Holiday Wine - Try Pinot Noir

COMMUNITY Holiday Wine- Try Pinot Noir

Deborah Damery Lazear, CSW

The holidays are a perfect time for hosting your friends with great food and wine. How about a Pinot Noir influenced dinner? Pinot Noir can be a rosé, a light fruity red wine, or a deep brooding experience for the gustatory senses. Frequently referred to as the “feminine” grape to Bordeaux’s “masculine” Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir is all about sensuality.

Pinot Noir grape is native to France with the earliest vineyards planted in Meursault 1st Century AD. This area, “Burgundia”, was absorbed into the German tribe called Franks who settled in northern Gaul; hense the name France. In 1363, King Philippe the Bold ousted Gamay (the grape of the common folk) declaring only Pinot Noir would be grown and served to nobility. During the French Revolution, vineyards under the control of the priests, were confiscated with the land redistributed to farmers that had worked those lands. Napoleon Bonaparte issued the 1804 Napoleonic Code, which mandated that inheritable property be divided equally among siblings, thus beginning a long history of fractionalization of the vineyard holdings in Burgundy. Pinot Noir is aromatic and ripens with good acidity and moderate tannins. It boasts aromas of strawberry, cherry, earth, leather, autumn leaves, smoke, truffles, clove, violets and mushrooms. Some tasters can pick up a bit of “barnyard” on the nose. The most desired sites for vineyards are east-facing so as to catch the morning sun. This dries the morning dew quickly and avoids Pinot Noir’s propensity to mildew and rot. The skin is thin and sunburns easily so canopy management is a must. Too many green leaves can be translated into an undesirable “vegetal” note in grape must. Too few green leaves and the grapes sunburn. No wonder it is called the “heartbreak” grape. Pinot prefers limestone for its most elegant wines. Marl soil wines have more structure and fruit but are less elegant. Clay soil Pinots are less aromatic and less complex. Besides the “home” of Pinot Noir in Burgundy France, many other countries are producing amazing wines. Here are a few amongst many to search for: • Germany calls its Pinot Noir

Spätburgunder. Baden is a good area. Its wines are low in alcohol 12% and reasonably priced around $20. Some have a little oak from small barrels. • Chile’s San Antonio Valley is close to the Pacific Ocean and its breezes keep the grapes cool. Look for the sub-valley region of Leyda or Rosario. • Oregon is my dream State when searching out a USA

Pinot. Willamette Valley AVA’s wines from Dijon clones on hillside vineyards are superb. Dundee Hills AVA has ironrich volcanic soil producing Pinots with plum, blueberry, and sweet spice notes. Yamhill-Carlton AVA’s sedimentary soil offers supple, graceful wines with cherry, cinnamon, and bittersweet chocolate. McMinnville AVA, located in the foothills of the Coastal Range is closer to the ocean with cooler temperature leading to crisp and lively wines. Also cooler is Eola Hills with sturdy, mouth-filling wines. • Australia’s Adelaide Hills is high in humidity and frost is a challenge but some good Pinot Noir can be found. • A New Zealand area of Central Otago on the south island is increasingly winning medals for its Pinot Noir. The world’s most southerly wine region, it has a true continental climate.

More Burgundian in style due to the colder weather these wines lean toward vibrant red and black cherry with a dash of wild thyme.

A Pinot Noir Tasting Menu for the Holiday Season

Canapés

Chinese porcelain spoons filled with cheesy polenta and sautéd mushrooms garnished with thyme Rosé of Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

First Course

Escargot and Pork Sausage Paella with Sweet Peppers Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley 2018, Oregon

Main Course

Rack of Lamb with Rosemary breadcrumb crust Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Delicata Squash Rounds with Pomegranate Seeds Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2019

Dessert

Buttermilk Cheesecake with Blueberries Seven of Hearts Dessert Pinot Noir