In preparation for the upcoming International Wine and Food Society Pinot Noir tasting, our committee had a tasting of some of the proposed wines at Jojo's shop. Another tasting will be held at lunch tomorrow featuring Oregon, Southern Hemisphere and possibly German wines.
Domaine Barraud Saint Veran "Les Pommards" 2010 - A simple welcome white to get us started. Pale, minerally and very acidic. Lemon and lemon rind flavors mostly. Linear and stony. Simple, not too interesting and not my type of wine.
Red Car Sonoma Pinot Noir 2008 - Musky and leathery. Rich but dry. Savory but lacks something on the mid-palate. Touch of bitterness on the finish. May have been an off bottle. Bernie says he's had better examples.
Littorai Cerise Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2007 - Quite dark. Nose tending almost to overripe red berries. Rich and full. Ripe red fruits - strawberry, cherry and raspberry. Good length. Very good.
Louis Jadot Pommard 2009 - The usual red berries but with some black fruits mixed in as well like black cherry and plum. Touch of iron in there too. Deep flavor. Very good.
Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny "Les Drazeys" 2009 - A shade darker than the Pommard. Fuller-bodied but more dry and more acidic. Some sweet herb character like mint comes out with some airing. Good, but the acidity tends to stand out.
Louis Jadot Morey St. Denis "Les Ormes" 2006 - Milk chocolate texture but cocoa powder flavor. Very ripe and sweet red berries - strawberry and cherry. No raspberry. Sweet spices. Lovely wine and real easy to drink. Excellent.