The idea of attending a blind tasting of eight world class pinot noirs is eyebrow arching to say the very least. Tom Digweed, host of the evening (and admittedly ‘not a pinot fan’) arranged the evening to be accessible and enjoyable for the critical palate.
Toms selection included a variety of bottles, ranging in price from $15.95 - $50.00, originating from six diverse viticulture regions.
The experience was suprising, entertaining, and left one with an optimisitic appreciation of the ‘heartbreak grape’.
Thirty Bench 2002 Pinot Noir Beamsville Bench, Ontario $50.00
The rich, inky colour of this wine, combined with its nose of euculyptis and black fruit led me to speculate that its origins were australian. it’s full bodied mouth feel would only emphasize the possibility of this being pinpointed as a warm climate offering.
Several Beamsville Bench wineries have chosen to focus on the Pinot Noir… in some cases creating memorable, almost magical wines. In this particular case, the Thirty Bench offering was not my favorite wine (and at $50.00 per bottle, is slightly beyond my ‘unless-i-absolutely-have-to-have-it’ budget). The overwhelming consensus at our tasting table was that it would definetly benifit from another two, perhaps three years in the cellar.
Domaine Vacheron 2004 Sancerre Loire Valley, France $31.95
In my follow up research, the only information I could find for the Domaine Vacheron discussed the Sancerre Blanc, which is heralded to be a superior product of the Loire… unfortunetly, the experience with the Sancerre Rouge did not leave a favourable impression.
Although the initial nose showed subtle fruit and slight earthiness, the palate was extremely hot, leading many in the group to question the excessive alcohol percieved to be present. The discovery that the Sancerre was a mere 12.5% alcohol generated suspision of the overall balance of the wine.
Silver Stone 2001 Pinot Noir Monterey California $29.95
Being that I have been a vegetarian for 15+ years, I provoked a few curious glances with my initial assesment of this sample… “It smells like smoky bacon chips!!”.
This wine has a beautiful rust colour, smooth mouth feel, and absolutely zero tannin. The winemakers decision to leave the wine unfiltered, with no additional racking was a brave one, providing a pinot with a very unique complexity. The wine provided a quick finish with little aftertaste, and would be beautiful when served slightly chilled.
Peller Estates 2005 Pinot Noir Niagara Region, Ontario $25.95
Undoubtedly my favorite of the evening (even at a blind-tasting… I have my rough notes, I promise!!). Several members of the table commented on the similarity of the nose of this Pinot to the bouquet of the Peller Estates 2002 Cabernet Franc Icewine: Intense Strawberry!
The nose is rounded off with a slight bubblegum, reminiscient of the traditional beaujolais style. The palate is well balanced… earthiness and fruit with a crisp finish of subtle raisin. I also see this wine slightly chilled, and eagerly suspect that this is offering is indicitave of the superior 2005 reds yet to be seen from Niagara.
Erath 2004 Pinot Noir Oregon, USA $22.95
In my opinion, the runner-up of the evening. The Erath Pinot provided a rich strawberry colour in the glass, a beautiful, subtly elegant nose of raisin and toasted oak, and finished with lots of fruit and nicely balanced tannins.
At $22.95, this is excellent value for a superior Pinot Noir, and I will be heading to Vintages ASAP to pick up a few bottles and experience its development over the next two to three years.
Louis Jadot 2004 Pinot Noir Couvent Des Jacobins Burgundy, France $19.95
The pleasant pinkish hue of this Pinot suggested its tradtionally cool climate origins. The juiciness of the strawberry/rasperry aroma may be accused of being a little bit of a tongue-tease 
as the palate is a little less than what may be desired. Nice fruitiness, Nice acidity, and a nice example of a french Pinot for under $20.
Sileni 2005 Pinot Noir Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand $17.95
Another favorite of the evening: well balanced, fruit forward with nice acidity and a crisp finish. Soft, sublte tannins provided a pleasant mouth feel.
At $17.95, this Pinot is a fantastic find- perhaps even a cellar candidate for another three to four years! Totally worth a try…
Konigschaffhausen 2003 Pinot Noir Baden, Germany $15.95
This Pinot offers an exciting, sunset-rustiness in the glass. The aroma of soft, subtle fruit and oak paired with coffee and leather is enticing and exotic, reminding one of evenings around a campfire.
The palate delivers lingering fruit paired with earthiness and vanilla. The tannin is non-existent, possibly suggesting that the wine should ideally be consumed sooner rather than later.
Go Ahead And Try…
Tawse Winery 2003 Pinot Noir Beamsville Bench, Ontario $28.00
A perfect example of a terroire-focused winery venturing to produce maximum quality wine from minimal grape variety. Presently, Tawse is working with the Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir- all of which have received critical acclaim.
On a regional tasting excursion, the Tawse Pinot was the only offering of this temperamental varietal which inspired me to reach for my debit card. The perfect balance of fruit, earth, acidity, and tannin was absolutely superior to anything else that was experimented with that day. The lingering finish begged for another taste.
Pinot Noir has been referenced by some as a haunting obsession- the Tawse Winery Pinot is presently the only one I believe to be seductive enough to garner such an affair 
