The Cellar: RRV Pinot Noir

Friday, September 16, 2016

Steffen Rasch, GoLocalWorcester Wine Writer

The Pinot Noir grape produces some of the world's most popular, expensive and sought-after wines in the world. And while Pinot was once thought only to be able to produce great wines in one place – Burgundy, France – its vines are now planted all over the world from New Zealand to California and from Argentina to upstate New York producing a dizzying array of diverse expressions of Pinot.

If you have heard anything about Pinot it is probably that it is notoriously difficult grape to grow. But what does that really mean? Well for starters, Pinot Noir is thin-skinned which makes it sensitive to spells of extreme heat or frost. The Pinot vine doesn't produce a lot of fruit as it is somewhat low yielding with grapes growing in small compact clusters, which means moisture and humidity can cause rot to develop very easily and quickly.

In addition to all this the Pinot vine buds early exposing it to potential late spring frosts as well as ripens early making its growing season relatively short. Growing Pinot requires a somewhat moderate climate, not too cold and not too hot, but just temperate enough to allow enough hangtime to develop its delicate flavors, aromas and complexity.

Finally, Pinot Noir is one of the more genetically unstable vinifera variety out there making it prone to mutation. This affects skin thickness, the size of pits and canopy management from vineyard block to vineyard block – in summary it is just very difficult and fragile grape that needs constant monitoring and attention. All that said, when conditions are good Pinot Noir can make some of the most delicate and intriguingly complex wines in the world. Some of the best examples are made right here in the US, specifically in the cooler parts of California and in Oregon.

In California, Sonoma's cool Russian River Valley is a near ideal place to grow Pinot. One of the region's top producers is Thomas George Estates, which is run by the father-and-son team of Thomas and Jeremy Baker. Their mission? To establishing a world-class winery focused on site-specific Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. In total, their estate program encompasses 63 planted acres, with 49 acres and eight clones of Pinot Noir and 12 acres and five clones of Chardonnay with a little Viognier and Grenache planted also.

I recently had the opportunity to sample a few of their Pinots among them their 2012 ‘Baker Estate Vineyard’ Pinot. This particular single vineyard Pinot features 4 different clones. After fermentation the wine aged on the lees for 11 months in French oak barrels, of which 36% new. This result is a beautiful Pinot. While delicious now it is obvious that it is still in its youth. After a moment in the glass the wine starts to open bursting with red fruit (ripe strawberries and cherries) proudly showing its cool-climate background. The palate is broad with savory notes of earth and sweet spices but the wine narrows on the finish with lingering acidity. Good stuff.

Cheers,

Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Learn about wine in person by signing up for one of his tastings at the Providence Wine Academy.

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