'99 Pinot Noir -

Notes and impressions from a Pinot Noir tasting - Saturday, June 30, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Eighteen wines were poured for a tasting fee of $22.

Overall impressions: pretty good group of wines. One of the first things that struck me here was that the New Zealand Pinots are getting better and better - the Ata Rangi and Isabel were both very nice. Of course, they're getting pricier too! The Capiaux was beautiful, showing that Garys' Vnyd is already producing some stellar wines. The Foxen Julia's was crowd pleaser as well. The Denis Mortet was very nice, and something of an extraction surprise. I have come to expect somewhat more angular wines from Burgundy. But, the Burgs here seem more fruit bomb than in the past. Finally, although Sapphire Hill continues to have a spotty track record with my palate, this wine certainly seems much better than some of their previous offerings.

Disappointments included most of the Oregon offerings, including the Raptor Ridge, Domaine Serene, and St. Innocent. Not sure what the story is here, as most of these are usually consistently good producers.

1999 Grosset Pinot Noir - Piccadilly Valley, AU. $26.99. Light medium garnet color. Musty cedar chest-scented nose, with some stemmy background aromas. Sweet-sour fruit, moderate mouthfeel, long sweet-sour candied finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Isabel Estate Pinot Noir - Martinborough, NZ . $21.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Quite Burgundian in the nose, with meaty, stemmy quality to the strawberry fruit, and a hint of cola to the integrated aromas. Excellent balance, nice off-sweet fruit and mouthfeel, and a long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir - Martinborough, NZ. $35.99. Light medium ruby garnet color. Fabulous nose of stemmy fruit, rose petals, and roasted grains. Lots of sweet-sour fruit, that seems to get a bit bitter, before smooth if slightly short finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Gruet Pinot Noir Cuvee Gilbert Gruet - New Mexico. $17.99. Light medium ruby color. Nose of sweet stemmy slightly candied strawberry fruit. Initially sweet mouthfeel, get a bit sour, tart and citric through long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Au Bon Climat La Bauge Au-Dessus - Santa Maria Valley Co. $21.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Lightly stemmy nose of strawberry and toast. Off-sweet, slightly coarse mouthfeel that smooths out a bit at mid-palate where the fruit gets slightly sour, and finishes with a long sweet-sour finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Foxen Pinot Noir - Julia's Vnyd, Santa Maria Valley. $28.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Beautiful sweet, floral and fruity nose - just smells dense and extracted. Sweet chewy mouthfeel, toasty strawberry and dark cherry fruit, long finish and great aftertaste.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Capiaux Pinot Noir - Garys' Vnyd, Santa Lucia Highlands. $35.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Lovely floral, sweet, and candied nose, with scents of vanilla, stems, and cola - yet, not the least bit cloying. Off-sweet fruit, somewhat chewy mouthfeel, excellent balance and long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Sapphire Hill Pinot Noir - Russian River Valley. $27.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Nose of slightly burnished strawberry fruit, with a bit of stem, oak, and cola. Off-sweet fruity mouthfeel, nice core of fruit throughout, long finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Miramar Torres Pinot Noir - Don Miguel Vnyd, Russian River Valley. $27.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Nose is a combination of swampy water, licorice, candied cherry and a touch of stem. Somehow, the "swampy" aspect acts as a nice counter to the other aromas, adding to the complexity. Chewy mouthfeel, lots of flavor, smooth long seamless finish, with a delicious toasted grain quality to the aftertaste.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuvee - OR. $24.99. Light medium ruby color. Excessively stemmy in the nose, with notes of cedar, pine and slightly singed strawberry fruit. Sweet stemmy and somewhat chewy mouthfeel, the fruit seems a bit green, yet artificially sweetened, with decent balance, and an off-sweet finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 St. Innocent Pinot Noir - Shea Vnyd, OR. $23.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Sweet, slightly varnishy, with stemmy strawberry and cherry fruit. Tart and acid to the extreme, the flavors seem green for the get-go. Great length and very long finish, but it's all acids.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B- Overall score: B

1999 Phantom Hill Pinot Noir Revelation Cuvee - OR. $32.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Stemmy nose, with cedar, peppermint and menthol notes. Slightly tart and a bit stemmy on the palate, yet nicely done and the flavors are integrated well.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Stangeland Pinot Noir Winemaker's Estate Reserve - OR. $46.99. Light medium garnet ruby color. Nose of stemmy cherry fruit, with cedar, leaf and mint in the background. Slightly tart mouthfeel, but sweetens up a bit at mid-palate, and smooths out through very nice finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Bertrand Ambroise - Cote de Nuits Villages. $19.99. Medium dark ruby garnet color. Lovely sweet floral and fruity nose. Moderate mouthfeel, sweet-sour candied strawberry fruit with a medium long toasty finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Denis Mortet - Gevrey Chambertin. $39.99. Dark ruby color. Huge and dense black cherry and bing cherry, vanilla, floral and chocolate aromas. Young, off-sweet mouthfeel, smooth and very fruity on palate. long finish. This is Burgundy? Whoa! A lot of Francophiles aren't going to like this direction.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Pierre Amiot Les Combottes 1er Cru - Gevrey Chambertin. $39.99. Light medium ruby color. Sweet, floral and slightly stemmy, with notes of cinnamon, cola, and rosemary. Surprisingly light on the palate, but with lots of fruity flavors that seem a bit tart at mid-palate, but sweeten up just a bit through long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Bouzereau-Gruere Grand Cru - Corton-Bressandes. $39.99. Medium dark ruby color. Nose of stemmy strawberry and bing cherry fruit, with a touch of spice and mushroom. Slightly light in mouthfeel, moderate fruity flavors, with a bit of stem and leaf, and a long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+