A Day of Tasting Pinot
Apr 13th, 2011 by Paraiso Vineyards
Recently, I was given the opportunity to sit down and take part in a blind wine tasting of Pinot Noirs produced from different AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) all over Monterey County. Set up by the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, this private blind wine tasting was held for industry members, such as winemakers, winegrowers, and marketing managers, just to name a few, to see how Monterey County Pinot Noir as a whole is tasting these days. With 30 bottles of wine from 18 different Pinot Noir producers we sure had a lot of tasting to do! (Another rough day at the office)
The first flight included 12 wines with a price range of $12-$25 a bottle. As a very popular price range among consumers and producers it was not surprising when most of these productions were in the several thousands. One case production even hit 6 digits! But contrary to the old belief that cheap prices means cheap wine, these Pinot Noirs were all very drinkable, high-quality wines with a lower price tag. There was a consensus among everyone in attendance that the wines in this price range keep getting better and better every year. Winemakers are turning to more experimental and new age practices such as barrel and yeast alternatives (i.e. oak chips and less indigenous fermentation).
The second flight included 10 wines with a price range of $25-$35 a bottle. For our fans out there, Paraiso‘s $25 Estate Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands was in this category. Interesting things happened when winemakers started talking on behalf of their wine being tasted in this flight. Winemakers began to take a more artistic approach in how they produced their wine. A higher importance was placed on clonal and vineyard designation, grape picking and sorting practices, and barrel aging techniques, just to name a few. Across the board, these wines were bigger, bolder and more complex, showing more fruit, more oak character and a more robust mouth-feel than the lower priced Pinot Noirs in the first flight. My question is: “Does more money mean there has to be more of everything?”
The third and final flight included 11 wines with a price range of $38-$65 a bottle. If you are looking for that soft, barely there Pinot Noir these are not your wines. These Pinot Noirs were big, bold and fabulous! With productions ranging from 68-340 cases, these wines are produced with the highest quality grapes, barrels, and winemaking techniques. The bottles themselves were even heavier! One of my favorites was of course Paraiso Vineyard’s 2008 “Faite” Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands.
From soft and elegant to big and bold what we all concluded at the end of the blind tasting is that Monterey County produces some of the best Pinot Noirs around. Now get out there and try them!
Cheers!
Tags: Barrel, Blind Tasting, California, California Pinot Noir, Cheers!, Faite, Food, Monterey County, Monterey Pinot Noir, Oak (wine), Paraiso Tasting Room, Paraiso Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Recreation, Salinas, Salinas Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Soledad, Sustainable in Practice, Tasting, Wine, Wine Country, Wine tasting descriptors, Wine Tastings, Winemakers