pinot noir

Bald Hills Pinot Noir

Filed under: Wine

CNN has an interesting piece on the Bald Hills winery in New Zealand which is making some of the world's best Pinot Noir. There's a fun backstory on this one, Blair and Estelle Hunt got into the wine business just as they were approaching 60, the age most people are looking toward retirement. Fast forward to ten years late and their 2005 Bald Hills pinot noir has beaten 4,760 other entries to take the Champion Red award in the International Wine Challenge, the world's biggest blind tasting. They also won the Champion Sustainable trophy at the International Wine Challenge.

The pair had sold their house in Sydney and moved to rural New Zealand in search of a more peaceful, rural life. They landed in Bannockburn and found that their land was ideal for growing grapes. They wound up working with renowned New Zealand winemaker Grant Taylor to create the wines which are created with great care. As was memorably explained in the movie, Sideways, Pinot Noir grapes are rather fussy, they are thin-skinned and prone to rot and grow best in Burgundy in France, Oregon in the U.S., and New Zealand's Central Otago region.

Getting your hands on the wine is not easy but it is not wildly expensive; it costs just 38 New Zealand dollars, less than U.S.$30. It is distributed in the U.S. by Pangaea Wine Group.

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Tags: bald hills, new zealand, pinot noir, red wine, wine

Dancing Bear Cellars Shea Cuve� Pinot Noir Supports 9/11 Memorial

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Charity

Joining the ranks of wines for a good cause is the Dancing Bear Shea Cuvée Pinot Noir from Dancing Bear Cellars. The owner of the company, Eric Munson lost his brothers-in-law Daniel J and Joseph P Shea on September 11, 2001. To commemorate the loss, he is devoting 10% of the profit of this wine to construction of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. He expects to raise about $30,000 to add to the $250,000 his family has already pledge. The wine is made by Keith Rutz of Rutz Cellars and retails for $30.

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Tags: 9/11, dancing bear cellars, pinot noir, wine

Blackstone Launches New Sonoma-Based Wines

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Like Kendall-Jackson, Blackstone winery is seeking to seek the next level of the wine market with a new line that appeal to a different price point than their main line which is generally under $10. The Blackstone Sonoma Reserve is produced at Blackstone's Kenwood Winery in the heart of Sonoma Valley and includes a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Bordeaux-inspired red blend, Rubric. The wines use grapes sourced from premium vineyards found upon the hillsides, benchlands and coastline of Sonoma County and are made by winemaker Gary Sitton.

The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay uses grapes from the cool climate areas of Russian River Valley and Carneros, with small percentages drawn from the Sonoma Coast and sells for $16.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Merlot uses grapes from the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley and also sells for $16.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Pinot Noir uses fruit from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley region and is aged for 12 months in French oak. It sells for $18.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve "Rubric" is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. It is matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels and sells for $18.99.

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Tags: blacstone wines, BlacstoneWines, chardonnay, grapes, merlot, pinot noir, PinotNoir, red wine, RedWine, sonoma, white wine, wine

2006 Domaine Chandon Unoaked Pinot Noir Ros�

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Domaine Chandon is famous for the their sparkling wines but they also make fine still wines that are perfect for summer. Case in point, their 2006 Domaine Chandon Unoaked Pinot Noir Rosé. Not only is it a screw cap (like their unoaked Chardonnay) but it has a gorgeous pink hue and a a nose of cherry blossom and lime. The wine itself is light and fruity with a refreshing snap but still tastes like a serious wine despite the rather Arbor-Mist-like color. It sells for $20.

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Tags: domaine chandon, DomaineChandon, napa wine, NapaWine, pinot noir, rose wine, wine

2005 The Catch Pinot Noir

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Charity

Today's wine selection combines two of my favorite things, wine by a sport celebrity and wine for a good cause. Former San Francisco 49er Dwight Clark teamed up with Steve Ledson of Ledson winery to create 2005 Dwight Clark's "The Catch" Russian River Pinot Noir. The wine is made of 100% Pinot Noir. The wine is a blend of four different clones from the Russian River vineyards and is aged in French Oak barrels for eight months. The proceeds from the sale of the wine benefit the Harmony Foundation for Children, which provides support and resources to underprivileged children. This is the third wine in the series, the first was a 2000 Meritage made with actor Jeff Bridges and the first was a 1999 Old Vine Zinfandel made with former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald. The wine sells for $95.

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Tags: dwight clark, ledson, pinot noir, red wine, the catch

Willamette Valley Vineyards Switch To Sustainable Corks

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Willamette Valley Vineyards is going green in a new way. Wine Business reports that they will become the first winery in the world to use cork stoppers harvested from forestlands certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Willamette Valley Vineyards annually produces around 100,000 cases of mainly Pinot Noir wine. Starting with the 2006 vintage Pinot Noir to be bottled in July, the winery will begin using corks that are FSC certified and imprinted with the FSC and Rainforest Alliance logo. The corks come from from FSC-certified cork forests in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The Rainforest Alliance says that cork is important to protecting the environment because the use of plastic stoppers and aluminum screw caps aren't environmentally friendly. The 2005 vintage sells for $24 per bottle.

