Are Winemakers Producing More Elegantly Styled Pinot Noirs?

SEBASTOPOL, Calif., May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- New World Pinot Noir has been evolving over the last several vintages to wines of elegance and varietal authenticity rather than burly Syrah-like Pinots, the muscular Pinot Noirs made popular by a few influential reviewers and their publications.

"And it's about time! I'm delighted that lighter, more delicately styled wines with balanced acids are becoming the norm," declares Barbara Drady, Chief Wine Evangelist at AFFAIRS of the VINE. "It was definitely apparent in this year's 9th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout and Summit results that elegance and balance wins out over brawn."

"It's taken time to analyze the results and read through all the comments and descriptions submitted by our judging panel and the attendees to the Pinot Noir Summit," states Drady. "With 40 judges tasting 367 wines at least twice in the competition, there's a lot of wine information to be digested."

The Pinot Noir Shootout judges expertly tasted through 367 wines in a series of blind tastings, tasting just 32 wines per day, and selected 64 to move forward to the Pinot Noir Summit. At the Summit, over 350 Pinot Noir lovers participated in a blind tasting of the wines.

In a distinctly different format and atmosphere from other wine tasting events, attendees blind taste the wines and pit their palates against the expert judging panel. The Shootout is the only competition where the judges' conclusions are put to the test by an unbiased panel of wine lovers.

The wines selected as the favorites of the Pinot Noir Shootout judges and the delegates to the Pinot Noir Summit were viewed as silky, elegant, velvety, and well-balanced, wines displaying finesse over structure.

Overview and complete results at Affairs of the Vine.

Top winners of the 9th Annual Pinot Shootout and Summit Results:

Men at the Summit
1st Place: Bouchaine 2008 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Napa Valley - Carneros
2nd Place: McIntyre Vineyards Estate 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
3rd Place: DaVine Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
4th Place: Alysian 2007 Estate Floodgate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
5th Place: Boulder Bank 2009 Pinot Noir, Marlborough

Women at the Summit:
1st Place: Steele 2008 Bien Nacido Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County
2nd Place: Leveroni Vineyards 2009 Seven Oaks Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Valley
3rd Place: Portalupi 2008 Russell Family Ranch Pinot Noir, Paso Robles
4th Place: Sharp Cellars 2007 Keenan's Cove Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
5th Place: CRU 2008 Appellation Series Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley

Shootout Panel Results
Men Judges:
1st Place: Chamisal 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, Edna Valley
2nd Place: Lucienne 2007 Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
3rd Place: Expression 39 2009 Annahal Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
AND
3rd Place: Woodworth 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Temecula Valley
4th Place: Fulcrum 2008 Gap's Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
5th Place: Pacific Coast 2007 Babcock Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills
AND
5th Place: Steele 2008 Bien Nacido Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County

Women Judges:
1st Place: Mueller 2008 Emily's Cuvee Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
2nd Place: Coghlan 2009 Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills
3rd Place: Fess Parker 2008 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County
4th Place: SCV Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2007 Balistreri Family Vineyard Freestone View Block Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
5th Place: Scheid Vineyards 2007 Reserve Pinot Noir, Monterey
AND
5th Place: Sequana Vineyards 2008 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir, Green Valley

This year, the competition included some amazing Blanc de Noirs, sparkling wines produced from Pinot Noir. The winners are...

Blanc de Noirs Gold Medal Winners:

Cipes Rose Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Freixenet Elyssia Brut Pinot Noir, Cava, Spain

Gloria Ferrer 2006 Blanc de Noirs, Methode Champenoise, Carneros

Gloria Ferrer Brut Rose 2006 Pinot Noir, Carneros

SCV 2007 Sea Fog Cuvee Blanc de Noirs, Methode Champenoise, Sonoma Coast

Segura Viudas ARIA Brut Pinot Noir, Cava, Spain

Complete comments and scores by gender at Affairs of the Vine.

Contact:
AFFAIRS of the VINE
Barbara Drady, Chief Wine Evangelist
707.874.1975
[email protected]

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SOURCE AFFAIRS of the VINE