Cloudy, creamy white. Smells really wonderful and very natural – kind of like peaches. High acidity, very lively and very moreish. Looks a bit scary, however.
Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2011 – Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia
Very attractive, pure Pinosity, quite restrained and even elegant for an Australian PN. Good balance, some oak but not worrisomely much, very drinkable. Nice.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2012 – Sanford & Benedict vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley, California, USA
Lovely wine. It’s a pity the Americans drink almost all the good stuff so very little of it is available here. But this was a lovely, perfumed Pinot that has seen plenty of sun but didn’t go over-ripe or over the top in any way. Ripeness isn’t always a fault. Fantastic.
Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2012 – Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia
Oaky, huge, ripe and very different from the lovely 2011. Drinkable, yes, but kind of misses the ethereal point of Pinosity.
Jean-Francois Ganevat Pinot Noir Cuvée Julien 2011 – Jura, France
Delightfully stinky and earthy. Ripe fruit but not in a big style, very sexy Pinosity. Naught wine. I love it.
Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2009 – Martinborough, NZ
Big and black. A fair bit of oak. Like the younger Curly Flat, I found this perfectly drinkable but it was a bit of a strange take on the grape since it lacks that ethereal perfume and is instead something powerful and big.
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2010 – Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa
Having tasted this wine in earlier vintages I had Great Expectations for this one. But to continue on the Dickens theme, this wine was a Tale of Too Shitty. Hard Times were had by all of us trying to drink it. I felt it was faulty; others just said it was bad winemaking. It smelled like burnt hair. I don’t know what fault that could be but it was undrinkable.
Wieninger Pinot Noir Grand Select 2009 – Vienna, Austria
This has seen plenty of new oak, but it is beginning to integrate. There’s lovely Pinosity here, too. Needs time for the oak to disappear.
Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils Le Corton 2002 – Burgundy, France
Big, powerful, tannic, tight. Really lovely but it is kind of a Nebbioloish take on the grape. Lovely. Hold.
Domaine Duroché Latricières-Chambertin 2009 – Burgundy, France
Ripe but ethereal Pinosity; sweet and charming. Refreshing and moreish despite all the ripe, sweet fruit. Nice.
Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir 2012 – San Andreas Fault, Sonoma Coast, California, USA
Another very pretty US Pinot. Again, it’s a ripe and sunny style but very obviously PN. Wonderfully refreshing and moreish. I’ve heard about all sorts of wine faults but the San Andreas is a new one. Pretty nice fault if you ask me.
Domaine Bruno Clair Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru 2010 – Burgundy, France
Elegant and bright style of pure Pinosity. Tight but very promising. Hold.
Gérard Schueller & Fils Pinot Noir LN02 2014- Alsace, France
I must say it was a surprise that one of my favourites of the tasting wasn’t a Burgundy but from Alsace. A lovely, ”natural” and stinky style but incredibly moreish and huge fun. Lovely.
Ghislaine Barthod Bourgogne Rouge 2010
Tight and not even close to being ready to drink but still lovely and bright and pure.
Granges Bernard Côtes du Jura Pinot Noir 2012
Lovely funky style but with sweet and charming Pinosity. Very moreish.
