THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603280043
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: HUMBLE STEWARD
SOURCE: BY JIM RAPER, WINE COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
FRIENDS IN Ocean View invited us to dinner and promised a main course of roasted pork loin with exotic mushrooms and a red wine sauce.
I wanted to take along some wine and decided on pinot noir from Oregon - the Oak Knoll 1992 Willamette Valley ($13) and the King Estate 1992 Oregon ($17).
As it turned out, the friends, Robin and Ernie Franklin, had chosen pinots as well - the Joseph Drouhin 1993 Chorey le Beaune ($25) from Burgundy and the Kent Rasmussen 1992 Carneros ($21) from California.
We didn't want to slight any of the wines, or any of the three growing regions, so we decided to taste them all.
Ernie Franklin began collecting wines a few years ago, focusing at first on cabernet sauvignon, then exploring merlot before developing a taste for pinot noir.
His progression makes sense. Cabs are the most popular of the red varietals in the United States, and often are the foundation of a collection. Franklin stored away some cabs, but while waiting for them to mature, which is the way he likes them, he jumped into merlots. The soft tannins and fruitiness of most merlots make them more approachable when young.
From there, he moved on to the confusing realm of pinot noir. More than any other varietal, pinot noir resists a general description. Many of us have been drinking and studying wines for decades; nevertheless, we approach a bottle of pinot with trepidation. Experience warns us that it may not taste like we expect it to. Or that just because we paid $20 or more doesn't mean it will be special.
The reasons are many for pinot's confounding personality. First of all, the grape is difficult to grow and to vinify.
Also, the compact Cote d'Or of Burgundy, the Mecca of pinot noir lovers, is a nearly indecipherable collage of vineyards and producers. Great wines from the region truly are heaven. But consumer confusion about the Cote d'Or - and a heavy demand for its wines - has enabled producers there to unload some very disappointing $20-to-$50 reds on Americans.
Franklin is a no-nonsense kind of guy who isn't going to spend a fortune trying to master the Cote d'Or. He may pick up a $25 bottle of red Burgundy once in a while, but only on the recommendation of a trusted merchant or critic. Most of the pinots in his racks come from California and Oregon.
Although we are not likely to be disappointed by a top-flight pinot from the West Coast, the domestic pinots do share some baggage with their French cousins. Styles of pinots range from rich in flavor and color to very light. Modest examples of the varietal can have the distinguishable pinot backdrop but almost no fruitiness, or else have upfront fruitiness without the backdrop. Furthermore, this so-called backdrop takes some getting used to. It comprises a slight alcohol burn and sensual impressions of bacon, mushrooms, minerals, tar or, as some say, wet cardboard or wet leather.
Now that I have made pinot out to be a quirky red, indeed, I should add this: A good pinot, whether domestic or imported, has more layers of flavor and mates with more foods than any other wine on the planet. This red may be hard to get to know and to appreciate, but the effort will be rewarding.
The four pinots we tasted with the Franklins prove the point:
Oak Knoll has more lush - and expensive - reserve pinots in its lineup, but the regular Willamette Valley bottling is consistently good. This 1992 from Oregon was smooth and generous with cherry fruit. It had varietal characteristics but was not as complex as the other wines of the evening.
King Estate is a large Oregon winery that doesn't scrimp on quality. The 1992 we tasted was medium-light in color but quite elegant, with aromas of tart cherries and tar. It had good acidity and tasted of plums. I thought it tasted more Burgundian than the two other domestics and tasted especially good with the pork.
Drouhin is a dependable producer of white and red Burgundy, and our 1993 Chorey le Beaune showed well. It was the most complex wine of the evening, and the most tannic. It should improve in the bottle for another two years or so. The color was medium-light, the nose was of cherries and leather, and the taste moved through cherries and mushrooms to a long, alcoholic finish. This wine also reminded me how good many of the 1993 red Burgundies are, despite initial bad reviews of the vintage.
Kent Rasmussen's 1992 entry from Carneros was relatively thick, with lush black cherry flavor and noticeable tannins. I downgraded it at first for its aggressive, concentrated power. After an hour in the glass, however, it had mellowed and was enjoyable. SOME DOMESTIC FAVORITES
California pinots, on the whole, are more concentrated than those from Oregon and Burgundy. But exceptions abound, and the typical consumer will be wise to buy their premium pinots from a trustworthy merchant.
My favorite producers of pinot in California are Calera, Au Bon Climat, David Bruce, Sanford, Wild Horse, Davis Bynum, Gary Farrell and Williams-Selyem.
My favorite producers in Oregon, in addition to Oak Knoll and King Estate, are Adelsheim, Montinore, Willamette Valley Vineyards and Domaine Drouhin (the Oregon outpost of the Burgundian family mentioned above).
Some of the wines of these domestic producers can cost $50 or more, but most are from about $17 to $35. The prices don't seem so high when we consider how good these domestics are compared to similarly priced wines from Burgundy.
For well-made, inexpensive domestic pinots, look to Estancia, Saintsbury Garnet, Napa Ridge and Mountain View. The first two are sometimes discounted to below $10. The other two can often be found for less than $7.
by CNB