Last Saturday afternoon I attended the Pinot Days wine event held at City Winery which is located at 155 Varick Street. I’ve been to many wine events at this venue and it’s a real winery complete with barrels and big tanks of wine aging in the back room. Pinot Days are Pinot Noir-centric events that were held or will be held in Chicago, Los Angles and San Francisco. Saturday was New York’s turn. The event featured mostly California Pinot Noir though a couple of Oregon wineries made an appearance as well as one table of New Zealand wines. The event was open to the trade for the first two hours and then the doors were swung open to the public later that afternoon. It was a fun tasting with some nice juice though I have to say there wasn’t a wine that blew me away. Some of what I sampled:
Gros Ventre Cellars “Campell Ranch” 2012 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast). Medium red with a nice nose of earth and black cherry with bright cherry fruit.
Loring Wine Company 2012 Pinot Noir (Sta Rita Hills). Medium red with a nose of smoky, black cherry.
Loring Wine Company 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian River). Bright red in color with velvery fruit and bright cherry cola flavors.
Inman Family Winery 2009 Pinot Noir “OGV” (Russian River). Beautiful perfume on the nose with barnyard notes on the silky moderate to light mouth filling fruit with a long finish.
J Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian River). Medium red with an interesting nose of dried herbs, some barnyard and cherry cola with chewy fruit and a firm finish.
J Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir ” Robert Thomas Vineyard” (Russian River). Medium to dark red with toastines and black cherry flavors on the nose.
I tried a trio of interesting Biodynamic wines from Benziger Winery poured by the winemaker himself, Mike Benziger.
Benziger de Coelo 2012 Pinot Noir “Quintus” (Sonoma Coast). Medium red with a nose of ripe red fruit with moderate to light fruit on the palate.
Benziger de Coelo 2012 Pinot Noir “Terra Neuma” (Sonoma Coast). Medium to dark red with notes of warm dark berries and dried herbs on the nose with leather notes on the finish. A nice glass with some heat peaking through at the end.
Benziger de Coelo 2012 Pinot Noir “Arbore” (Sonoma Coast). Bright medium red with stone fruit on the nose with some chewiness and was light and tart on the finish.
Another trio of interesting wines from Belle Glos. I enjoyed the wines but not typical Pinot Noir at all.
Belle Glos 2012 Pinot Noir “Dairyman” (Russian River). Dark red in color, juicy with notes of dried herbs on the fruit.
Belle Glos 2012 Pinot Noir “Los Alturas” (Santa Lucia Highlands). Very dark in color with notes of black cherry and earth on the nose, very juicy.
Belle Glos 2012 Pinot Noir “Clark & Telephone” (Santa Maria Valley). Almost black in color with dusty crushed berries on the nose and was juicy with good balance.
Hillard Bruce 2011 Chardonnay (Sta Rita Hills). One of the few whites I had at the event, tight nose of mango with tight fruit with ripe fruit notes on the finish.
Hillard Bruce 2010 Pinot Noir “Sun” (Sta Rita Hills). Dusty, medium red color with some chewiness on the fruit and cola notes on the good balance.
Fess Parker 2010 Pinot Noir (Sta Rita Hills). Clear, medium red color with ripe fruit, silky finishes with some tart notes.
Fess Parker 2011 Pinot Noir (Bien Nacido). Clear, medium red with a closed nose, silky, tight fruit with bright cherry notes on the finish.
Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley). Medium red with black cherry and dried herbs on the nose with tight, smoky fruit and good balance.
Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley). Clear, medium red color with red leather on the nose with bright red fruit.
Saintsbury 2010 Pinot Noir “Stanly Ranch” (Carneros). Medium to dark red with bright barnyard notes on the nose and was tight and silky with a firm but balanced finish.
Saintsbury 2010 Pinot Noir “Brown Ranch” (Carneros). Medium to dark red with leather and barnyard on the nose and dark leather fruit with crisp acids on the finish.
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