Pinot Noir Fan?

[rsbeck]

Used to be that Pinot Noir, outside of the Burgundy region of France, was dreck.

Napa Valley in California could compete with French wine in some areas. In fact, you may or may not already know that back in 1976, there was a competition held in Paris and judged by France's most noted wine critics and sommeliers.

It was chronicled in this book:

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine

http://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Pari...1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272573828&sr=1-1-spell

It's a fascinating story, a great education and I highly recommend this book. The wines were tasted blind so none of the French wine experts who were known to hold California wine in contempt could tell what they were drinking. To give away the ending, the California wines, both Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, won, to the great consternation of the French wine world.

It's been a slower evolution for California (and Oregon) Pinot Noir, but in the opinion of many, including myself, it is no longer necessary to buy French Burgundy to get excellent Pinot Noir.

This is mainly due to finding the cooler climate areas in California and Oregon where Pinot Noir does best.

California and Oregon Pinot Noir may not be clones of their French brethren, but they shouldn't be -- they are grown in different soil, giving them what the French call "Terroir," which basically means that you can taste in the wine, the soil, sun, and orientation of the particular site where the grapes were grown.

If you are a fan of either California and Oregon Pinot Noir or French Burgundy, here are a few sites on the web that should appeal to you.

The first is free, the second will cost you a subscription....

http://www.princeofpinot.com/

http://www.burghound.com/index.php

 

[Steve Williams]

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine

They made a movie about that story only just recently

 

[rsbeck]

Yes, it was called Bottle Shock. Not a bad movie. They played pretty fast and loose with the facts, but got the gist of it right. Alan Rickman has some very funny moments in it.

 

[rblnr]

Will check out the movie. I like NZ pinots as well -- similar climate and not surprisingly similar characteristics to Oregon pinots which I find usually have a mineral-y characteristic. As I usually order a bit heavier food than my wife, it's always a thing to find a wine that straddles -- these medium bodied pinots often fit the bill. Tougher to find, but there are some good Austrian pinots as well, they are sometimes IDd as Blauburgunder -- good ones are earthy and complex, though usually lighter than those from CA forex.

 

[rsbeck]

When I need a wine with a little more body than a Pinot Noir/Burgundy, but not as full bodied as a Cabernet or Syrah, I often choose a grenache based wine like a Chateauneuf Du Pape or a Cotes Du Rhone.

 

[wineslob]

I find most Ca Pinot terrible. Too many are the "cherry/berry" style marketed to women. Now, the J Rochioli Pinot Noir River Block (or west block) is a different story.....

 

[rsbeck]

Which have you tried? IMO, there are some interesting producers in the Russian River and Santa Lucia Highlands areas.