Pinot Days

Pinot Days at Fort Mason in San Francisco brings together a large array of winemakers all pouring Pinot Noir. The wines this year were from California, Oregon, France and New Zealand. I invited my dad who has been into wine for years to check it out with me. It was his first time at the event and was fun to hear his perspective on the wines and follow some of his recommendations of what to taste.

Pinot Noir is one of the hardest grapes for winemakers to work with and typically in order to get good Pinot Noir, at least from California you need to pay for it. In fact in my opinion if you want to drink good Pinot Noir from anywhere, you need to be prepared to pay at least $30 a bottle for anything worthwhile and for really good Pinot Noir especially from California, you need to be prepared to pay $40 or more a bottle. Oregon Pinot Noir and Australian and New Zealand Pinot Noir are less expensive and you can get good Pinot from these regions at lower prices.

What's amazing to me is that Pinot Noir can be fruity with cherry berry flavors, which is what I prefer or it can leathery with earthy and mushroom overtones. Pinot Noir grown in colder climates is usually fruitier and Pinot Noir grown in warmer climates is typically more leathery and earthy.

When done right, Pinot Noir can be quite refined with a luxurious smooth and harmonious taste. Pinot Noir can be enjoyed by itself or with salmon and other light and simple foods.

The wines that I felt worthy of taking note of at the tasting were the following from highest to lowest price:

In the high price range at $90 a bottle Tantara Winery 2008 Evelyn Bien Nacido Vineyard from Santa Maria is smooth, refined and fruity with a nice complexity and a really wonderful elegant taste in the mouth.

Windy Oaks Estate 2007 Whole Cluster Pinot Noir from Santa Cruz was fruity with cherry berry flavors and zesty coffee like finish and at $55 a bit more reasonable.

Clos Pepe 2005 Santa Rita Hills from Lompoc at $49 a bottle had a good berry fruit flavor with a nice silky velvety finish.

Hope and Grace 2008 Santa Lucia Pinot Noir at $45 tasted of red ripe fruit with some tanginess with a nice finish.

August Briggs 2008 Djon Clones from Napa Valley at $40 tasted of ripe cherry fruit with some vanilla undertones.

Overall it was a fun day spend with my dad enjoying some great wines and if you drink any of the wines I have listed you will be most pleased.

My advice to you though if you are just starting to drink wine is to not to start with Pinot Noir unless you are willing to pay for it. Pinot Noir is delicious and when made well can be elegant and refined but you definitely get what you pay for with this varietal. If you are you willing to pay $40 or more for a bottle of Pinot Noir you will be rewarded with some delicious wine but if you want to stick to wine under $20 then I would suggest you go with another varietal or drink Pinot Noir from Oregon or Australia or New Zealand.

Pinot Noir under $20 especially from CA is a whole different wine than Pinot Noir over $40 and is like comparing apples to oranges so, either spend the money to drink some great Pinot Noir or pick another varietal as you will get much more bang for your buck if your heart is not set on Pinot Noir and if your wallet cannot handle paying more than $40 a bottle.