Wasting time on aging pinot noir

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been so impressed with the body and tannin in a California pinot noir, that I put a few bottles in the cellar to age — only to be disappointed several years later when I popped the cork.

I’ve come to the conclusion that just because a Burgundy ages well doesn’t mean a California or Oregon pinot noir will be just as rewarding. Why is that? Pinot noirs in Burgundy have more finesse than tannin. The ones I taste from the West Coast have a lot of alcohol and forward, often sweet fruit and high alcohol. One would think this character would allow them to age well, but that hasn’t been my experience.

Admittedly, this is an over-generalization. But the wines I recently opened from Ken Wright, Goldeneye, Penner-Ash and Panther Creek — mostly from the 2015 vintage — were over-ripe and flaccid. The only exception was the 2015 Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir which had a lot of structure, fresh fruit and still some fine tannins.

Lesson learned: drink your West Coast pinot noir within a couple of years.

A pinot noir legend passes on

Josh Jensen, founder of Calera, died June 11 at age 78.. Anyone who has tasted his extraordinary pinot noirs or who has benefited from his conversation understands the significance of his accomplishments.

Jensen graduated from Yale and then Oxford. During his time in England, he fell in love with French burgundy and even worked a harvest at Domaine de la Romanee-Contee. He returned to the States to find the same limestone soil as that of great burgundies. He found it on the slopes of Mt. Harlan and in 1974 he planted Jensen, Reed and Selleck vineyards. Those vineyards became synonymous with pinot noir wines that came as close as ever to burgundy.

Jensen sold his winery to Duckhorn (www.duckhorn.com) in 2017.

I’ve sampled these wines for decades and they never have failed to impress me. Their mineral quality makes them unique. May he rest in peace.

www.calerawine.com

Keeping an eye on pinot noir

I’ve been sampling a lot of West Coast pinot noir lately. I love the full-body, extracted fruit character of many of the premium wines, but admittedly they have skewed my vision of pinot noir. Isn’t this the same grape grown in Burgundy?

You couldn’t tell if you tasted them side by side. While Burgundy produces pinot noir that by and large are elegant and even understated, California makes pinot noir that hits the palate with a hammer. Attribute that to the difference in soil and climate — but also to the winemaker’s focus.

I recently tasted a few pinot noirs made by Maison Drouhin — some were from Burgundy but there were also pinot noirs made by the producer’s Willamette Valley center. Even though Veronique Drouhin uses the same techniques and philosophy in both regions, the wines were very different. I have always loved the Drouhin Oregon “Laurene” Pinot Noir and the 2016 did not disappoint. But it is softer and more juicy than the Drouhin Cote de Beaune Rouge.

Since 2013 Drouhin also has been making pinot noir and chardonnay under the Roserock label. From the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, this fruit-forward, vibrant wine has the Drouhin signature.

Given a choice, I like the subtlety and elegance of Drouhin’s burgundy. And, the price isn’t that much different. The “Laurene” sells for $78; the Cote de Beaune sells for $54.

Alsace: the forgotten and neglected

Every time I have a riesling or pinot blanc from Alsace, I am enveloped in regret The only ageworthy riesling I have in my cellar is from Washington state. The last time I ordered one in a restaurant was when I spotted a deal for a 10-year-old Weinbach pinot blanc. It was sublime, but did I go out and buy some of the current vintage? No.

Colmar, the commercial center of Alsace.

With that in mind, I recently dived into a flight of Alsace pinot blanc, pinot gris and pinot noir from several Alsace providers.  All of these pinot iterations are deceiving: all are descendants of pinot noir. Pinot gris in Alsace is pinot grigio in Italy. Same grape, just a different interpretation of "gray" that describes the grape skin. Pinot blanc is slightly different in that it is a genetic mutation of pinot noir.  Any flavor differences between the three white grapes is mostly a result of terroir and climate.

First, let me say Alsace producers should get out of the red wine business. For centuries they have struggled to make a decent pinot noir and I have yet to taste one. The two I sampled were awkward, vegetal and astringent. With great pinot noirs coming out of Burgundy and the West Coast, there are ample comparisons.

Second, the region's rieslings and pinot blancs are showing less sweetness nowadays. Just one pinot gris from Emile Beyer exhibited some residual sugar in my tasting flight. The 2013 Albert Boxer pinot blanc reserve was unique -- five years of bottle age gave it a riper, slightly maderized profile I loved. And it was dry.

The 2016 Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Blanc was a perfect example of a simple Alsace wines with varietal stone fruit flavors, a dash of mineral and citrus.

The pinot blancs and pinot gris are great summer sippers. The austere French pinot gris is superior in my mind to the fruity, extracted Italian pinot grigio.