Much has been written about the recent ascendancy of US pinot noir relative to its here-to-fore more celebrated brethren of cabernet, zinfandel and even for a time, merlot. Pinot noir, along with Syrah, are to put it mildly, hot. While the entertaining movie Sideways may have provided the final thrust necessary to position pinot as a mainstream alternative to cabernet and zinfandel, longtime fans know that this would not, indeed could not have happened were it not for the slow but steady gains in quality enjoyed over the last three decades. The acreage devoted to pinot has exploded and California alone now quite literally exceeds the production emanating from Burgundy and more is planted everyday.

As promising as this development is, longtime fans also know that the plantations are sufficiently new and the expertise sometimes sufficiently raw that not everything coming out of California, or for that matter Oregon, is of stellar quality. There continues to be a great deal of experimentation, not only in terms of where to plant but also in clonal selection and vinification techniques to produce a huge range of styles, as well as disconcertingly uneven quality. One only need buy a few examples to rapidly conclude that there is still some distance to go before we arrive at pinot nirvana yet it’s also possible to see that what once seemed unimaginable, e.g. consistently good and cellar worthy wines, is now well within reach.

What follows is the result of three months of tasting, mostly here in my home office. I also owe a serious debt of gratitude to Burghound.com subscriber and fellow pinot enthusiast Kevin Harvey who this April organized another fascinating tasting in San Francisco of many hard-to-find, mailing list only wines. What tasting such a broad range of wines from up and down the California coast clearly demonstrates is that there is a huge variation in styles and quality. And in terms of vintages, these wines confirmed that very generally speaking 2002 is the most consistent though I personally prefer the elegance and purity of 2001 despite the fact that it’s not as ripe. 2003 also offers much to like and is certainly better than 2000, which produced few really fine wines.

As to the wines themselves, you’ll find a few really lovely and highly recommended wines, quite a number of average to good efforts and a few laggards, which frankly is about what you would expect to find. It’s also roughly the same quality distribution that I routinely find in Burgundy though I generally find more wines at the very top of the quality scale. The stars in the 30+ producers that follow include Arcadian, Au Bon Climat, Radio-Coteau, Rochioli, Scherrer and Williams-Selyem though any number of wineries produced one or two wines worthy of your attention. There are also some difficult to like wines that suffer from some combination of over ripe fruit, excessively high in alcohol, less than deftly acidified and over oaked, and in a few really egregious cases, all of the above.

For years, the Burgundian model was what many winemakers strove to emulate but some have now flatly rejected that construct and have deliberately embarked on a radically different path that pushes ripeness and extraction levels to new heights, or lows depending on your point of view. It is not my purpose here to decry the ‘super-ripe’ wines so much as to point out the difficulties that such wines present with food. Granted, proponents of the style (I speak generally here as there really is no one super-ripe style) reasonably point out that often such wines are not consumed with food but rather as completely separate entities unto themselves. This is fine so far as it goes and as someone who has drunk an awful lot of burgundy, perhaps the ultimate food wine, by itself I would not engage in criticizing those who enjoy super-ripe pinots on their own.

However, here’s the rub that make enjoying such wines by themselves problematic. The vast majority, if by no means all, of the super-ripe pinots have been acidified to varying degrees. Now perhaps I am just unduly sensitive to the practice (see my comments regarding the 2003 white burgundies in the introduction) but many of these pinots have a distinct acid bite on the finish that makes for an unpleasantly bitter or tart backend. Often, the only cure for this bite is to try and buffer it with food yet the routinely high alcohol found in such efforts (15%+ is common) makes either the food or the wine, or both, taste flat. In short, it requires an exceptionally deft winemaking touch to pull off this delicate balancing act of juxtaposing super-ripe fruit and flavors carrying high alcohol against enough acidity to buffer it without obtaining this unpleasant bitterness. Flatly stated, it’s the rare super-ripe pinot that manages to do it successfully.

As such, I have tried to meticulously describe the style and character of each wine reviewed below so that you can more easily purchase those wines that match your taste preferences. Read the tasting notes carefully and while the associated scores certainly indicate an overall summation of quality, when it comes to a group of wines where the styles vary so widely, the tasting notes take on even more importance.

