wine: Pinot Noir
There is probably no other grape varietal out there with so much emotion and opinion surrounding it as Pinot Noir. It gained ridiculous levels of popularity after being featured in the film Sideways, where the main character Miles so eloquently romanticized his love for the grape:
“It’s a hard grape to grow … it’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early … it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it’s neglected. No, pinot needs constant care and attention … it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand pinot’s potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, oh, its flavors, they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and ancient on the planet.”
You just don’t get poetry like that for Zinfandel or Sangiovese.
I used to find Pinot Noir sour, boring, and smelling of “moldy shower”. I was very confused with all the attention paid to such an underwhelming wine. However, I have since been slowly warming up to the grape and have started to truly understand what all the hype is about. It is great with a wide variety of food, it is easily drinkable, and it’s not overwhelming (which is a good thing). The one mark against it is that in it is expensive, or it least it is if you want to actually enjoy everything that makes a Pinot so wonderful. So while I can easily go to the store and grab a $10 Cab or Zin with decent results, I will continue to steer clear of the bottom shelf Pinot. This may sound strange, but I find it tastes quite “cheaper” than other varietals in that price range.
Case in point… My husband and I drank two different Pinot Noirs recommended by our local wine guy. One was a $23 French wine that was so “perfectly Pinot” that it is what inspired me to write this blog in the first place. The other was a $9 New World wine that reminded me of why I disliked Pinot for so long. And although the tastes were so clear in my mind as the perfect illustration of my expectations and past experiences with Pinot, as soon as I sat down to try to explain what makes a cheap Pinot taste so offensive and a $23 Pinot so inspiring, I find that their just aren’t any words for the ideas in my head.
Joseph Drouhin Vero Pinot Noir 2003 - tart ripe raspberry, very smooth and dry with a round feeling on the tongue, a delight to drink
Morande Casablanca Pinot Noir 2006 - tangy overripe raspberry, tastes cheap, like Charles Shaw but Pinot
What do my notes really mean? If they both taste like “raspberry” then what is the problem? What does it mean for something to taste “cheap”? Every wine drinker has experienced the disappointing flavor of moving from a more expensive wine to a less expensive wine. It is an all too familiar flavor that my husband and I can only describe as “farty”. The wine just tastes cheaper, flatter, and a little more rotten. It’s like going from a piece of medium-rare tenderloin to overdone flank steak. It’s hard to describe why one cut of meat tastes “cheaper” than another without resorting to texture comparisons. In wine, you are just stuck with comparing it with the industry standard of cheap wine.
technorati tags: pinot noir, charles shaw
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