Pinot Noir's the Star of the September 1 Release.
There's a bumper crop of interesting stuff this week - perfect for the Labour Day weekend, which will have perfect weather too. The focus this week is on the notorious and temperamental pinot noir. There are some fine examples from its home and native land - Burgundy - but as usual you'll need to dig deep into your wallet. Meanwhile, there's representation from Ontario, British Columbia, California, Chile, New Zealand for a New World take on the grape, plus some from Alsace, Sancerre and... Austria(!) Given the globe-girdling nature of this pinot release, I'll identify the country of origin in each case.
It's still summer of course, so there are a few whites that are also appealing, including a truly stunning champagne worth taking out a second mortgage for. I felt obliged to try several samples just to make sure...
The Champagnes
Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut Champagne. $89.95
Rich nose with a nice balance of red fruit and biscuit. There's a hint of oxidation, but pleasant. Acidity is correctly crisp and the miniscule bubbles give a pleasantly creamy texture. There's more subdued red fruit on the palate leading to a great finish. Very elegant. 90 points.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut 1998. $229.95
** GOOD VALUE**
Perfect pale yellow-gold colour sets the stage for this incredible taste treat. Rich and seductive nose with some biscuit and apple
notes. Very tiny bubbles, very gentle - a really terrific mousse.
Acidity is fresh, but the overall feel is rich and creamy. More
muted apple and some toasty notes on the palate. It's very youthful
still too - this one will age for many more years yet and should
continue to develop deeper toast notes. Great finish of course:
an amazing champagne - and they thoughtfully throw in a glamorous
carrying case. 95 points.
The Whites
Hillebrand Trius White 2006. $18.95
Fairly aromatic nose on the multi-white blend from Niagara - the
riesling and gewurztraminer certainly come through. More muted
on the palate than expected, but the acidity is high, it's pretty
smooth and there's a nice finish. 87 points
Gallo Two Rock Vineyard Chardonnay 2004. $29.95
Nice deep colour on this Cali chard, but the nose is farily bland.
Smooth and a bit round on the palate with moderate fruit, but
there's a nice acid kick at the end which leads to a good finish
with lemon notes. 87 points
St. Francis Chardonnay 2005. $22.95
Lively nose with light fresh fruit and some oaky notes. On the
palate it's slightly sweet and the oak treatment comes to the
fore, with buttery toasty notes. Nice finish. 87 points
Montes Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $14.95 **
BEST VALUE**
Talk about nouveau - the Niagara grapes are still on the vine
and this is already on the shelves! This Chilean sauv blanc starts
off in the NZ style, all herbacious and grassy. Acidity is very
crisp, yet it's fairly full on the palate, which has great tropical
fruit notes, especially passion fruit. Great finish too on this
value effort that pretty much runs the gamut of sauv. blanc's
flavour profile. 88 points
Auntsfield Cob Cottage Chardonnay 2005. $24.95
There's a bit of cardboard at first, but this soon clears. There
are oaky notes on the nose and the oak is evident on the palate.
The acidity is crisp but it still feels rich, with a variety of
muted fruit notes. Good finish with a nice acid kick at the end.
89 points
The Pinot Noirs
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2005. Canada
- Okanagan. $24.95
Slightly cooked red fruit on the nose, but smoother, bolder and
fresher on the palate, but there's a hint of a green edge. The
oak is a little evident on the palate and the tannins are a touch
harsh. 86 points
Saturna Island Pinot Noir 2004. Canada - BC Gulf Islands. $18.95
Super pale colour - looks more like a dark rose. The nose is slightly
odd, but there is cherry there. It's smooth on the palate and
the flavours are very delicate. There's a very soft quality as
the acids seem only medium and the tannins soft. Maybe chill and
sip this one on the terrace. 85 points
Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2005. Canada - Niagara. $19.95
Nice medium ruby colour but only a so-so nose. Acid and tannins
are both high and it's not over fruity on the palate, but the
cherries are there. There's also earthiness and a nice bit of
chewiness on the finish. 86 points
Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir 2005. USA. $24.95
A slightly cooked nose on this one, but red fruit there. Very
pleasant and fruity on the palate. Medium bodied, earthy, and
the cherries come out more here for that pinot taste. OK finish.
There's none of this left at the winery by the way - all sold
out. 87 points.
Porta Select Reserve Pinot Noir 2005. Chile. $15.95
The moderate nose on this one is not too characteristic of pinot,
but it's nice on the palate with cherries and soft tannins. There's
also some secondary earthy development, but I noted the acidity
as "odd". Not bad all the same. 86 points.