Given the obvious focus of Burghound.com, I feel compelled to mention that U.S. pinot noir is not Burgundy and Burgundy is not U.S. pinot. I state the obvious because so many people, including some consumers, producers as well as certain critics who should know better, laud or criticize pinot noir because it’s either very Burgundian in character or it’s not. In point of fact, the two regions share a common grape variety and after that, all bets are off. The resulting wines are different and should be viewed as such. While comparisons are inevitable, it ultimately is a disservice to the individuality of both regions, unless of course the goal is the unfortunate internationalization of wine where differences are to be avoided, not celebrated. The wines are different because the micro-climates are different, as are the soils, day and night time temperatures, total sunlight, moisture, proximity to water masses and dozens of other critical aspects. What is shared to a lesser extent are similar production methods, depending on the wineries in question and among the very best producers in both countries, a desire to express as clearly as possible the voice of the land or stated differently, a sense of place.

Note: the scores below are presented on the basis of absolute quality, not how these pinots compare to burgundies.

The 2001 vintage is the current release as wines are bottled relatively late by domestic standards. Readers should know that Joe Davis’ goal is to create serious, long-lived and intense Burgundian styled wines and to that end, he does not destem; as such, the texture and mouth feel of his wines are decidedly different than much of what you will taste from California and Oregon. The wines see a high percentage of new oak and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Not surprisingly, stylistically the wines do indeed closely resemble the Burgundian model and it would require a careful taster to identify many of these as domestic pinots. And as an aside, you have to admire Davis’ sense of humor as the cork is stamped with the phone number and a humorous twist on the famous "mis en bouteille" phrase seen on a huge percentage of French labels with: Mis en bouteilles dans notre garage. Prices ranges from $20 to $75 per bottle. For further information, contact Joe Davis: (805) 688- 1876 or visit www.arcadianwinery.com/wines/.

2001 Pinot Noir - Lafond Vineyard: (from Santa Rita Hills fruit planted in 1997 and bottled at 13.4% alcohol). Subtle floral and spice notes add depth to the ripe, nicely pure and complex and airy red pinot fruit aromas that are followed by rich, full and sweet round flavors that are generous, sappy, moderately structured and persistent. This isn’t quite as complex as the Sleepy Hollow but I quite liked it and it has the ability to be enjoyed now or it will certainly improve for another 3 to 5 years and drink well for a similar period. 89/2008+

2001 Pinot Noir - Fiddlestix Vineyard: (from Santa Rita Hills fruit and bottled at 13.1% alcohol). Elegant and very pure red pinot fruit introduces round and supple medium weight flavors that offer good if not special richness and culminate in a slightly edgy and punchy finish. There is a subtle greenness to the finish that isn’t enough to be bothersome but it does detract somewhat from the overall sense of harmony. 88/2009+

2001 Pinot Noir - Pisoni Vineyard: (from Monterey Country vines and bottled at 13.6% alcohol). A gorgeously pure and subtly spicy nose of considerable complexity and elegance complements edgy, firm and moderately structured medium full flavors that offer good definition and robust finishing power. The tannins arrive with a rush on the backend and it’s clear that this is very young and built to age though it is always likely to retain a certain edginess. 88/2010+

2001 Pinot Noir - Jill’s Cuvée: (from Bien Nacido Vineyard fruit bottled at 13.4% alcohol). Subtle cinnamon and clove notes highlight beautifully elegant and pure red pinot fruit aromas that introduce focused, sweet, intense and supple medium full flavors that culminate in fine length and punch. This is slightly edgy at the moment but this should round out with time. I very much like this for its excellent balance and overall sense of harmony. 90/2009+

2001 Pinot Noir - Francesca: (from Central Coast fruit bottled at 13%). Elegant and pure red pinot fruit aromas nuanced with hints of vegetal, earth and spice lead to edgy, sweet and detailed medium full and robust flavors that offer excellent punch and depth plus a subtle note of mocha on the finish. This is quite Burgundian in style and structure if not flavor profile and I quite like the overall sense of harmony. This is built to age and should easily see its 10th year in fine shape. 90/2011+

2001 Pinot Noir - Sleepy Hollow Vineyard: (from Monterey Country vines in the Santa Lucia highlands planted in 1974 and bottled at 13.8% alcohol). A wonderfully expressive ripe pinot nose laced with notes of red and black raspberry framed by a very discreet trace of toast leads to rich, sweet, intense and precise sappy middle weight flavors that possess both knockout length and exceptionally good balance. I particularly like the mouth feel and it carries its alcohol with only the barest trace of warmth. Built to age with the concentration and harmony to do it, this is recommended. 90/try from 2008+

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