What a great road to travel for the inaugural gathering of The Crew and the first tasting of Beneath The Cork: The magical, mystical Pinot Noir! With Thanksgiving and its herculean cross-section of food styles and family traditions just around the corner, I can’t think of a better batch of bottles to blog about!
For this focused flight of Pinot Noir, we gave a lot of thought to consistency in the “lay of the land.” This wasn’t just a random selection of four bottles of Pinot Noir, mind you. But instead, a truly well considered lineup of wines, all likely comparative contenders on a couple points of commonality.
First, we wanted to showcase some of the United States’ premiere Pinot Noir real estate. For that reason, we chose two AVA’s with a lot of similarities, yet a lot MORE contrasts: Sonoma and Willamette – two of the ultimo-primo American Pinot Noir sanctuaries!
We also wanted to keep the playing field somewhat (ok…mostly) level from the perspective of pricing. Believe me when I say you can buy Pinot Noir in the U.S. for anywhere from $6 to $600 a bottle. We wanted to make sure our wines were attainable for ALL of our readers.
And that, my dear friends, is why we chose one Pinot each from Sonoma and Willamette in the comfortable $15 to $20 range and the other two, from the same geography, in the slightly loftier $25 to $40 price point. Neither are budget-busters, but likewise, wines you could be proud to put on your holiday table.
As a result of this pricing strategy, The Crew was able to confirm a couple of things we already knew. First, there are a LOT of really good Pinot Noirs available in the crowded under-$20 field. Second, and perhaps equally important, we were reminded of the old adage “Ya gets whatcha pays for!” (i.e. spend a couple extra bucks on Pinot Noir and you’ll get to watch much BIGGER ponies run the race!)
As for this edition’s Crew, I’m not sure when I’ve seen a more eclectic and diverse group of folks (different ages, different interests, different EVERYTHING) have so much fun together. They all tasted on the same platform, using the American Wine Society’s 20-point evaluation chart, and they all recorded random impressions and observations on each wine. It is from those tasting notes that I believe the most useful (and probably most entertaining) commentary will spring forth.
At this point, I should explain…with every new edition of Beneath the Cork, our tasting panel, heretofore known as The Crew changes. Members of the tasting panels will always be a group of eight to 10 friends, colleagues, and, occasionally, there will be those who will fall into the more appropriate category of “known associates.”
Some will be young; some, well, not so young. Some will have lots of experience tasting a particular wine varietal, region, style, etc., and some relatively new to that wine selection. But certainly not new to the fruit of the vine.
At the end of the day, we will have collected a vastly eclectic array of opinions, notions, and impressions that we’ll turn into the herein condensed commentary soon to become famously known as Beneath the Cork!
All four of the wines reviewed in this edition were acquired at TOTAL WINE & MORE on Harbison Boulevard in Columbia. They are (and will continue be) available. In fact, let me offer my tip of the week.
Here’s a tidbit of information you ALL need to know about. You can taste some great Pinot Noirs (AND A LOT OF OTHER EXTRAORDINARY WINES FOR THE HOLIDAYS) at TOTAL WINE & MORE’S THANKSGIVING TASTING on FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 & 13 from Noon to 6 PM. A virtual smorgasbord of wine and food pairings for the upcoming holiday season, here’s a chance to TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. (This isn’t a commercial, just an insight to an opportunity to taste a WHOLE BUNCH of really good wines and some delicious foods for free! So, how’s THAT for an inside tip, huh?!)
So let’s get down to brass tacks. Here’s what The Crew had to say about this four-bottle flight of mighty tasty Pinot Noirs…
COURTNEY BENHAM PINOT NOIR – SONOMA 2014
Alcohol 14.2% Retail Price – $17.99
Vibrant color, ruby-red with a “jewel-like” clarity. Initially shy in the nose, but opened up to inviting aromas of fresh bing cherry, stone fruit, and finally faint leather and smoke. A “lighter” styled Pinot with soft tones of bright, fresh fruit. Most agreed this wine would be nicely positioned with delicately flavored foods.
AVERAGE SCORE – 16.5 points
DOMAINE LOUBEJAC PINOT NOIR – WILLAMETTE 2014
Alcohol 13.5% 750ml Retail Price – $17.99
Clear, deep, rich red color. Soft nose offers ripe berries, basil, even slightly “floral” (think rose blossom) aromas. Elegant and medium-bodied with some lively, bright fruit flavors. Some noted a “smokiness” in the finish. The fruit/acid/tannin balance is nicely accomplished, too. While channeling my inner “foodie-guy,” I had visions of grilled lamb with Mediterranean spices dancing in my head!
AVERAGE SCORE – 17 points
TULI PINOT NOIR – SONOMA 2013
Alcohol 13.9% 750ml Retail Price – $25.99
5th-generation Belle Glos Winemaker Joseph “Joe” Wagner (Does his name sound familiar? He’s the grandson of Charlie and the son of Chuck of the “Famous-Caymus” winemaking Wagner family) creates this Pinot Noir EXCLUSIVELY for Total Wine & More. Crystal-clear, dark red! The nose is a stark dichotomy of dark stone fruit and earthiness – even mushroom but then, “…pie-like cinnamon ‘n’ spice tones are banging around in my nose…” cited one of The Crew. A lot bigger and bolder, and definitely a broadly food-friendly bottle, the Tuli’s finish lingers for quite a while. I won’t be disappointed if this little fella shows up in the mix at our Thanksgiving table this year. Fact is I’m likely to pick up multiple bottles of this one for the impending holiday season!
AVERAGE SCORE – 18.5 points
DOMAINE SERENE PINOT NOIR – WILLAMETTE 2009
Alcohol 14.4% 750ml Retail Price – $35.99
As a kid, we used to make up extraordinary “imaginary composite creations”. For example, we’d ponder “If you could take the best of ‘this’…then combine it with the best of ‘that’…and then add it to the best of ‘the other…’” Well, that’s pretty much what producers and founders of Domaine Serene Ken and Grace Evenstad did with this one. Do a little online research, and you’ll discover that there is a BUNCH of specific estate bottlings of Domaine Serene. The one we feature here is a blend of all of the magical and marvelous things that the winemaker fancies!
Beautiful color starting to take on a little “brick” on the edges! The aroma hints at those amazing “forest floor” botanical/biological components but still rife with lots of fresh, vibrant fruit. (And if that wasn’t enough, one of the more experienced Pinot Noir-Heads on The Crew picked up vivid notes of rosemary in the nose!) The flavors run a gamut from “Herbal” to “Carnivorous!” Rich dark-fruit styles along with lots of complex elements in a nicely balanced bottle of wine. This wine is a great example of what to serve when there are a lot of culinary styles, flavor sets, and ethnic traditions showing up at the table! It’s big enough to stand up to some hefty flavors, but delicate enough to understand subtle nuance, too!
AVERAGE SCORE – 18.5 points
So…there you have it: Four lovely Pinot Noirs swirled, sloshed, splashed, and swilled by a fun and funny bunch of (and I should add, some of the loveliest) people it’s ever been my pleasure to share a few bottles of wine with!
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COMING IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE – “LET THERE BE BUBBLES…Sparkling wines for the Holidays!”
We’ll close with our main (albeit not all that original) caveat…
“There’s no need to stay thirsty, my friends!”