It's been a whirlwind of craziness at work so I apologize for delayed postings. I think everyday that I'd rather really do this all day. To experience life, photograph it, and write about it. Work is great, but work, is work, after all. So...to decompress from my hectic, design days, especially two weeks before a major event I'm helping to design, I decided to enroll my hubby and myself in an intermediate Pinot Noir class.
A class? Yes a wine tasting class. And you will be so surprised at how informative these classes are. We learned about geography, grapes, history, climate, people, and regions such as Russian River Valley in California, Willamette Valley in Oregon, and the new and surprising New Zealand.
In a nutshell, Pinot Noir is a type of grape that thrives in climates that have mild summers, and crisp but not icy winters. So naturally, coasts of California, foggy Oregon, and mild New Zealand are contenders for these grapes to grow and mature fruitfully. So we started with pairing of two wines at the same time. This is a brilliant way for your taste buds to distinguish the difference and the similarity between the wines.
My hubby has a sophisticated taste palette - I feel that he needs to explore more. He loves beer, but wine provides compliments like food and cheeses. We had a pairing with the Pinot Noirs with really stinky blue cheese and he loved it so much that he ended up buying a huge wedge to take home. It really makes me so happy that he really embraces this experience.
We had a lot of experienced wine tasters in the class. They judged the wine by color, the leg (the syrupy mush left on the glass after you twirl the cup that tells you how much alchohol is in the wine ), the smell (any novice can tell a difference between fruity and woodsy smells, a pro can tell the age and the region of the wine), and taste. Does it taste sweet? Complex? Earthy? Yummy?
Out of 12 wines we tried, my favorite was the 2009 Copain "Wentzel Vinyard" from Anderson Valley, California. This was also the last bottle we tried. It was fruity, dense, had a pretty burgundy color, and had depth and left a lasting impression on my taste buds. I loved it so much that I bought a bottle home. This is the most expensive wine I EVER BOUGHT. But again, my birthday is in two weeks so I will save it for my special day.
And along this journey, met really great people who enjoy the same things I do! It's such a pleasure meeting fellow wine tasters and foodies!
These guys are the experts! I hope to be invited to their wine tasting circuit!
Here is the full list of Pinot Noir wines I tasted.
California- The road less traveled
2007 Matthew D. Taylor, "Michaud Vineyard" in Monterey in Chalone, $27.99
2008 Mt. Eden, Santa Cruz Mountains, $47.99
California - Russian River Valley
2008 Nalle, Russian River Valley, $32.99
2006 Joseph Swan "Soralee's Vineyard", Russian River Valley, $34.99
Oregon
2008 Domaine Drouhin, Willamette Valley (Dundee), $39.99
2007 Antica Terra, Willamette Valley (Eola-Amity), $49.99
New Zealand
2009 Felton Road, Central Otago (Bannockburn), $39.99
2007 Pryamid Valley "Eaton Family Vineyard", Marlborugh, $44.99
New Zealand- Oregon Inspired(Meaning that they used Oregon grapes as inspiration)
2007 Belle Pente "Belle Pente Vinyard", Willamette Valley (Yamhill-Carlton), $34.99
2007 Rippon, Central Otago (Wanaka), $49.99
(The best I tasted below- why does it have to be the most expensive?)
California- North and South
2006 Clos Pepe Estate, Sta. Rita Hills, $55.99
2009 Copain "Wintzel Vineyard, Anderson Valley, $64.99
The tasting was at The Wine Country in Signal Hill, CA close to Long Beach Airport.
The Wine Country
2301 Redondo Ave. Signal Hill, CA 90755
562.597.8303
www.thewinecountry.com
For 12 tastings, the cost per person was $30, includes assortment of cheese and bread. The class is 2 hours.
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