborg I referred to was a WA PN but probably had the same type of relative climate. May even pick up a couple more '05s.
Walt

Dan and Walt, thanks for the input here. The cool weather info makes more sense than the wet weather does. I'll certainly pass this on. But I am in total agreement here: these pinots have been of the Burgundian character that I look for in a pinot. I have never really been a fan of that fruit-forward Cali style.

It's also interesting to think about the vines getting older. I will want to see how that plays in the future.

But I still like the Wet French Kiss!

rwj