WTN: More notes

2007 François Cotat, Sancerre Rosé:
13% alcohol, $40; sauté pomegranate juice, pulp and seeds, splash in some mineral water, ginger ale and verjus and cool slowly – not as sweet as on release but still not bone-dry. A unique and persuasive wine that went well with a dish of shrimp, asparagus and goji berries. No hurry to drink as this shows some development already and good structure.
(Aside: what is a wine worth? In this case, this is not just a $40 rosé but also a character driven and matchless experience. Of course, if you haven’t $40 to spend on wine, it is an extravagance. But if you do, it is a chance to taste one of the world’s singular wines. And for as long as I have the $40, I’ll opt to do just that. For me, worth it.)

2007 Suore Cistercensi, Coenobium:
13% alcohol, a blend of trebbiano, malvasia, verdicchio and grechetta; reminds me of a skin fermented white but without any oxidation, more tactile and with greater depth then most whites, bone dry, touch of bitter almond, with a salty tang. Interesting on its own but rises to accompany a dish of soba noodles with cabbages and chicken to become something altogether more delicious. About $28, full retail.

1998 Belle Pente, Pinot Noir Estate Reserve:
13.8% alcohol; has softened, smoothed and taken on some bottle bouquet over 12 years but has also turned slightly raisined (which concerns me as this was obviously not over-ripe when picked and it has been continuously stored in my 55 degree cellar since release). The aged character of the wine and the integrated smoothness are attractive – the raisins, not so much.

1998 Vieux Télégraph:
Salty, silky and slightly funky – just what a good CdP should be. Not an extraordinary wine but sufficiently above average to make me think the southern Rhône has something to offer me (a guy who isn’t fond of grenache). With vegetable hash and olive bread, lip-smackingly yummy.

Best, Jim

[David M. Bueker]

The ultimate ageability of new world Pinot Noir is certainly still in question, especially where the vines are not so old. Of course there's nothing wrong with drinking a wine in its first 10 years of life, so it mostly depends on what kind of experience you are looking for.

The ultimate ageability of new world Pinot Noir is certainly still in question, especially where the vines are not so old. Of course there's nothing wrong with drinking a wine in its first 10 years of life, so it mostly depends on what kind of experience you are looking for.

David,
It is hard to generalize but I tend to agree.
I recall an old School House pinot that was 22 when I tasted it (when Bruce Scotland was making for them). Some older Marcassin has been really good and some of the old Caleras have been too. But alot of what is coming from CA these days I don't think is intended to age 20-30 years - and as you say, nothing wrong with that.
Being as I'm about to start making pinot, these stylistic differences and the questions that surround them, are more important then they used to be. It will be interesting to see what the fruit tells me.
Best, Jim

The ultimate ageability of new world Pinot Noir is certainly still in question, especially where the vines are not so old.

I must say I have started to question what the age of the vines has to do with the ability for a wine to age gracefully. The more I understand the viticulture side of the equation, I just don't understand what it is about the older vines that are suppose to promote better aging. I have not really pursued it but always assumed that this is a belief that stems from long ago when the older vines produced better wines because as they got old, they did not have the same vigor as the young vines and many were infected with disease which resulted in the older vines having a better ratio of leaves to fruit. Much of this is now in the control of the growers with different trellising options, leaf pulling, green harvest, pruning methods and the like not to mention the work that Smart did which resulted in a much better understanding of how it all works.

The ultimate ageability of new world Pinot Noir is certainly still in question, especially where the vines are not so old.

I must say I have started to question what the age of the vines has to do with the ability for a wine to age gracefully. The more I understand the viticulture side of the equation, I just don't understand what it is about the older vines that are suppose to promote better aging. I have not really pursued it but always assumed that this is a belief that stems from long ago when the older vines produced better wines because as they got old, they did not have the same vigor as the young vines and many were infected with disease which resulted in the older vines having a better ratio of leaves to fruit. Much of this is now in the control of the growers with different trellising options, leaf pulling, green harvest, pruning methods and the like not to mention the work that Smart did which resulted in a much better understanding of how it all works.

Brian,
There is something a little more insidious at work here, I think.
With young vines, one has a vineyard without track record. Thus, one is not certain if the correct variety/clone was planted and if the spacing/farming/viticultural practies are the right ones.
With older vines, much of the mystery is eliminated. I'm sure the folks that farm La Tache understand exactly what to do with many given climatic challenges. The same can not be said for vineyards that are relatively new.
Best, Jim

Jim, you appear to be talking to the age of the vineyard not the vines. For vineyards that are completely new I can agree with what you wrote. Yet one can have young vines in an established vineyard rather it be from a replanting, a graft over, or an extension into previously unplanted space. I can accept that Oregon is still too young to know what works best and hence the wines may not age like a burgundy. However, if we are talking the age of the vines and not the viticultural history of a region or specific vineyard, that would imply that young vines from La Tache would not produce age worth wine even today when managed with the accumulated knowledge that exists for that cite. I am still not a believer that one can not make wine that ages from vines that are on less than their 9th leave which I believe is the standard at Lafite.

Jim, you appear to be talking to the age of the vineyard not the vines. For vineyards that are completely new I can agree with what you wrote. Yet one can have young vines in an established vineyard rather it be from a replanting, a graft over, or an extension into previously unplanted space. I can accept that Oregon is still too young to know what works best and hence the wines may not age like a burgundy. However, if we are talking the age of the vines and not the viticultural history of a region or specific vineyard, that would imply that young vines from La Tache would not produce age worth wine even today when managed with the accumulated knowledge that exists for that cite. I am still not a believer that one can not make wine that ages from vines that are on less than their 9th leave which I believe is the standard at Lafite.

Point well taken.
Best, Jim