January 26, 2006. Two New world Pinots

No more !@)*# Merlot I hear you say?

Alright lets try Pinot Noir then but can one fine really good new world Pinot Noir? The answer is yes but a rarity. Most people are going to be disappointed or frustrated if they think a new world Pinot is going to have a nose like a "Burgundian" Pinot - It usually is not the case.


'01 Kooyang - Pinot Noir / Haven Vineyard - Australia
Red fruits, "Australian" pinot noir nose ( don't ask me you can recognize it after a while), tart and showing less fruit than 18months ago. This is telling me the wines are not going to keep for too long drink up within 2-3years of release is my guess. 87pts.

'01 Walter Hansel - Pinot Noir - Alyce - Russian River
Deep, dark, brooding, good acidity & depth. An "almost Burgundian" nose but then not exactly ( but still very nice). Briefly after airing, there were hints of animal aromas which didn't stay around as the nose shifted again to fruits.... I'm smiling at this point. The complexities in the nose will be lost without a decent glass. We used the Riedel Extreme Pinot Noir and it showed nuance that lessor glasses couldn't. With 10-15min air, the mid-palate got more harsh and tannins become more prominent - acidity also. I think this one is a keeper and would be interesting to see what some bottle age would bring (7-10years?). 93(+)pts.

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