Flavors of Pinot Noir

Quick Review: Red Tail Ridge Pinot Noir 2009

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Red Tail Ridge Pinot Noir 2009
+ // Fruity (tart) // Inky, Grass // Ink, Berry, Cranberry // Medium - Full

What Does "Single Vineyard" Mean?

Integral to the concept of high quality wine is the idea of "terrior", or sense of place. In the most famous of Old World wines, this is defined by small vineyards, defined by monks in centuries past. In New World wiens, wine-makers are begining to think about this. According to US wine laws, so long as 95% of the grapes come from a specific vineyard, the wine can be labeled as Single Vineyard or by the name of the vineyard.

Quick Review: Heron Hill Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Heron Hill Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009
++ // Earthy // Forrest floor, Blueberry, Leather // Mushroom, Slate, Cherry cola, Cinnamon // Medium

Knowing Your Pinot

One of the benefits of knowing details about a wine is that it makes it so much easier to figure out the perfect meal to pair it with. Pinot Noir comes in a wide range of styles, so knowing a bit about it beforehand can let you craft a dinner to really showcase the flavors in the bottle. The wines of Burgundy tend to be both rich in ripe fruit and earthy flavors, while the Pinot Noirs of California tend toward bright, red fruit, while the ones coming out of Oregon tend toward more subdued berries.

Knowing we had a bottle of Heron Hill Pinot Noir from the Finger Lakes, I had a good idea of what to look forward to. While we haven't had the chance to try the newest vintage, we enjoyed the release last year, so I had agood idea that we would find a heart, earthy wine, with hints of tart fruit. With this in mind, I headed to the local farmers market to buy the ingredients for a simple, tasty Saturday dinner.

Its still early for some of the best produce, but knowing the market helps. Some greens, just coming into season for some freshness with just a hint of bitterness to match the stone flavors. Sometomatoes from the first harvest fromthe hothouses of New Jersey, sweet and firm, almost like the fruit flavors of the wine. To serve as the base of the meal, some mushrooms to match the earthiness so typical of the best new New York Pinots. With the addition of some black beans cooked in honey and molasses and the aid of some time in the backyard with my grill, some sweet and smokey notes were added to an easy dinner of veggie burritos, and we had an excellent complement to our excellent wine. I only wish I had a second bottle, that I could have enjoyed by itself as I sat in the summer sun preparing dinner.

Summer in a Glass

Its amazing the effect a glass of wine can have on us. We often talk about the smells and flavors, and what they mean for the wine or how they pair with food. But smell is the strongest link to memory.

One flavor that always stands out to me in our favorite Rieslings from the Finger Lakes is the mineral note that provides part of the strong crisp backbone. Dry to sweet, no matter what style the wine takes, the hint of minerality always lingers at the back of a Finger Lakes Riesling.

For me, that flavor sends my memory back through the years, to a time well before I even started thinking about wine. Summers of my youth were spent hiking and camping in the Finger Lakes. That smell of wet slate takes me back to warm afternoons, sitting in some quiet ravine chatting with friends and listening to the streams babble. Its amazing what seemingly unrelated memories the flavors of a wine can invoke, and the simple pleasures they can remind us of.

Quick Review: Fulkerson Dry Riesling 2010

US, NY, FL, Fulkerson Winery Dry Riesling 2010
+ // Crisp // Lemon, Honey // Grapefruit, Slate // Light