The Wine Evangelist

Alright, I admit it. I have a fascination with Pinot Noir. Some would say I am obsessed. I’m not alone. Many adults have obsessions. Some cannot be discussed in mixed company.

An obsession by definition is a desire to have something that may not be attainable. There are folks who are obsessed with the game of golf. A difficult, frustrating game that provides a challenge each time it’s played regardless of the expertise of the golfer. Pinot Noir is similar to golf. Perfection is difficult to achieve regardless of the expertise of the winemaker.

It’s not just me. People are passionate about Pinot Noir in a way that exceeds any other varietal. Sometimes called Pinotphiles or just plain crazy, lovers of Pinot are driven to discover and experience the ultimate wine.

Many winemakers aspire to create the Holy Grail of Pinot Noir, a wine that is recognized as amazing… but this is not an easy task. Pinot is notoriously difficult to grow and produce. Every viticultural and winemaking decision is complex when it comes to working with Pinot Noir. This fickle grape, AKA, the heartbreak grape requires the right growing conditions and allows little margin for error in winemaking decisions. If mistakes are made, they are very difficult or even impossible to correct.

Winemakers and Pinot Lovers are generally pleased with well made wines. If everything goes right in the vineyard and the winery, they are absolutely joyous when they taste and experience the exquisite wines that can be produced – wines that are like no others, wines that sing and exude passion in a glass.

A very fortunate group of wine lovers joined Affairs of the Vine and International Wine Review in a journey of exploration to taste, discover and unearth some amazing Pinot Noirs at the 8th Annual Pinot Noir Summit on Saturday, February 27th.

The Pinot Noir Summit, the culmination of a three month long competitive wine competition, works with a diverse panel of 40 Pinot Noir loving wine professionals. They tasted through an incredible 277 wines submitted from growing regions the world over.

Forty top rated wines were selected to participate in the Pinot Noir Summit. Over 200 lucky Pinot Noir Lovers gathered in San Rafael, California to participate in a blind tasting of award winning Pinot Noirs, attend Pinot Noir workshops and meet the winemakers.

The delegates to the Pinot Noir Summit, seduced by Pinot Noir, indulged their passion.

The wines were tasted totally blind and were assigned random colors for identification purposes. The wines could be tasted in any order to avoid any undue advantage to a particular wine or group of wines. All of these wines are winners. All received and cumulative scores of 90 or above by our judging panel.

The delegates pitted their palates against the expert panel’s findings.

The top three choices by gender as chosen by the delegates and the panel are noted below.

The results of the delegates were compiled and verified by three volunteers.

Complete details of all of the wines tasted with scores and comments by gender will be posted on the Affairs of the Wine website by March 15th.

Top wines as announced on February 27, 2010.

At the Summit:
Men:
First Place
Pacific Coast Vineyards 2007 Babcock Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills ~ Gray
Second Place
Hahn SLH Estate 2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands ~ Gray Blue
Third Place
Claiborne & Churchill 2007 Pinot Noir, Edna Valley ~ Tan
Women:
First Place
Claiborne & Churchill 2007 Pinot Noir, Edna Valley ~ Tan
Second Place
Pacific Coast Vineyards 2007 Babcock Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills ~ Gray
Third Place
Nicholson Ranch 2007  Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ~ Orchid

Judges Shootout Panel By Gender:
Men:
First Place
Claiborne & Churchill 2007 Pinot Noir, Edna Valley ~ Tan 
Second Place
Left Edge 2008 Timberline Block Sea Ridge Vineyards Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast  ~ Purple
Third Place
Perception 2007 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ~ Light Green
Women:
First Place
Dierberg Vineyards 2006 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley ~ Lime Green
Tied for Second Place
Russian Hill 2007 Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ~ Dark Gray
AND
Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2007 Freestone Hills Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ~ White
Third Place
Artesa 2007 Pinot Noir, Carneros ~ Magenta

First Place Blanc de Noirs:

Champagne Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs, Reims, Champagne   

Chandon Blanc de Noirs Sparkling, California

Freixenet Elyssia Sparkling Cava, Spain                  

Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs Sparkling, Carneros

Gloria Ferrer 2006 Brut Rose Sparkling, Carneros              

Segura Viudas Aria Sparkling Cava, Spain

Windsor Vineyards 2006 Blanc de Noirs Sparkling, Carneros

Check out this great video put together by Eric Hwang Pinot Noir Summit 2010

Complete details including reviews and scores of all Pinot Noir Shootout submissions will be posted on the Affairs of the Vine website by March 15th.