PINOT TRIO! Have It Your Way!

Ever since I was 21 I fantasized about being in a room with three Sexy Beauties! Last night, I did except the Beauties were all Pinot Noirs made in a different style and from a different Country! You really didn’t think this 53 year old, balding Sommelier had three beautiful WOMEN last night did you?

I have Blogged before that I am an Admitted PINOTPHILE Out of all the grape varietals in the world, I still am most seduced and intrigued by Pinot Noir. I put together Three 100% Pinot Noir Wines all made in a different style and from a different part of the World for this Pinot Trio. The first Pinot of The Trio is featured on the left of the picture above. It is from Italy and produced in the Oltrepo Pavese northern part of Italy by winemaker Fabiano Giorgi. In the state of Florida all the Giorgi wines are imported and distributed by Alberello Wines of Winter Park Florida and The Selections of Nadia Galati. Nadia and her Selections are certainly no stranger to readers of my Blog. Although Nadia brings in the sweet sparklers from the Giorgi Winery that in some areas of Florida are household names like Costarosa Sangue Di Guida, Moscarosa Rosato, an award winning Rose of Moscato and the Nadia Malvasia, Giorgi is more well known in Italy for his drier, Champagne Like Sparkling Wines. One of my weekly picks is Giorgi’s Pinot Nero Bianco, Frizzante. In English that just means a Fizzy, Pinot Noir without using the red skins so it is white in color. I find this wine so refreshing and a must have wine every weekend or when bringing something to a picnic or friends homes in the summertime. It is not a Brut (DRY STYLE) It is more of an Extra Dry (OFF DRY AND FRUITY) bubbly. Flavors of Rainier white cherries (Cherries are typical of Pinot Noir But Drier when the Skins are added to the Ferment Tanks) Citrus Notes, Floral Tones and bright, Fresh Acidity. A Great Sparkling Wine and A Great Alternative to Prosecco Or Champagnes and a great price.

Number Two and Number Three In The Trio were picked for selfish reasons. I have always said if it is a good year in Burgundy, France then it is a good year in Oregon for Pinot Noir. The reason is, both areas share the same geographical latitude 45 Degrees Parallel and share the same climate and conditions. So I picked a French Burgundy or Pinot Noir if you will, and an Oregon Pinot Noir from Eola-Amity Hills AVA from the very same vintage. True to my theory 2007 was not a homerun year for either area but I wanted to taste them side by side. The first of the two, was a 2007 Joseph Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin. A little light in the body which is expected from both wines due to the off vintage of 2007. Very nice red currant flavors with a pronounced finish of red licorice and a hint of tart cherry. The chalkiness was there from the soil in this Masculine Village of Gevrey Chambertin. Wine Spectator scored the wine 88 Points and I would have to go slightly lower and give it an 86.

Always save the best for last. Yes, it is no secret I am rooting for the Pinot from Oregon but I am trying to be un-biased. This was a 2007 Pinot Noir from Domaine Coteau in the Eola-Amity Hills. Believe it or not, especially after the wine had time to breathe over an hour, this Oregon Pinot Noir had much more OLD WORLD characteristics than the Burgundy. I smelled and tasted the earthy forest floor and the brambles and the baking spices and the Red Twizzlers and it had more fruit than the Drouhin and all around, it was a more pleasurable wine to drink. If I were blindfolded however I would have gotten the PINOT NOIR correct but I probably would have guessed that the Oregon one was from Burgundy, France. Don’t get me wrong here. Neither of the two Red Pinot Noirs were earth shattering wines. The Oregon one even from a mediocre vintage was a better quality to price ratio and a better all around wine. I would give the Domaine Coteau 87 Points.
Yes readers of my blog. This is about exciting as it gets for Larry The Wine Guy on a Memorial Day Weekend. I know you all think that the life of a Certified Sommelier must be a wild and crazy lifestyle so this was the boring inside scoop. For me it was really fun to drink Pinot Noir in 3 totally different flavor profiles and styles and I recommend you try something like this if you have no life like me. For those of you that say all the time you hate Pinot Noir, I have a News Flash For You. In every single bottle of the real deal Champagne you drink, the dominant grape is usually if not 100% coming from Pinot Noir…Think about that the next time you say I want My VEUVE!!!