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Tags: cork, orgeon wine, pinot noir, red wine, willamette valley vineyards, WillametteValleyVineyards, wine closures

Pahlmeyer Goes Pinot

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Pahlmeyer Winery is branching out. The California winery, which specializes in Bordeaux-based reds and Chardonnay, has now created Pinot Noirs primarily sourced from a vineyard the winery purchased in 2000 in Sonoma. They will be releasing two Pinot Noirs this year, the 2005 Jayson Pinot Noir in April and the 2005 Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir in September. The Jayson is 100% Pinot Noir grapes with a Sonoma appellation. The winemaker, Erin Green describes the wine has having a nose of cherries and earth with blackberries, plum and spice on the palate. It sells for $65.

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Tags: california, jayson, pahlmeyer, pinot noir, red wine, sonoma, wine

Pinot 2.0, Wine by Online Collaboration

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

We've written about Crushpad, the wine making facility in San Francisco before. Now they are working with wine podcaster Alan Baker (aka The Cellar Rat) to create Pinot 2.0, which is the first wine to be made via online consumer collaboration. Group members participate and make decisions through Crushpad's online forum and Baker's videos narrate each step of the wine's progress (local Rat Packers in the Bay Area are also in the process). The Pinot 2.0 project began in September and won't wind up until August 2007. You can get join in the fun by watching Baker's entertaining videos. It's actually a very interesting way to learn about the many factors that go into creating a great wine as you get to track the grapes from the vine through the harvest and fermentation.

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Tags: alan baker, california wine, crushpad, pinot noir, PinotNoir, red wine, wine

Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

If you are a fan of the Pinot Noir grape, you can't go wrong headed to the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival in Boonville, California May 19-21. The fussy varietal lauded by Miles in "Sideways" as being "haunting and brilliant" has been riding high on public approval the last few years.

The festival offers a variety of events from the Technical Conference, which tells you how to grow and produce the grape to the more freewheeling social barbecue at the Goldeneye Winery. The grand tasting will be held at Scharffenberger Cellars in Philo and costs $85. On Saturday, May 20, there are six winemaker dinners being held. Each one costs $150 a ticket (the Roederer and Goldeneye dinners are already sold out) and include a decadent assortment of wine and food pairings.

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Tags: anderson valley, AndersonValley, grapes, pinot noir, wine, wine festival, winery

Oregon Winery Goes Green

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Just in time for Earth Day this year, an Oregon vineyard will be opening a new winemaking facility that runs off solar power. The new winery at Stoller Vineyards in Dayton, Oregon will open on April 19 and is expected to create 44,000 kilowatt hours of clean renewable solar energy each year. The facility includes a gravity-flow system which results in energy savings in production and is also considered to be the most gentle way to process the Pinot Noir that the winery specializes in. The new facility is the first winery in Oregon to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s Green Building Rating System. Their 2004 JV Pinot Noir sells for $22.

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Tags: earth day, eco-friendly, green design, oregon, oregon wine, pinot noir, solar power, stoller vineyards, wine

U.S. Wine Drinking Habits Indicate California Love

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Decanter has the results of two interesting studies that explore the choices U.S. consumers make regarding wine. In terms of domestic consumption, California is king. Two out of every three bottles sold in the U.S. are from California. The Supreme Court decision to permit wineries to sell directly to consumers and the "Sideways" effect are believed to have contributed to the rise in sales. "Premium" wines, which are considered to be those over $7 were two thirds of the sales. Another market research study from Chicago-based Information Resources Inc (IRI) reports good news for wines from Europe and New Zealand. The study, called The 2005 Table Wine Top 30 Brand Performers, found that European table wines grew 9.4% last year . The sales of Spanish table wines was up 23.1% and German wines are up 18.9%. The really good news is for New Zealand wine producers. Their sales were up 190.5%.

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Tags: california wine, chardonnay, new zealand wine, pinot noir, sideways, wine, wine consumption, wine drinking, wine habits

Ambullneo Vineyards

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Ambullneo Vineyards is one of the lesser-known wineries in California. The winemakers Greg Linn and Scott Ames create blends made of grapes from several different vineyards to create well-regarded wines. Their wines have already been picked up for some of the most well-regarded restaurants including Per Se and Michael Mina. The wines are all named with dog themes and the name of the winery comes from a new breed of dog (the ambullneo is part bulldog, part Neopolitan mastiff). The winery has received good reviews from Robert Parker for both their 2003 Big Paw Chardonnay and 2003 Pinot Noir Bulldog Reserve. They currently have three pre-sale offerings of wines which will be available this fall: the 2005 Big Paw Chardonnay, the new Fang Blanc Chardonnay (both $59) and another new offering the 2004 Howling Syrah, Central Coast which is a blend of 80 percent from the Bien Nacido Z Block and 20 percent Rimrock Vineyard. The fruit was hand sorted and about 90% of the stems were removed with the berries intact. The wine was fermented in open-top stainless steel fermenters using both cultured and native yeasts, punched down 3-4 times daily then put into French oak barrels and aged for 18 months ($75).

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Tags: california wine, chardonnay, pinot noir, wine

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