Yarra Ridge Pinot Noir 2006. Australia. $19.95
Nice red fruit aromas on the nose. Very smooth and pleasant on
the palate, with good red fruit and medium to soft tannins. A
good example of the New World style. 87 points.
Hunter's Pinot Noir 2006. New Zealand. $22.95
Good nose showing a nice mix of earthy development and cherries.
Smooth and elegant on the palate, with nice acidity and reasonable
complexity. Decent finish too. 88 points
Shepherds Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004. New Zealand. $24.95
Moderately fruity nose, this one's smooth on the palate with fairly
pronounced acidity and medium tannins. There's good cherry fruit,
but not much in the way of an earthy counterpoint. Nice finish
though. 87 points.
Weingut Dr. Unger Pinot Noir Gottweiger Berg Classic 2005. Austria.
$18.95
The proprietor sounds like an earnest maker of orthopaedic shoes,
but in fact he's got an interesting take on pinot. Very nice and
super pale colour on this one and, though the nose is muted, the
pinot characteristics are discernable. It remains muted on the
palate, but hits the right notes again - cherries and earthiness.
You do have to work at this one, but it's there. 86 points.
Pierre Sparr Pinot Noir Reserve 2005. France - Alsace $18.95
** BEST VALUE**
This Alsacian is one of two French picks not from Burgundy - and
it's got a lovely pale colour the classic pinot cherries are on
the fairly robust nose, but there's not much earthiness or development.
More classic pinot flavour on the palate and soft tannins mean
easy drinking. The pretty good finish has a slight orange rind
note. 87 points
Fournier Sancerre Rouge 2003. France - Sancerre $29.95
A red Sancerre! Well, they produce pinots in the legendary home
of sauvignon blanc, but apparently drink most of it themselves
- so this is the first one I've tried. Fournier offers a big fruity
and classic cherry nose. It's super smooth on the palate and the
acidity is fairly high. Fairly light and fresh, and thoroughly
pleasant. 87 points
The Burgundies
When it comes to pinot noir, nowhere is more important than Burgundy.
Albert Bichot Pinot Noir Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes 2005. $18.95
** BEST VALUE**
Nice fruity nose and a fairly simple and pleasantly fruity palate.
There's good cherry fruit and not much earthiness, so a good intro
to pinot noir. Well made at a good price. 87 points.
Bouchard Volnay Caillerets 1er Cru Ancienne Cuvee Carnot 2005.
$86.95
The rich earthy nose on this classic Burgundian even includes
the elusive and dangerous "barnyard" (you want it, but
not too much of it). Smooth and elegant on the palate yet mouth-filling
at the same time, with complex flavours of both light and dark
red fruit, darker earthy notes and even some stone. Evident and
nicely-balanced acidity and tannins lead to a great finish. This
one is good now, but will keep for years to come provided you
can leave it in your cellar. 92 points.
Chanson Pere et Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir. $19.95
Fairly nondescript nose with ripe/cooked notes. There's a slightly
underdone quality to the fruit, but it's very light and fresh
on the palate. Tannins are there and it's interesting in a muted
way. This would be very good with food. 87 points.
Domaine Parent Pommard Les Chanlins 2005. $64.95
Domaine Parent apparently once counted noted American oenophile
Thomas Jefferson among its clients, so their traditional approach
is not a surprise. Rich nose, but some slightly cooked notes.
Very smooth on the palate with lots of cherries and good earthy
development (though no barnyard to speak of). Nice balance, fine
finish. 90 points
Joseph Drouhin Gevry-Chambertin 2005. $61.95
Nice fruity cherry nose with a bit of earthiness from this well-reputed
producer. Very traditional pinot flavour on the palate. Acidity
is high and it's very fresh and pleasant with a nice finish. Good
but overpriced. 88 points.
Pierre Labet Beaune Clos du Dessus des Marconnets 2005. $42.95
** GOOD VALUE**
Bold nose of dark red fruit - though slightly cooked. Very smooth
and elegant on the palate with good earthiness underpinning everything.
Nice acid kick on the long finish. Great Burgundy style pinot.
89 points.
Just Have to Mention...
Domaine Monpertius Chateuaneuf-du-Pape 2004. $39.95
Veer south to the Rhone for this terrific and full bodied blend
of grenache, syrah and mourvedre. This one is beautifully complex
on the nose, with good red berry fruit and pleasant spicy notes.
On the palate it's fresh and smooth, with rich red fruit and more
spiciness - even a pleasant sweetness. This is a very elegant
wine and it has a great finish too. 90 points.
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